OT: What ONE thing should the CIO understand about managing/motivating developers?

(Forgive the off-topic post, which has nothing to do with PHP, but these forums don't seem to have a section for general programming discussions. If I'm wrong, please feel free to move this message.)

I'm writing another article in my "Getting Clueful" series at CIO.com, in which I ask practitioners to share their recommendations to the boss. Earlier articles have included Getting Clueful: Seven Things the CIO Should Know About Telecommuting, Seven Things CIOs Should Know About Agile Development, Five Things You Should Know About Fighting Spam... and more.

This time, I'm tackling the relationship between IT Management and developers (in which I include documentation, testing, and anything else related to getting the application's bits in the proper configuration).

The question is simple --

If you could get your CIO (or IT manager) to understand one thing, just one THING, about managing and motivating developers, what would it be?

And --

Why did you pick that?

I intentionally leave this wide open so that you can remark on anything that gets you passionate.

I realize you probably have more than one thing on your list. But by insisting that you give me just one answer, I can prioritize the key elements. Then I can compile the responses (as I did in those previous articles) and maybe, just maybe, bring an additional ohm of enlightenment to a few more corporate big cheeses. Perhaps it will be yours.

To include your response in the article, I need your name, title, and company (and perhaps a short description of the company if it isn't obvious, such as "a software consulting firm" or "manufacturer of plastic boxes"). Also, I'm collecting input until the middle of next week; after that, I'll need to hunker down and compile/write.

While there's probably value in a public discussion (and I'll be sure to check back), it's also okay to contact me privately via pm.

Esther Schindler
senior online editor, CIO.com
http://advice.cio.com/blogs/youre_the_boss

__________________
WelshStew
Lead Administrator
tierney rides tboard - uk site | xtreme wales - extreme clothing
If you think I've helped, click the "Thanks"
webforumz - facebook | LinkedIn

I'd say market dynamics, as in pay me what I am worth and a little extra in order to keep me motivated and working for you.

Keep an eye on what the job market is doing for my role, benchmark, and then make reasonable adjustments to ensure I am within the confort zone for my pay scale.

Money is the main motivator for any job, get it right and you will have a happy employee

__________________
WelshStew
Lead Administrator
tierney rides tboard - uk site | xtreme wales - extreme clothing
If you think I've helped, click the "Thanks"
webforumz - facebook | LinkedIn

So you'd take a sucky job that paid more? No matter the environment, purpose, learning opportunities?

All things are relative, and your question seems to be aimed more at established employees, rather than those looking for new work. When looking for new work a whole host of things factors are relevant when deciding whether to move on. However, the main one of these will be the pay scale.

If I was dissatisfied with my pay scale and the new opportunity was a sufficient increase, then yes I would take the "sucky job".

As for my current manager trying to motivate me to stay in my current position with the company, the one main thing that does that is my pay scale. It is my basic pay that pays my bills, and as such it is at the top of my list.

__________________
WelshStew
Lead Administrator
tierney rides tboard - uk site | xtreme wales - extreme clothing
If you think I've helped, click the "Thanks"
webforumz - facebook | LinkedIn

Hmm, okay. That might motivate you to take or keep a job. So let's turn to the other side: what do you wish they understood about managing developers?

At long last, this article is published:

Managing and Motivating Developers: Tips for Management Cluefulness
Encouraging productivity from your programming staff--at least in the developers' estimation--requires a few special techniques.
http://www.cio.com/article/409063