- Introduction
- Productivity and Motivation
- Why focus on motivation?
- Motivation and Happiness
- Developer Motivation
- Motivated Developers
- Demotivated Developers
- DMO Model
- Joy
- Discipline
- Frustration
- Motivation For Developers
- Increasing Motivation
- Joy and Discipline
- Frustration
- Motivation Zones
- Other Motivation Models
- SPACE, DORA amd DevEx
- SPACE
- DORA
- Developer Experience
- Conclusion
- Hiring For Motivation
- CTO Coaching
- About the author
Developer Motivation
Productivity Through Motivation
Why are some developers on fire while others stall? You've implemented DORA, SPACE, DevEx—but still, performance varies wildly. The missing piece? Motivation.
Developer Motivation offers a groundbreaking model: DMO = Joy + Discipline – Frustration. Created by veteran CTO and coach Stephan Schmidt, this book puts the developer—not the metric—at the center of productivity. Learn why joy matters, how discipline fuels progress, and how frustration silently kills momentum.
Packed with stories from real teams, insights from decades of experience, and instantly actionable strategies, this book will help you build motivated, productive teams—and finally understand the "why" behind developer performance.
Whether you're a CTO, engineering manager, or lead developer, this is your guide to higher performance through deeper understanding.
The author is letting you choose the price you pay for this book!
Why are some developers on fire while others stall? You've implemented DORA, SPACE, DevEx—but still, performance varies wildly. The missing piece? Motivation.
Developer Motivation offers a groundbreaking model: DMO = Joy + Discipline – Frustration. Created by veteran CTO and coach Stephan Schmidt, this book puts the developer—not the metric—at the center of productivity. Learn why joy matters, how discipline fuels progress, and how frustration silently kills momentum.
Packed with stories from real teams, insights from decades of experience, and instantly actionable strategies, this book will help you build motivated, productive teams—and finally understand the "why" behind developer performance.
Whether you're a CTO, engineering manager, or lead developer, this is your guide to higher performance through deeper understanding.
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About the Book
Developer Motivation is a fresh take on one of the most misunderstood elements in tech: what really drives developers. Written by longtime CTO and coach Stephan Schmidt, this book introduces the DMO model—Joy + Discipline – Frustration—as a powerful, practical framework to understand and improve developer motivation. Backed by decades of engineering leadership and coaching experience, Stephan shows how motivation directly influences developer productivity and how leaders can foster an environment where great work thrives. From hiring for motivation to reducing frustration and building self-discipline, this book is packed with real-world insights and actionable advice for CTOs, engineering managers, and team leads who want to unlock the true potential of their developers.
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About the Author
Stephan Schmidt
Stephan Schmidt launched his tech career as a self-taught coder, mastering the art of programming as a kid in a department store back in 1981 with ambitions of creating video games. His passion for technology led him to university, where he delved into computer science, specializing in distributed systems and artificial intelligence, while also exploring the realms of philosophy. With the dawn of the internet era in Germany during the 1990s, Stephan became a pioneering coder and engineering manager for several startups.His journey in the tech world expanded as he founded a venture capital-funded startup and tackled architecture, processes, and growth challenges in various fast-growing VC-backed companies.
His roles have included engineering manager at ImmoScout24 and CTO of an eBay Inc. subsidiary. Following the successful sale of his wife’s startup, the couple relocated to the seaside, where Stephan embraced his role as a CTO coach, guiding technology leaders through the intricacies of their evolving roles.
Episode 294
An Interview with Stephan Schmidt
Contents
Table of Contents
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