We're hear to talk about accountability. specifically, doing things on our own initiative without being pushed, prodded, or cornered.
The challenge is how do we create a culture that encourages genuine motivation and empowerment.
In the book, Drive by Daniel Pink, he says that the three pillars of genuine motivation is autonomy, mastery, and purpose. We have used that to shape our approach to building software.
What is autonomy?
Autonomy is the idea that people like to direct their own behavior
Mastery is the idea that people want to get better at what they care care about. In order for people to be able to handle autonomy and empowerment, they have to have the skills to be ready for the added responsibility. In the book, Turn the Ship Around, David Marquette learns this lesson and says in order for empowerment to work, you have to train to a higher level of technical competence. He says Control without competence is chaos.
As for Purpose,
Purpose is the idea that people want to connect their drive toward excellence with a higher purpose. It doesn't matter if teams autonomous, empowered, or have the mastery If teams don't know where they're going