Oh, happy New Year! We’ve made it through the first couple of weeks of 2026, which is starting to feel a lot like 2025. 😬

Anyway, in this Clockwork Minute, we’re talking about superpowers.

At Clockwork, we talk a lot about empathy —  the greatest superpower of them all. Not the vague, feel-good kind, but the kind that shapes decisions, removes friction, and changes how clients experience technology.

Recently, I sat down with Senior Engineer Jeffrey Smith to explore what empathy looks like from a developer’s seat and why it’s one of the most important ingredients in delivering great digital work.

Seeing through the client’s eyes

For Jeffrey, technical excellence is only half the job. The other half is understanding what a client actually experiences when they show up.

“I would never want someone to feel stupid or overwhelmed. If I ever made a client feel like they couldn’t ask a question, that would be a failure.”

Developers can understand the complex systems behind the scenes, but it is also paramount to recognize how intimidating those systems can be for the people who have to manage them.

He puts it simply: If a client walks into a meeting about their website, they shouldn’t feel like they’re on the other side of the table. They should feel like we’re sitting right next to them.

Making the work visible and meaningful

Empathy also shows up in how developers communicate their work. With long-running, retainer-based client relationships, progress can feel invisible unless someone takes the time to make it visible.

Jeffrey believes developers and engineers have a responsibility to frame the value:

  • Why the feature mattered
  • What problem it solved
  • Why it was worth doing
  • How it supports the client’s goals

And this isn’t about self-congratulation. Quite the opposite — it’s about helping clients tell a clear, confident story inside their organizations.

“Our job is to make these people look freaking awesome.”

Sometimes that means walking through a project management board together, creating leadership-ready summaries, or simply reminding a client what was accomplished and why it matters. These moments help clients advocate for resources, demonstrate progress, and build credibility.

Advocacy as a developer skill

Empathy means advocating for clients when they encounter roadblocks with third-party tools or vendors that fail to offer clarity or support.

As Jeffrey described a time he stepped in to push for documentation, straightforward answers, and transparency, it is clear that the goal wasn’t to be combative. It was to protect the client’s time and reduce frustration.

“If you’re selling them a promise, I’m going to ask you to show the code. And if you can’t, now my client has what they need to ask better questions.”

This kind of advocacy builds trust and reassures clients that they’re not facing technical challenges alone. It comes from years of hands-on experience with partners like North Memorial Health, Mayo Clinic, and many others.

In digital transformation, code solves problems, empathy builds relationships. And when you lead with empathy, clients don’t just get better work. They get a better experience.