We had our first 🏏 game of the season on Saturday. Our regular wicketkeeper wasn't available, with no backup in sight.
I put my hand up. 🙋♂️
My preparation? A frantic Amazon order for keeping inners. A scavenger hunt through the club's equipment shed for a pair of pads. A YouTube crash course the night before.
Oh — and it was also my son's debut for the men's team. No pressure. 🙂
I had never kept wickets before. But the team needed someone willing to step in and support the goal. I learned on the spot, stayed focused — and took a catch off my son's bowling. A moment I will never forget.
Growth Often Starts Before You Feel Ready
It reminded me of something important: growth often starts when you say yes before you feel fully ready.
In enterprise technology, a lot of time gets spent defining roles.
"I'm an Architect." "I'm a Dev." "I'm a PO."
But when a project hits the buffers and a critical gap appears mid-migration, the title on your business card matters far less than your willingness to grab the pads.
The job is not always to wait for perfect experience. Often it is to bring intent, curiosity, and the willingness to learn fast. That is how individuals grow. That is how teams move forward.
The Pragmatic Architect's Takeaway
- Step into gaps when the team needs help — availability and intent often matter more than credentials
- Learn fast in real situations — there is no substitute for doing the thing
- Focus on the shared outcome, not personal comfort — the team's goal is the goal
- Treat unfamiliar work as a chance to build capability — discomfort is usually a signal, not a warning
Sometimes the right tool for the job isn't a piece of software. Sometimes, it's you.
Has there been a moment in your career where the role you needed to play was nothing like the one on your job description? 👇
#Leadership #SoftwareArchitecture #Resilience #EngineeringLeadership #Cricket
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and reflect independent practitioner analysis based on publicly available research and general professional experience. They do not represent the views of any employer, client, or organisation. All frameworks and patterns referenced are illustrative in nature.