From Code Monkey to Trusted Partner

by Peter Szarvas | Senior Software Developer and Consultant

There was a time when I thought being a good developer meant delivering features quickly, staying quiet in meetings, and doing what I was told. I optimized for speed. I crushed Jira tickets. But something kept bothering me.

I struggled to make the many local decisions developers face every day—without the right context or access to business insights. Domain experts weren’t available "on tap," and I often felt stuck making blind guesses. And we all know that:

“It’s not the domain expert’s understanding that gets released into production, it’s the developer’s interpretation of that understanding.”
— Alberto Brandolini

So I decided to take control and get more involved.

The Code Monkey Trap

“Code monkey” is a harsh label, but many of us start our careers here. It’s not about skill—it’s about mindset:

  • Executes without context

  • No deep knowledge of the domain

  • Low autonomy

  • No access to domain knowledge

  • Lack of awareness or business understanding

  • Minimal or no contact with customer/user

  • Focused on building the thing right

  • Perceived as an easy role, but easily replaceable

It’s safe. It’s efficient. And it’s the fastest way to be invisible.

Enter the Trusted Partner

Trusted Partners don’t just code. They:

  • Understand (business) problems and user needs

  • Have confidence in decision making

  • Show high awareness of impact and context

  • Think in terms of business consequences

  • Possess a broader overview of how systems interact

  • Build the right thing—not just the thing right

  • Maintain active contact with customers/users

  • Are seen as valuable contributors to the business

  • Take responsibility beyond technical tasks

  • Bring valuable business insights to the table

They are still developers—but with influence (and domain expertise).

The transition isn’t about a promotion. It’s about perspective and initiative.

Where Are You on the Spectrum?

It’s important to remember this isn’t black and white. Most of us operate somewhere along the spectrum between code monkey and trusted partner, and our position can shift depending on the project, team dynamics, or company culture.

The goal isn’t perfection—it’s progression. Being aware of where you stand helps you grow with intention.

Here’s a quick self-check:

Trait Code Monkey Trusted Partner
Task Execution Follows specs Questions and shapes specs
Business Understanding Minimal Deeply engaged with domain experts
Autonomy Low High
Access to Knowledge Limited or missing Actively seeks and maintains access
Awareness of Context Narrow Broad and strategic
Conversations Mostly technical Balanced between business & tech
Contact with Customer/User Rare or indirect Direct and regular
Mindset Build the thing right Build the right thing
Value to the Business Low High
Responsibility Avoided or unclear Owned and visible

Be honest. Where do you see yourself?

In the next section, we’ll look at how you can start moving forward—one mindset shift at a time.

Even with years of experience, it’s possible to fall into execution mode—especially in rigid structures. That’s okay. But you don’t have to stay there.

There’s no single golden path. Every developer has their own strengths, preferences, and pace. Some thrive in deep technical problem-solving, others in user collaboration or product thinking—and that’s what makes great teams. The goal isn’t to fit a mold, but to grow intentionally and expand your impact.
Broadening your perspective—whether technically, cross-functionally, or through the lens of the business—is one of the most powerful ways to learn and grow.

Strategy Meets Tactics

One thing that helped me connect Turn the Ship Around! with Domain-Driven Design is how both highlight the importance of clarity and competence—just from different angles.

In DDD terms:

  • Strategic design gives us organizational clarity — it answers what to build and why it matters.

  • Tactical patterns provide technical excellence — they help us build it well.

This also reflects the classic split:

  • Build the right thing → requires strategic clarity.

  • Build the thing right → requires technical skill.

Think of it like planning a road trip (strategy) versus navigating traffic and road signs while driving (tactics). When you understand both, you're no longer just steering—you know where you’re going and why it matters.

And to build both mindset and momentum, one of the most powerful tools is the Ladder of Leadership.

Climbing the Ladder of Leadership

The Ladder of Leadership, popularized by Turn the Ship Around! by David Marquet, represents a spectrum of ownership and initiative in how we communicate. It addresses a common challenge in teams: when developers feel disempowered or overly dependent on direction, they hesitate to act or grow.

The ladder introduces a shared language for growing initiative—shifting from passive execution to active ownership.

The goal is to move up the ladder —showing increasing ownership, confidence, and clarity. It’s not about authority. It’s about taking responsibility for your actions and decisions, even without a leadership title.

“Stop asking permission. Start taking ownership.”

Practical Steps to Level Up

Inspired by the leader-leader model from Turn the Ship Around! and enriched by Domain-Driven Design practices, here’s what helped me (and others) shift:

  1. Start with “why” for every task.
    Don’t just ask “What should I build?”—ask “Why does this matter to the user or the business?”

  2. Adopt the domain’s language.
    Contribute to a glossary. Use domain terms in code to reduce translation friction.

  3. Facilitate or attend Event Storming workshops.
    Start small: one use case, one hour, one whiteboard.
    If you’re introverted, observe or contribute asynchronously.

  4. Use Example Mapping in refinement.
    Turn vague requirements into concrete examples, rules, and questions.

  5. Embed with business users when possible
    Shadow them, join support calls, or read customer feedback.

  6. Learn from experienced developers.
    Seek out code reviews, pair programming sessions, or technical mentors who challenge you to grow. Technical excellence is a team sport—don’t just read blog posts, collaborate with and learn from people who’ve been in the trenches.

