The only way to do software development is to care
I would never mind develpers watching YouTube right from the morning, talking Star Wars all day long, playing video games right up to the evening. I could hide it under the coat of team building but if I ever did that I would shit myself up thinking that some others are actually getting stuff done at the same time. I know what I’m talking about because I’ve been there.
The team nirvana cannot be the end goal. Spoiling people with beer, music and games cannot be the way to an end goal either. Happiness and satisfaction of your team is the byproduct of a job done well. If anyone comes to work because it’s cozy, easy or because you’re after a free snack he’d be dragging the team down, however if everyone shows up only because of the rasons above the whole company is dragged down.
That’s why now I approach it differently, or at least I try as hard as I can. The only way to do development is to care: go spartan, go racing, go measuring and do your numbers. You need to have a lot of numbers in hand to manage, learn and improve. Otherwise you might have or have given up already. Either you know you’ve lost it or you’ve won it all and you simply can afford not to care anymore.
Whichever way the more organised, caring and focused folks will come sooner or later and they will come after you with a much stronger motivation. It’s either you or someone else. In our case sometimes it’s us, sometimes it’s someone else, but at least we push harder, never fear, look behind or regret not caring enough… and I really do much more than just hope it’s going to be “us” this time and the time after that.