What “the Michael Jordan of code” needs

Have you ever noticed that professional athletes have a lot of coaches?

In basketball, the head coach is most visible. But theres a whole staff of assistant coaches, not to mention trainers.

Michael Jordan famously won six championships with his coach Phil Jackson. At the same time, he maintained individual coaches around him, including the same personal trainer for 15 years—Tim Grover.

Grover was featured in The Last Dance documentary series. He was the guy who took Jordan from top basketball form into baseball shape—different sport, different muscles.

Then, after Jordan proved to be so-so on the diamond, Grover turned him back into the best basketball player of all time.

Another “best ever,” golfer Tiger Woods also employs coaches. Most notably, his long-time caddie Steve Williams deserves a share of the limelight.

One particular Woods-Williams collaboration has gained a lot of attention. In the 2008 US Open, Williams thought Woods should hit a critical shot with a lob wedge, but the yardage called for a different club.

Solution: the caddie lied about the distance to the worlds’ best golfer.

Woods went on to come back for a win in dramatic fashion, likely thanks to Williams’ fib. It was the coaching needed at that moment.

But this isn’t meant to be about lying, nor is it really about the unsung heroes of professional sports.

It may be flashier to be the star athlete, but it’s rewarding to be in the supporting role.

Developer marketing, done well, is like being a caddie or trainer. Our job is to make developers better.

When the end goal is converting those developers to customers, that can be a difficult mindset to keep. That’s why I wrote Developer Marketing Does Not Exist.

Each chapter is a reminder that in every way you reach developers, your goal is to educate and inspire.

Be a coach or caddie; a teacher or trainer.