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by sdh 5379 days ago
In my experience, the difference between a GSD engineer and an average engineer is the understanding that it is up to you to be motivated, focused, and effective.

And, I've worked with many GSD engineers, so they definitely exist.
1 comments
famousactress 5379 days ago
I'd agree that it's up to them to identify and communicate things that are challenging their effectiveness, but not always to fix them... and early in someone's career even identifying them can be tough.

I'm just arguing that it's contextual way more often than it's fundamental, and the tone of the article left me with the impression that the author isn't interested in playing much of a role in people's motivations.

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eladgil 5379 days ago
Apologies if my tone set up the wrong impression - I think the environment, manager, motivations etc. are all crucial, and some people are very productive in some settings but not others.

That said, I also think there are many people who just aren't that productive, and screening for people who are great at GSD is crucial for a startup.

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famousactress 5379 days ago
Likewise, I apologize if I took too much from tone.. I think the bottom line is that we disagree here:

"... there are many people who just aren't that productive..."

I don't think that's the case. I think the steady-state for most people is working (hard). People who aren't productive are generally frustrated that they're not productive. I get it though, there are people who require very little from the outside world to move forward. They'll "GSD" as you put it without much outside influence. I've worked with people who score high on that metric, and I'm genuinely humbled by their ability to make forward progress even in less than optimal conditions.

That said, I think it's tempting to value them above resources that are more sensitive to their context but I'd warn against missing an opportunity. In my experience the developers your talking about will absolutely 'GSD'.. Even when all you ask them to do is 'S'.

I frankly like surrounding myself with people whose motivation falters when they don't feel connected to the problem we're solving for our users, or when we're calling too many bullshit meetings, or when they don't believe in what we're doing. Keeps us honest. Those employees are your canary in the mineshaft. I think where their interest goes, our market is likely to follow.

After all, if my team isn't excited to build it who the fuck do I expect to pay me for it?

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