While I clearly listed my aversion to associating the word “Rockstar” with describing a kick ass developer, person, someone you want at your startup company, I really need to explain why that word shouldn’t be used. It’s not that I have a hatred of the word, but more like I know what “Rockstar” means. It surely isn’t someone you want working at your startup.
Rockstar’s are rather self centered, picky, want what is best for them, and all the perks associated with that. Is this someone you really want as your lead developer? I would think not. A Rockstar in my mind is one of those hard to manage people with fragile ego’s to go along with it. If you aren’t stroking the person’s ego, he will bolt for the next company advertising for a “Rockstar”.
Now even though I may be alone in my quest to erase the word from future ads of startup companies looking for hardcore developers, there has to be a word that really means what you want. So I was thinking, what could replace that terminology and actually make sense as in what you really want? While standing outside in rather balmy 14 degree weather this morning, the word came down out of the sky just like the few snowflakes that are starting to fall here in the STL.
What you really want and need is a Kamikaze! Or rather a Samurai Warrior! Rockstar? Please, that only leads to mental issues as you try to sooth the person into getting things done. While a Rockstar will whine that he or she needs more a money, a Kamikaze or Samurai Warrior gets the J-O-B completed. This is the ad I would like to see some day soon.
Wanted: Samurai Warrior with PHP, MySQL, Python, Java, Erlang, Hadoop skills who has a Kamikaze attitude about getting the job done. We won’t treat you like a rockstar, as we know that you’ll be saying Banzai at every opportunity handed to you. As our lead developer, you’ll be leading others in the virtues of being a true Samurai coding Warrior who knows when to push their Kamikaze instincts to lead them to the companies promise land.
Now wouldn’t you rather have the Samurai Warrior over the Rockstar? Remember, all Rockstar’s ever want is the spotlight. A Samurai who will scream Banzai and pull a Kamikaze all nighter to reach a companies product deadline is far more valuable than a Rockstar who will only want to know if this all nighter will increase his percentage in the company. A Rockstar is about “ME” only, and could really deep down inside care less about the entire team. A Samurai Warrior has the ability to put his own personal agenda aside for the betterment of the entire team.
Technically Speaking, will we see ads such as the above? Time and money burned by startups on “Rockstars” will be the true gauge of what I’m saying here. Once startups realize that what they really need is that Samurai Warrior who will charge up that hill screaming Banzai at 2am in the morning to reach a 6am release will we see the dropping of the Rockstar off on the side of the road much like what Poison did to Richie Kotzen, or so the story goes.
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