4 ms·

You only get rock star engineers if you treat your engineers like rock stars

5 points by ezxs 12y ago

simple rule and a thought of the day

blacksqr 12y ago
File under /r/Showerthoughts.
angersock 12y ago
Sure, whatever--but if you want to get really good and skilled engineers you don't treat them like rockstars. You treat them like professionals who are well-compensated and given interesting problems to solve, and then supported as human beings deserving of understanding and respect. Oh, and you give them a real economic stake in the outcome of the project. This "rockstar" business is bullshit.
gesman 12y ago
Paying them well is mandatory. Rock star treatment is optional.
- mrits 12y ago
  Yeah, I put up with a lot more than I normally would because I keep getting raises. It's funny how I look for jobs with a better title offering quite a bit less than I make...Good problem to have I guess.
sjs382 12y ago
You only keep really good and skilled engineers if you pay them like really good and skilled engineers.
kohanz 12y ago
Last I checked, "rock stars" didn't have the attributes you look for in a good engineer.
rajacombinator 12y ago
Simple yet untrue. Great engineers don't necessarily know or care to obtain their market value. H1B indentured servitude also helps.
- dagw 12y ago
  Technically he said "treat" them like rock stars, not "pay" them like rock stars. Lots of evidence points towards the fact that people respond much more favorably towards being given $500 worth of perks than they would being given a $1000 pay rise.
  - rajacombinator 12y ago
    fair enough, however you can also treat some people like crap and they won't do anything about it. (I'm not suggesting you should.)
dagw 12y ago
Stop with the stupid rock star thing already. Rock stars are front men and quintessentially style over substance, and only become rock stars by being surrounded by a great team of talented musicians and promoters. Turning pretty faces with a modicum of talent into super stars is the bread and butter of the music industry. Do you really want your top paid engineers doing coke in a hotel room while your army of minions do the heavy lifting, clean up after them and run damage control to sure the public still think the 'star' is the great talent he probably isn't. Sure some rock stars are genuinely really talented, but that is almost incidental to the rock stardom.

5 points by ezxs 12y ago

simple rule and a thought of the day

blacksqr 12y ago

File under /r/Showerthoughts.

angersock 12y ago

Sure, whatever--but if you want to get really good and skilled engineers you don't treat them like rockstars. You treat them like professionals who are well-compensated and given interesting problems to solve, and then supported as human beings deserving of understanding and respect. Oh, and you give them a real economic stake in the outcome of the project. This "rockstar" business is bullshit.

gesman 12y ago

Paying them well is mandatory. Rock star treatment is optional.

mrits 12y ago
Yeah, I put up with a lot more than I normally would because I keep getting raises. It's funny how I look for jobs with a better title offering quite a bit less than I make...Good problem to have I guess.

sjs382 12y ago

You only keep really good and skilled engineers if you pay them like really good and skilled engineers.

kohanz 12y ago

Last I checked, "rock stars" didn't have the attributes you look for in a good engineer.

rajacombinator 12y ago

Simple yet untrue. Great engineers don't necessarily know or care to obtain their market value. H1B indentured servitude also helps.

dagw 12y ago
Technically he said "treat" them like rock stars, not "pay" them like rock stars. Lots of evidence points towards the fact that people respond much more favorably towards being given $500 worth of perks than they would being given a $1000 pay rise.
- rajacombinator 12y ago
  fair enough, however you can also treat some people like crap and they won't do anything about it. (I'm not suggesting you should.)

dagw 12y ago

Stop with the stupid rock star thing already. Rock stars are front men and quintessentially style over substance, and only become rock stars by being surrounded by a great team of talented musicians and promoters. Turning pretty faces with a modicum of talent into super stars is the bread and butter of the music industry. Do you really want your top paid engineers doing coke in a hotel room while your army of minions do the heavy lifting, clean up after them and run damage control to sure the public still think the 'star' is the great talent he probably isn't. Sure some rock stars are genuinely really talented, but that is almost incidental to the rock stardom.