What is Success?

Ok, not a thought on software. But this is a thought on life. I've been trolling my usual websites and came across an interesting article on a man who dumbed himself down to get a job (left his Master's Degree of his resume, and pretended to be fratboy-ish during the interview to relate to the interviewer). Wait, about fratboy-ish - I was in a frat in college, so I can say that.

Well he succeeded and landed the job. Surprise surprise, he was way overqualified and it drove him crazy. This led to a discussion on how to be successful, which begs the question: what is success?

This can't be a new topic. Have people my age given this much thought? Are our only connotations of success those of our previous generation's, that being a good job at a good company with a good family and a good home? And yes, I can see the argument that those criteria equals success - but what does "good" mean?

It's different strokes for different folks. A "good" job for someone else is torture for another. It's entirely subjective. I grew up in middle-class Long Island in the late 80s and 90s. There were big shiny office buildings everywhere. I grew up with the notion that to be a success in life was to have those things - the job in the shiny office building, an abundant income, and some material luxuries to illustrate the point.

Now, however, my idea of success is much different. The only commonality about success is that it's different for everyone. Every person (yes, every person) is different, and every person's goals are different. Therefore, the definitions of success are different for everybody.

Furthermore, I don't think success has anything to do with what surrounds you, what job you have, how your house looks, etc. For whichever job you want to have, or however you want it to look, accomplishing those things doesn't mean you are a success.

I believe success (ha! And based on what I just said, this could only apply to me) is being something. Not just anything - but being who you are. I believe that success is accomplishing whatever you came here (here = planet Earth; yes, I believe in that stuff) to accomplish.

For me, this has been the greatest challenge of my life so far (besides Statisics at UAlbany). Having spent much of my early teens and on altering how I acted to fit in, so much so that I completely lost myself, the challenge has been reversing course and peeling away the misconceptions that I picked up along the way. It's simple and it's not at the same time. I suppose it's as hard as I want to make it.

And previously I had thought that everyone's success is along this vein - about being one's self. Then I realized, that by my definition of success, that it's different for everyone and this may be my particular success, not anyone else's. It also helps to realize once in a while, and it feels really freeing, that in general, that I know absolutely nothing :) (and neither do you)

Say It Ain't So, Google

Please, no. I've been a huge Google fan since I found it in the late 90s. I remember hearing about and trying Google as a search engine, and instantly saw how much better the results were. It wasn't even close. From then on, Google has been my primary search engine and my homepage. I try other engines once in while, but the staggering difference in usable results always sends me right back to Google.

I've loved that Google has kept their page simple. Just the big search box and their name. While search results are important, having the clean interface (unlike MSN and YAHOO) is just nicer to look at.

Then came some more links on Google's homepage. Ok, that's fine. I understand they have business and advertising solutions. Then came some more - ok, ok, fine. They have Google labs, new products, tools, news services, fine. Actually, for the amount of content and tools they have, the interface is still relatively uncluttered.

Then came... privacy concerns? C'mon Google. And Eric Schmidt's quote: "If you have something that you don’t want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn’t be doing it in the first place.” Ouch. That sounds a little closer to evil than I thought Google would ever be. Not a terrible quote, but doesn't quite leave me feeling warm and fuzzy about Google.

Then came the hideous background day. What were they thinking? Forcing content on their users? Eliminating choice? Thankfully, they rescinded this decision, but the damage was done. Google appears to be changing their ways.

Finally, the new Google News layout - which is confusing and crappy. Not to mention that the stories on the page keep moving up and down on my screen as the page loads. They took what was a great, easy-to-use layout, and tinkered with it leaving it worse than it was before. This doesn't sound like the Google I know at all.

What's happening over there? Is this what we can expect from Googleland? Say it ain't so, Google. Say it ain't so.

In their defense, however: I am still quite thankful for their blogger software!! And their search engine results are still, by far, second to none. For that, I say thank-you.

Motivation Matters (We're Not in the 50s Anymore)

I read a good article on another blog today that described how it is important to sell the product to the developers of it first (Link to original article). How very true!

In general, motivation really matters! Do the developers have faith in the product? Do the developers have faith in the company? I believe this makes a very big difference. Yes, you can certainly make the argument that a developer's paycheck is all the motivation that is needed. But the reality of today is that people expect more.

This isn't our parent's or grandparent's generation anymore. My grandfather grew up in a poor family and lived through the Depression. Money was tight, and saving it was important. I still remember how he'd swipe the extra ketchup packets from McDonalds and stash them in his fridge. So for them, to even have a job with a paycheck was all the motivation that was necessary.

The reality for this generation (at least this generation of IT people and software developers, since the demand is quite high) is that we need more than a paycheck to produce at our highest level. Yes, solid developers will always produce - motivated or not. That's just good discipline and professionalism.

But do you want to get the best out of your developers? Their heart has to be in it. The developers have to get their emotions involved - they have to feel it. They have to believe not only in the product, but in the company and the leadership. In general, to get the best and the highest out of a developer and a team, you need all of these things PLUS a developer who truly enjoys writing code. You need COMPLETE alignment with all of these aspects to bring the highest level of production from your developers and development team.

Yes, I understand this may sound spoiled. I do, as a matter of fact, take time to think every day how thankful I am for my current job and all it has given to me (far too much to mention here - but to name a few: house, food, dogs, etc). But if you are a moderate or above-skilled software developer, you are most likely in demand. Money is fairly good, and at that point, other factors come into play.

Consider the alternative situation - a developer who's happy to get a paycheck, but subconsciously does not like the company or the leadership. Do you think that will find its way into the work? Yes! Do you think the negative attitude might affect others on the team? Yes! Alignment on all fronts is the best way to have a highly motivated, highly productive software team.