Motivation 101 - what is it, why do I crave it and how do I get it?

So today I've been reading around the subject of motivation. I'm mostly concerned about how I can get a better level of motivation from my team, but if I can learn the tools to motivate a few other people around me at the same time, so much the better!

What is motivation anyway? You cant touch it, you cant buy it (not directly anyhow) and you cant seem to train it in. For the purposes of this blog, when I say motivation, I mean passion, dedication, enthusiasm and all of those other words that in the workplace roughly translate as someone who enjoys their work and so goes the extra mile to make a really great job of it.

The importance of a good working environment

So, a couple of things have happened at work today to make me think about how much the working environment can affect the quality and speed of our delivery.

5 ways to make yourself a better software developer - without learning a new tool, process or pattern

Without resorting to stereotype, developers can sometimes focus their time and energy so much on the tools and the code, that they struggle with the softer side of the job including communication, teamwork & planning. In the workplace this can cause friction and be to the detriment of the product or delivery.

In my experience, there are a few things that you can do as a developer to combat this problem, in yourself and in your peers:

Agile

So this week, like a viral you tube clip, this old blog post from Steve Yegge did the rounds in my team.