avatarThe Secret Developer

Summary

The article "I Would Fire “The Secret Developer”. Here’s Why" discusses the self-critique of a software developer, "The Secret Developer," who acknowledges their own unprofessional behavior and poor performance at work, suggesting that they would terminate their own employment if they were in a position of authority.

Abstract

The author, known as "The Secret Developer," reflects on their conduct in a professional setting, admitting to a superiority complex, negative tone in meetings, uncooperative attitude, lack of initiative to improve, and excessive competitiveness. These behaviors contribute to a toxic work environment and hinder team performance. The developer's self-awareness leads to the conclusion that they would dismiss themselves due to their inability to align with the company's collaborative culture and their negative impact on colleagues. The article underscores the importance of addressing such issues proactively in the workplace to maintain a positive and productive atmosphere.

Opinions

  • The Secret Developer believes they are the best and fails to acknowledge the value of their colleagues' contributions, leading to a strained work relationship.
  • They express disagreement in meetings in a manner that undermines their colleagues, which is remembered and potentially held against them.
  • The Secret Developer's silence or challenging questions in response to proposed solutions indicate a lack of team spirit and willingness to collaborate.
  • There is an evident lack of effort to contribute positively or to make improvements within the team, despite recognizing areas for personal development.
  • The developer's competitiveness, focused on outperforming colleagues rather than working together, is seen as detrimental to the software development process.
  • The article suggests that the company's lack of response to the developer's negative behavior and unhappiness is indicative of a larger problem in how employee performance and well-being are managed.
  • The author advocates for a team-first approach in software development, similar to a sports team, where underperforming members are benched for the good of the team.
  • The piece concludes with the strong opinion that The Secret Developer would fire themselves due to

I Would Fire “The Secret Developer”. Here’s Why

Self-criticism is so rare

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

It’s time to break ranks. It’s time to admit the obvious.

If I were my own boss, I’d fire me.

My behavior at work is out of control, and I shouldn’t be working my current programming gig. They should take control and give me notice.

Let’s see what’s going on, and what we can learn from it.

The poor behavior

Superiority complex

The Secret Developer seems to think that they are “the best” developer in the room. That they don’t make mistakes.

This probably gives the reason why people in working contexts treat The Secret Developer in ways that might not be ideal.

But I am the best?

Tone in meetings

In meetings, The Secret developer does make it clear that they disagree with some decisions. At times The Secret Developer lets it be known that they think that their colleagues are not up to the standard which they expect. When colleagues hear that you're judging them, they will almost certainly remember this information for later use — against The Secret Developer.

It’s not my fault they are useless

Uncooperative

When solutions are muted which, The Secret Developer does not entirely agree with they sometimes react with silence. At other times The Secret Developer asks a question — “why”- with the sole intention of making the solution more difficult to implement.

If it’s wrong, why do it?

Given up trying to make things better

At times it does seem that The Secret Developer has given up. They make this clear with their “depressed” voice at work. Negativity in stand-up meetings? It’s all on show, and visible for everyone to see.

NO BLOCKERS

T-shaped

The Secret Developer is not a t-shaped programmer. Stuck in my silo and not learning anything new. However, they seem to be unwilling to DO anything about the situation. Sure, they spoke to their manager (in a whiny way) about having more influence but then they left the topic — and seemingly left attempting to improve their role in the company.

It’s not my problem to make things better

Competitiveness

The Secret Developer oftentimes rushes work with the sole goal of trying to “beat” other developers at work. That is, they don’t help others by trying to produce work faster than others. Without cooperation, software development becomes difficult.

I want to measure my greatness

Why they don’t fire The Secret Developer

They literally don’t care. If they don’t notice when I’m off sick, why would they notice that I’m deeply unhappy?

This is devastating for a company to think about. Surely companies should notice when employees are not performing to their potential, and deal with that.

What we can learn

Maybe those programming shops which introduce sports coach analogies are right.

We should put the team first. Bench those who do not perform.

However, companies need to understand what they want to achieve and put effort (and resources) into doing so. If an employee is negative, they are behaving badly and this needs to be dealt with.

Leaving problems to fester, and employees to spread negativity is just bad for all concerned.

You know what. I would fire The Secret Developer.

About The Author

Professional Software Developer “The Secret Developer” can be found on Twitter @TheSDeveloper and regularly publishes articles through Medium.com

Tech
Technology
Software Development
Software Engineering
Programming
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