PR Reviews
Interviewers ask me about PR reviews constantly. About 90% of the time. So here is my take.
Consider this: the greatest athletes have coaches. Often multiple coaches. The greatest athletes in the world do not just accept coaching - they seek it out. PR reviews work the same way for developers. Someone watches your work, catches your blind spots, and pushes you to be better.
Here is what I have noticed. Many senior and staff-level developers hate PR reviews. Or they only enjoy them when everyone treats their feedback as gospel. The logic goes: “I am an expert. I do not make mistakes in my domain. So why do I need someone looking over my shoulder?”
That is backwards.
The problems that hold us back are usually the ones we cannot see. And if you cannot see them, you cannot fix them. Without that external perspective, growth stops. Maybe not today, maybe not next month, but eventually you plateau.
Yes, PR reviews can sting. Nobody loves being observed and critiqued. But that discomfort is the price of getting better. And it is worth it - for you, for your team, and for the code you ship together.
Watch this video. Tonio di Paolo sounds great to my untrained ear. Then Pavarotti steps in. He does not tear the performance apart. He refines it. He adds the right feeling without crushing the singer’s spirit. That is what good reviews look like. In opera. In code. Anywhere.