Pay attention to suggestions from those outside your area of expertise. They are there for a reason, and if they make you think about the larger world outside your current project, then you've just learned something that will prepare you to sit in their chair someday.

If the DBA wants to talk about the data set size and the company standards coordinator wants to talk about the reasons you're coding in C++ instead of Python and the processor freak wants to be able to export the code to run on an Abacus, have answers ready that cover the penalties and benefits of addressing his or her concerns. Anything that doesn't kill your career will make you a better employee.

How do you know when your team's attitude about code reviews is right? When the developer whose code was under scrutiny comes out of the meeting feeling better, not worse, with new knowledge and direction, says Madison Decker, senior technical lead at InfoCision Management.