Friday 20 February 2009

Motivated by challenge

    Today I was meeting a customer as the representative developer. Fact that I was invited against all odds flatters me much: it looks like representatives were carefully selected by our management. I would be probably not frank, if I say that there was either pure truth or barefaced lie. And for sure exposing here what exactly was wrong would be incorrect. But to my surprise all lies became innocent comparatively to one tremendous truth that I heard today.
    Customer representative asked our manager Ron how we keep our people motivated. And the Ron’s reply was like this: our people are usually inclined for challenges. It is like part of our national identity. Our people always want more and more “interesting” tasks.
    Was he wrong? I wish he was. I would like to see my colleagues more pragmatic. This contradicts some values, I used to follow. But I have never heard about IT business dismantled because of some evil will: it is always good intentions which put business on the way to destruction.
    But he was more right then wrong! In reality every single day I confirm common truth: there are lots of people who are motivated by challenge. You can easily recognize them by their ambitions and deeds: They always commit before estimations, they overtime, they suffer, they estimate, they do, but then ... they commit again.
    Dear Ron, I must admit, I’m not a person of that kind, although I still like challenges. Sometimes I can afford to resolve easy task by a difficult approach, just because I like it, but a difficult task will be never resolved by even more difficult approach: I’d better apply easy one for a difficult task. And I argue that challenge motivates people. IMHO, it’s responsibility that motivates them.
Q: But what if people have spoiled sense of responsibility? And what if they not motivated at all?
    I guess this book can be guideline for people who would like to learn more about motivation. Who wants to know will know.
Q: What about people who are not motivated to learn something about motivation? ;)