Ask HN: Create pinball machines for your team
I just finished reading "The Soul of A New Machine". It is a marvellous book that talks about tech, management and ultimately, people. But one particular rule stands out:
> They believed in the rule of pinball: if you win, you get to play again; but failure is unthinkable, so you'd better let no one get in your way.
I can relate. I believe in the axiom that I should pour into whatever I love to do, 70/80/100 hours a week, and don't worry about financial rewards because they will come along eventually. In all of the gigs I worked for and am working for, I had/have to create mini pinball machines for myself because one rarely gets what one loves to do.
In this respect, I completely agree with people who re-invent wheels, who do NOT do things "the boring way". Work is boring already, and pinball machines are rare. One has to find some fun by oneself. This, of course, leaves unforeseen consequences, or are they really unforeseen?
It is therefore important, and beneficial for managers to create sort of a pinball experience for the team. It doesn't have to be a real pinball machine -- I mean, it doesn't have to be the most exciting thing. In fact, as the book states, the Eagle was actually a boring product to build. It is the atmosphere created by West and other executives that ultimately motivates the whole team and made the experience memorable. It was not the $$ rewards (no stock option), not the product (a boring machine), but the freedom -- sometimes frightening that drives the pinball machine.