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One middle ground I've found is to write tools or processes for myself or a mentee, with the intention to avoid avoidable problems. And then use the next time someone breaks things as an opportunity to advertise the preventative measure.

Frequently I end up having to do one more PR to get the tool to correct the exact problem the team experienced, so in practical terms is much less of a 'witholding' and more of a 'burning in' situation. But the final product does end up getting written in hours instead of days so while I don't get the credit I feel entitled to for foresight, I get mis-attributed with being able to solve difficult problems quickly.

Which is kinda true. I hate being caught flat footed so I'm always squirreling away fragments of a Plan C.




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