“Clever” applied to designs or code is a bad word. Compliments include: “simple” or “dumb”.

Having two pairs of eyes on all destructive changes to prod reduces manual error.

Systematically enumerate dependencies and failure modes. Prevent, mitigate, or accept them.

Explicitly communicating with reviewers early and often leads to smooth reviews.

When in pain, say something. Unsurfaced pain is invisible. Invisible pain is never prioritized.