Building Your Team
You are building your team and need Elixir developers. You can't find enough people with the Elixir experience you'd like, so you hire talented people that can learn Elixir. You are completely capable of sitting with them and mentoring them all along the way and make it happen. But you have a team to run, product to ship, and problems to solve. You need help bringing new members up-to-speed quickly.
I Understand Your Situation
I know the difficult position you are in. Let's explore some of the options you have.
You could send them off on their own
You already completed your personal journey and learned the foundations of Elixir development. You know it can be challenging for developers coming from an Object Oriented background to make the switch to Function Programming. You know the path ahead for them has some twists and turns that will challenge them to think differently.
If you send them off on their own to "figure it out" they risk going down a rabbit hole of interesting things that don't actually help them start contributing to your project any sooner.
"Just ask questions when you get stuck."
You could encourage them to ask questions when they get stuck.
However, you've learned that doesn't work as well as it should. Programmers want to feel like they bring value. They want to appear competent. They hate feeling like they are taking other people's time.
They will struggle on their own in a fog of confusion for far too long before finally asking for help.
Personally mentor them
You've already acquired the knowledge and experience they need. You can sit with them and mentor them yourself. Or you could have some of your best people mentor them.
This is a good option in the right circumstance. The problem is it doesn't scale. It also distracts you or your best people from the goal of moving the project forward.
As people join your team at different times, not everyone is learning the same things. So the training isn't consistent. Sally will have learned things that John didn't because you had more time that day.
ThinkingElixir.com Courses are their Mentor
ThinkingElixir.com training courses are designed with your team in mind. The courses focus on giving new members the most ciritical skills first. The courses provide practice exercises and more to give them the hands-on experience they need to start contributing to your project quickly.
The path is plotted for them. New and challenging concepts are explained in an easy to understand way. The training is consistent. Everyone gets leveled up to the same point.
Help new members of your team get up to speed quickly.
Do what only you can do!
Only you can bridge their new knowledge to your unique project and situation.
Use your valuable time in the most effective way possible. Let them learn the foundation they need at work or home. Give them the space to show they can "do it on their own" in safe way that keeps them on track.
What they need from you is how they apply the new skills to your project.
Help them feel like part of the team
Developers want to feel valued. They want to feel like they are contributing to the team and the project.
Help them feel successful. Give them the ability to study and learn while inside or outside the office. Give them a tool that meets their needs and serves the goals of the company.
They need to learn the most critical foundation skills first. Help them make the mental transformations. Let them start contributing to the project, adding value and feeling successful.
