Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation: What Actually Works
I once worked with two developers who joined our team at the same time. The first developer—let’s call him Mark—was obsessed with levels and compensation. Every conversation circled back to promotions, competing offers, and total comp. He worked hard, sure, but you could tell his eyes glazed over during technical discussions unless they directly impacted his promotion timeline. The second developer—let’s call her Sarah—was obsessed with the craft. She’d spend evenings learning Rust for fun. She volunteered to pair program with junior developers. She got genuinely excited about elegant solutions to gnarly problems. Promotions seemed like an afterthought. ...