When is a senior, not a senior?

Let's say I've been testing for 20 years, mainly focused on technical exploratory testing work. Some folks might call this "manual testing" (not me mind you 😉).

Then I catch the coding bug (pun intended).

After a year of mentoring, I learn how to use GUI automation tools like Watir and Selenium. I feel pretty confident helping my team, so much so that I move team.

And that's where the trouble begins!

Now I'm feeling a little out of my comfort zone. Unsure of the tech stack. Unsure of the problem domain.

So, I'm a senior teammate, with a junior skillset.

That's a discombobulating situation!

My 20 years experience will make me feel like a should be doing "better" but my junior skillset means I won't necessarily know what that looks like or how to do it.

So what can you do as their EM?:

1. Explore goals: What do they want to achieve?

2. Understand reality: Figure out where they're stuck?

3. Capture the options: List the possibilities.

4. Decide next steps: Choose a path of action.

In other words, help them GROW.