Mastery of code is not enough

Jeff Moser has written a great, albeit long, article about what makes someone a "grandmaster developer". I'm less interested in the mathematical formula for what makes someone a great developer, and more interested in the human aspects that make a developer great.

In an attempt to add to what Moser has written, I'd like to reinforce that learning and mastering a programming language, or even multiple programming languages, is not the key to becoming a great developer.

There are two sides to developing software for people other than yourself. There's mastery of Computer-Human Interaction, and then there's mastery of Human-Human Interaction. You have to be able to interact well with other humans if you're going to make money developing software.

Furthermore, if you make sure to spend time working on the human stuff (the stuff not directly related to making the text on the screen blink), that stuff will transfer over to new technologies. If you're big on Java and want to transition to C#, or you're big on C# and want to learn a little PHP to broaden your skillset, the human stuff will not change. It will also carry over to non-technical jobs, which will be nice when the Internet falls apart and we all have to go back to normal jobs.

If you're a developer looking to sharpen your skills, remember not to focus on technology alone. You should study your own interactions with people and, if possible, feedback you've been given about your interpersonal skills. This is extremely important.

If you're an employer looking for developers, you should evaluate peoples' personalities and communication skills as well as their technical knowledge or other education. Cultural fit is important, but also look for a level of participation and inquisitiveness that indicates that someone is passionate about creating software that isn't just technically solid, but also satisfies the people who pay for and use it.