[HN Gopher] We need motivation (good managers)
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       We need motivation (good managers)
        
       Author : ethlala
       Score  : 11 points
       Date   : 2024-02-01 21:45 UTC (1 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.ethanalter.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.ethanalter.com)
        
       | Buttons840 wrote:
       | Most programmers program for fun in th their free time. If you
       | want to motivate us, then don't do things that demotivate us and
       | you'll find us motivated.
       | 
       | What demotivates me are meetings with outcomes I don't care
       | about. I don't care about story points, and meetings focused on
       | story points demotivate me. I'm demotivated by sprints followed
       | by another sprint followed by another sprint; the problem is
       | right there in the name. I'm demotivated by deadlines I cannot
       | comfortably meet and other dictates passed down from above.
        
       | yellow_postit wrote:
       | Largely agree that middle or rather direct managers are often the
       | linchpin to motivation and happiness.
       | 
       | What can be terrible as a middle manager is the inability to
       | address the who gets promoted dynamic. Many the immediate tools
       | are unsatisfying or medium term detrimental.
        
       | 303uru wrote:
       | While the essay offers an interesting perspective on motivation
       | and corporate culture, I disagree with some of its conclusions.
       | The emphasis on middle managers as the key to resolving the
       | current motivational crisis in the workplace seems overly
       | simplistic. Middle managers indeed play a crucial role in team
       | dynamics and motivation, but the issues at hand are systemic and
       | require a broader approach than simply relying on individual
       | managers.
       | 
       | The disillusionment in corporate culture and the evolving nature
       | of work - especially in the context of remote work - are not
       | problems that can be solely addressed at the managerial level.
       | These issues are deeply rooted in the very structure and
       | philosophy of modern corporations. Factors like job security,
       | work-life balance, and meaningful work are increasingly important
       | to employees. These are not needs that middle managers alone can
       | satisfy; they require fundamental changes in corporate strategies
       | and policies.
       | 
       | Furthermore, the essay seems to downplay the importance of
       | company culture in favor of individual management styles.
       | However, culture and management are not mutually exclusive. A
       | strong, positive corporate culture can significantly enhance the
       | effectiveness of good managers and can help align individual and
       | organizational goals.
       | 
       | I actually think this is more of an aspirational view. Most power
       | has been stripped from middle managers. They aren't making RTO
       | decisions, they're enforcing them. They often aren't making
       | autonomous promotion, pay increase, bonus determinations, they're
       | delivering them. I could go on and one. Middle managers most
       | often are not middle managers, they're hard conversation havers
       | for weak executives pulling strings.
        
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       (page generated 2024-02-01 23:00 UTC)