I have had a ton of jobs, from drive thru, to car wash, and even library security. With each paycheck came a boss. Sometimes I had a bad boss, and sometimes I had a good boss. I came across an interesting article written by Edward Prewitt today, regarding bosses. Prewitt noted something about techies that I found not only very true, but also quite comedic.
They [techies] thrive on challenges, get absorbed in what they are doing and aren’t primarily motivated by money. It follows that to keep these staffers happy, CIOs need only keep the challenges coming and (this is critical) avoid micromanagement. “If you know how to work with techies, they are the easiest kind of employees to motivate,” Jeff Chasney, CIO and executive VP of CKE Restaurants, said in an earlier CIO magazine story. “They don’t need cushy perks, personal recognition or bonuses; they thrive on creatively solving problems.”