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You're so eager to take offense, you're imagining I'm someone different than who I am, and that I'm saying something different than what I'm saying. I'm a prog
by jdlshore 3y ago
You're so eager to take offense, you're imagining I'm someone different than who I am, and that I'm saying something different than what I'm saying.
I'm a programmer who advises software leaders on how to create effective software development organizations. I didn't get here by burning the midnight oil; I got here by understanding software development—and getting lucky. I adopted Extreme Programming back in 1999, had notable successes, and people wanted to learn from my experience.
I'm saying that people work most effectively when they are intrinsically motivated. This is well supported by books such as Alfie Kohn's _Punished By Rewards,_ and more recently popularized by Daniel Pink.
The job of the manager is to support that motivation: to provide context and resources (I don't mean people); to trust people to do a good job; to put decisions about work processes in the hands of the people doing the work. And yes, to hire people who are worthy of that trust, and who work well in that sort of environment, and to remove people who are not.
This is not about working long hours, or taking advantage of people. It's about doing work that you can be proud of, in an environment that supports doing your best work, with a team that's jelled, creating things that are better than you can create alone.
If you've never been in that kind of environment, it might seem like an impossible dream, or even a cynical ploy to pay less.
It's not.
- throwuwu 3y agoThe OP has a point. You can be intrinsically motivated and still wind up bitter and disillusioned by spending years in a terrible job where all the “devex” things in this article are deep in the negative. High cognitive load, constant interruptions kicking you out of flow and miserably slow feedback loops can make anyone hate their work. Your description of doing work you’re proud of with a good team is a far off fantasy for a lot of people. You being a consultant should know this more than anyone.
- jdlshore 3y agoOh, I know. Best thing people can do in that situation is to move on. Life’s too short to spend 1/3 your waking hours in an environment you hate. I think the thing a lot of people in this thread are missing is that intrinsic motivation isn’t just about the person. It’s mostly about the workplace. It isn’t possible to create intrinsic motivation, but it is possible to destroy it. Micromanagement, useless interruptions, excessive meetings, unreasonable deadlines, all that devex stuff, and yes, unfair compensation… it’s all going to lead to an environment where people hate their job. If you’re in that kind of environment, get out. It’s bad for your soul.
- davesque 3y agoNow these are all statements I agree with. And if I missed any of this in your earlier comments, I apologize. Although I would add that I think everyone has the instinct to be intrinsically motivated.