Ask HN: How can I motivate my talented dev to give a shit?

Different techniques work with different individuals. If I were that developer, then "level with me" would probably be the best approach. "Hey, Michael: lately you've been spending lots of time on Facebook/Twitter and we have a release in a week. I'm worried. What's up?".

Have you tried putting some deadlines on his tasks? Get him to commit to some deadlines for his tasks, obviously made with his input.

It's my experience that a lack of deadlines and a bit of interest from someone monitoring the progress, can lead to a state where a task seem unimportant. It's a bit weird, and I can only guess at what process is at play, but I have seen this effect in otherwise great developers.

Does he know what he's supposed to do next? I worked hard for 7 years, then I didn't know what to do next and started losing steam. I also realized nothing was going to change -- my reality was not right. I stepped back and thought about my reality, more. My project was as done as possible. I could pick a random device and do a driver for it. I did that with HD Audio thinking it would be common. HD Audio might be on... 20% of PC's? who knows and each one is slightly different. That's the same story for any device I might do a driver. Drivers aren't sane to pursue -- silly. Thus, done!

God says... C:\TEXT\HUCKFINN.TXT

I didn't. What tow-head? I hain't see no tow-head."

"You hain't seen no towhead? Looky here, didn't de line pull loose en de raf' go a-hummin' down de river, en leave you en de canoe behine in de fog?"

"What fog?"

"Why, de fog!--de fog dat's been aroun' all night. En didn't you whoop, en didn't I whoop, tell we got mix' up in de islands en one un us got los' en t'other one was jis' as good as los', 'kase he didn' know whah he wuz? En didn't I bust up agin a lot er dem islands en have a t

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It's been a viable product for 3 years or more. Nothing fundamentally has changed in those 3 years. It's still a 64-bit ring 0 operating system with compiler and no networking. I've gotten to highest ranking on Google for "64-bit operating system". My job is marketing and CEO at the same time. Earlier this year I hired an artist for some stuff. That's my first experience as a manager.

meh.

my reality is bogus -- my download numbers are fiction by NASA or NSA or Shrinks or FBI. All my emails sounded like FBI -- they were painful to read and unpleasant instead of a joy for me -- I was anxious to hear how things went and they concealed more info than a regular person would. They went out of their way not to tell me even what their machine was like and what worked and didn't work. Fuck-em. I get giggles screwing-over my fictional users by changing shit as much as possible.

God says... C:\TEXT\PLATO.TXT

all mysteries, and they redeem us from the pains of hell, but if we neglect them no one knows what awaits us.

He proceeded: And now when the young hear all this said about virtue and vice, and the way in which gods and men regard them, how are their minds likely to be affected, my dear Socrates,-- those of them, I mean, who are quickwitted, and, like bees on the wing, light on every flower, and from all that they hear are prone to draw conclusions as to what manner of persons they should be and i

You describe yourself as the "product owner". And the dev has no equity. Maybe he feels he's doing all the work and you gain all the benefits. You should offer him some equity, ownership is a great motivator.

It has been my experience that most college grads still need some basic rules and guidelines. Fresh out of college, you think you know it all, right? It's a generation Y thing, which asks for a little adaption on both sides...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Y

- Put some rules on twitter/facebook. For example (I think) PG has a separate computer to browse the web. He has to seat in another chair to do that.

- Understand why he is having trouble focusing. Does he have impediments and he avoids them by going to twitter/facebook ?

If your developer is not motivated to do a good job he is not talented. being a good developer is more then just having the ability to comprehend the principles behind software design its about being able to make those principles manifest themselves in working product. I think the real problem you have is a poor developer that has convinced you he is good.

He's probably suffering from a quarter life crisis. A common thing in generation Y.

I'm suffering from a quarter life crisis (I'm 20.) I think a lot of people do. They just never talk about it.

It takes different things/approaches to motivate people. For me, inspirational speeches work really well or knowing that your manager is actually interested in your work.

However, it does sounds kinda odd that he didn't take the equity... He might just be an immature person that doesn't want to take responsibility. And this could be for various reasons completely outside the work environment that you have very little control over.

I think that just talking to him and asking what's up and what's going on is the best solution. Maybe he just needs a wake up call? The sincere, "I'm worried. What's up?" usually works pretty well?

You say that he has "no real set hours, just that he gets stuff done": is he getting stuff done?

If he isn't getting the expected stuff done, then that is the discussion you need to have.

If you aren't happy with the amount of stuff you are expecting then discuss that.

Some days are productive and some days aren't (and I find unproductive days tend to follow really productive ones). Try and view it purely from an output point of view, and not what his method is.

If you want him to 'really care' give him some equity or stock options. If he is as talented as you say he is then he can probably make more money elsewhere. If, however, he has equity then he actually has something to gain by working hard instead of simply not losing his job.

I think the best thing you can provide is something you can't actually provide.

The feeling of being part of something. If I were a rockstar hacker I would want to feel this project was something that could blow up, otherwise it would simply be a stepping stone for better things.

Best thing you could do personally is have a chat with him.

Best of luck.

I'm part of a remote team, and have had my share of difficulties with motivation.

As best I can, I've listed broad categories of what demotivates me:

First, lack of clarity of what the next task to be completed is, and a perplexing reluctance to simply ask.

Second, a task in front of me that is too large to attack at once and for which I haven't found an angle from which to attack it.

Third, something else is temporarily much more interesting/threatening than work. Facebook and Twitter can be interesting, but I find if I'm spending hours on them it's to avoid something, not because I'm enjoying it. So it's unlikely something temporarily interesting.

Fourth, there's that "wait a second, we're doing this wrong" feeling, which if it's leading to a drop in productivity is probably followed either by "I don't know what the right approach is" or possibly "the right approach is so different from what we're doing now that soon we'll be screwed." The developer senses an impending technical dead end.

Finally, there's disillusionment with the overall goals of the job/company. A "we're doing it wrong" but on a more fundamental level, followed by either "there's no way I can convince the company to do it right" or "I have an aversion to the core business we're in". The developer senses a dead-end job- or lifestyle-wise.

Regardless of which flavor of problem it is, I think mcherm pretty well nailed the solution.

EDIT:

Another possibility is that your developer has been assigned something he hates and is hoping that by avoiding it long enough it will go away. This is a particularly easy and self-destructive (usually) pattern to fall into.

He isn't enjoying certain aspect of the job.

I've done a "developer poll". Email all developers: what's the best and worst thing about your job right now?

Then fix his worst thing, and have a talk with him about how much you appreciate this work.