I think this is entirely true, but as a manager of programmers, you immediately run into a dilemma. Business is boring. There's a ton of prosaic, mind-numbing w

I think this is entirely true, but as a manager of programmers, you immediately run into a dilemma. Business is boring. There's a ton of prosaic, mind-numbing work that has to be done by someone. Personally when it comes time for me to "hack in where I can" I make an effort to actually choose the most mundane, boring tasks available. But part of the reason I do that is leading by example. So if I'm willing to do the shit work, I expect other people on my team to contribute when the shit is piled highest. I also think the foosball, xbox 360s, nice chairs, etc are an attempt to make those basic facts more palatable. And its also true that really great programmers can make the "shit" just disappear, if they're given enough freedom. I.e. they can elevate your department or company.