  7. Reflect with your team.
    Use retrospectives or 1:1s to ask: “Where are we blind right now?”

  8. Practice “I intend to…” language.
    Propose actions instead of asking what to do—invite feedback and build trust.

These shifts don’t happen in isolation—supportive environments and empowered roles make autonomy possible.

The key isn’t authority—it’s clarity and responsibility.

Real Impact, Real Growth

Once you start this journey, things change:

  • You become a trusted partner, not just a coder.

  • You influence product design, not just implement it.

  • You gain confidence in making hard decisions.

And maybe most importantly: you enjoy building again.

Final Thought

You don’t need to be the smartest person in the room. You just need to be the most curious.

Ask why. Collaborate deeply. And take control—not just of the code, but of your place in the system.

From code monkey to trusted partner—it’s a choice.

Der Weg zur sicheren Digitalen Transformation mit Identity Management
Referenz

Trusted Advisory

It started with a project to introduce an IAM solution in a corporate division. Over several years, the collaboration developed into a trusted advisory with many individual implementation projects. In the meantime, the customer's IAM extends throughout the group, which also requires decentralized deployment worldwide.
Blog 9/17/21

How to gather data from Miro

Learn how to gather data from Miro boards with this step-by-step guide. Streamline your data collection for deeper insights.
News 5/5/21

From Fashion Retailer to Data Driven Company

synaigy supports fashion retailer Esprit with the necessary data and analytics expertise.
Server farm
Leistung 2/14/22

From Unix to Linux with Adabas/Natural

Mit Adabas/Natural von Unix nach Linux
E-Book

Transition from SAP ByDesign to S/4HANA Cloud

Ensure a smooth transition from SAP Business ByDesign to S/4HANA Public Cloud. Learn key differences, best practices, and a step-by-step plan.
Teaser Referenz IAM Silhouette
Referenz 4/21/23

From zero to one hundred in just three months

Attacks on IT infrastructure are a serious threat to companies. Silhouette Group wanted to better protect itself against cyber attacks. ✅ Read more.
Referenz

Seamless migration from on-premises to the Atlassian cloud

Oetiker, a leading supplier of connecting solutions for the automotive industry, migrated to the cloud with catworkx Jira and Confluence in 2021.
Blog 5/25/21

From the idea to the product: The genesis of Skwill

We strongly believe in the benefits of continuous learning at work; this has led us to developing products that we also enjoy using ourselves. Meet Skwill.
Headerbild zu Atlassian Cloud
Technologie

Cloud from Atlassian

Atlassian Cloud gives even small teams the ability to leverage the Atlassian product world. It allows you to flexibly adjust the number of users. Furthermore, you can choose from three paid variants of Cloud products. In this way, you always adapt your Atlassian product to your individual requirements. The multiple certified Atlassian Cloud solutions are hosted at Amazon Web Services Inc.
Logo Atlassian Confluence
Technologie

Confluence from Atlassian

Create, organize, and collaborate on tasks - all in a single place. Confluence is a workspace for teams and organizations where you can store your documentation and collaboratively develop and share knowledge. Dynamic pages give your team a place to create, capture, and collaborate around projects or idea development.
Blog 7/25/23

Revolutionizing the Logistics Industry

As the logistics industry becomes increasingly complex, businesses need innovative solutions to manage the challenges of supply chain management, trucking, and delivery. With competitors investing in cutting-edge research and development, it is vital for companies to stay ahead of the curve and embrace the latest technologies to remain competitive. That is why we introduce the TIMETOACT Logistics Simulator Framework, a revolutionary tool for creating a digital twin of your logistics operation.
Partner

Partner International

Mockup eXplain Codeanalyse Whitepaper
Whitepaper 7/2/24

eXplain - Download code analysis whitepaper

eXplain - The tool for code analysis on the IBM i (AS400) & IBM Z (mainframe)
Logo Jira Service Management
Technologie

Jira Service Management from Atlassian

Enable developers, operators, and other teams from different departments to collaborate and improve their service management responsiveness. Respond quickly to incidents, requests, and changes, and provide your customers with an optimized service experience.
Blog

International cooperation: Insights from Michael

In our latest interview, we present the multifaceted everyday working life of Mike Diamant, Senior Atlassian Consultant at catworkx. With over 30 years of IT experience and a penchant for a good joke, he talks about what working at catworkx feels like for him as an American, what he appreciates about the German work culture and why working with customers and colleagues is so special for him.

CLOUDPILOTS, Google Workspace, G Suite, Google Cloud, GCP, MeisterTask, MindMeister, Freshworks, Freshdesk, Freshsales, Freshservice, Looker, VMware Engine
Blog 12/11/19

11 reasons to switch to Google Workspace

There are many good reasons to switch to Google Workspace. We have summarized the 11 most important ones for you here.
Service

API Economy, DevOps, Low Code & MACH

Customer-oriented solutions on the topics of API economy, DevOps, low code and MACH (microservices, API-first, cloud-native and headless architecture)

Blog 9/27/22

Creating solutions and projects in VS code

In this post we are going to create a new Solution containing an F# console project and a test project using the dotnet CLI in Visual Studio Code.

Blog 10/27/21

Isolating legacy code with ArchUnit tests

Clear boundaries in code are important ... and hard. ArchUnit allows you to capture the structure your team agreed on in tests.

Training

Getting More from Jira Workflows (Cloud)

Over the course of the "Getting More from Jira Workflows (Cloud)" training participants will learn about common status and transition properties and advanced workflow functionalities and how to configure them.

Bleiben Sie mit dem TIMETOACT GROUP Newsletter auf dem Laufenden!