4 ms·

I'm interested why the journalist added the dynamic at the end of the article, when stellar performers like Sid are contrasted against mediocre or non-performer

by sunir 17y ago

I'm interested why the journalist added the dynamic at the end of the article, when stellar performers like Sid are contrasted against mediocre or non-performers like the junior designer. The implication Sid is the bad guy because he is deflating many careers. It does really suck when you work the hardest you can, fail, and you find out there is someone who is just so much better than you who consistently beats you. It often does create a caustic culture and a risky business environment where the company is overly reliant on one person and has no one else on the bench when the Truck Number gets called in. But, one could easily argue that holding stellar performers back from expressing their talents is worse since they are just so much better. Could you imagine a world without Civilation because it made some people feel inadequate?

Tichy 17y ago
I'd also like to hear the whole story about this. Was the Sid-prototype really created out of the blue, or had it been brewing in his head for quite a while? And so on... Not saying that Sid isn't great, just saying that the comparison might be a bit unfair. Also perhaps the junior designer was given a too specific task, whereas Sid can just create whatever he fancies (he probably has no "make a game where pirates shoot each other, but it also has to include a fun treasure hunt" directive to follow).
deleted 17y ago
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10ren 17y ago
The article said he made "some junior designer mistakes". If Sid talked to him about what those specific mistakes were, and tried to identify what attitudes/misunderstandings/inexperience/lack of skill caused him to make those mistakes, and how, specifically, Sid avoided them, this would be an incredibly vivid learning experience; and a deeply motivating experience for someone who wanted to improve. It's an ideal opportunity to develop talent. It's true that Sid probably doesn't fully understand his own approach, and even if he did, there's a junior designer would be able to absorb and adopt it all instantly. However, Sid would have some understanding, and the junior designer would be able to absorb and start adopting some of it; and simply having a kind and encouraging word from Sid would count for a lot. If Sid didn't go to the trouble of doing this, or if the junior designer expected to be great without practice, it would indeed be demotivating.
gommm 17y ago
It also depends of the personality, I hope and want to be working with someone who make me feel inadequate like Sid did to the junior designer... It's a great opportunity to learn and compare the result of Sid's work to see what went wrong with the original prototype... Working in an environment where one never feels inadequate leads to a career stand still. That's what I love about open source too, when I look at the work and productivity of John Resig or Yehuda Katz for example, I feel inadequate but it's also tremendously motivating....

by sunir 17y ago

Tichy 17y ago

I'd also like to hear the whole story about this. Was the Sid-prototype really created out of the blue, or had it been brewing in his head for quite a while? And so on... Not saying that Sid isn't great, just saying that the comparison might be a bit unfair. Also perhaps the junior designer was given a too specific task, whereas Sid can just create whatever he fancies (he probably has no "make a game where pirates shoot each other, but it also has to include a fun treasure hunt" directive to follow).

deleted 17y ago

[deleted]

10ren 17y ago

The article said he made "some junior designer mistakes". If Sid talked to him about what those specific mistakes were, and tried to identify what attitudes/misunderstandings/inexperience/lack of skill caused him to make those mistakes, and how, specifically, Sid avoided them, this would be an incredibly vivid learning experience; and a deeply motivating experience for someone who wanted to improve. It's an ideal opportunity to develop talent. It's true that Sid probably doesn't fully understand his own approach, and even if he did, there's a junior designer would be able to absorb and adopt it all instantly. However, Sid would have some understanding, and the junior designer would be able to absorb and start adopting some of it; and simply having a kind and encouraging word from Sid would count for a lot. If Sid didn't go to the trouble of doing this, or if the junior designer expected to be great without practice, it would indeed be demotivating.

gommm 17y ago

It also depends of the personality, I hope and want to be working with someone who make me feel inadequate like Sid did to the junior designer... It's a great opportunity to learn and compare the result of Sid's work to see what went wrong with the original prototype... Working in an environment where one never feels inadequate leads to a career stand still. That's what I love about open source too, when I look at the work and productivity of John Resig or Yehuda Katz for example, I feel inadequate but it's also tremendously motivating....