Dedication to the craft of development – and why some are just here for a job

Engineers showing up for their job have a range of motivations. Understanding these is key to predicting the quality of engineering and enacting planning to build change within an organization. Make no mistake, the ability for a person to do their job well, and the quality of their work is not always coupled with a dedication to their craft or employer. This simple fact can be challenging in itself, and sometimes, the difference isn’t always clear – to you or the engineers.

Today’s technologists, including developers, are in very high demand. Between highly motivated recruiters, signing bonuses, and higher salaries, turnover for developers can be high. It also provides a unique management challenge – giving engineers freedom to do as they wish in many cases. As you can imagine, these engineers can require more than just a memo to bring them around in the world of better...