Some 20 years ago, I worked at a moderately large software company that sold a desktop application for Mac and Windows. The team had mostly Mac experience and they were just getting their feet wet with Windows. So naturally the Windows version had some problems.
At the time, I was known as a "Windows expert", so they hired me to help improve that version and help the team get more familiar with Windows programming.
I would often spend the first part of the day on what I called "house calls": visiting other developers' offices to either pair program or troubleshoot bugs or just talk about Windows API best practices and the like. (Yes, we all had private offices!)
After a while, one of my colleagues asked a question that stuck in my mind: "How can you afford to be so generous with your time?"
Sure enough, a few months later I got a review with a mediocre rating and a comment: "Your productivity hasn't been quite we hoped, especially considering that the rest of the team has gotten more productive lately."
Which was exactly what I thought they had hired me for!
At the time, I was known as a "Windows expert", so they hired me to help improve that version and help the team get more familiar with Windows programming.
I would often spend the first part of the day on what I called "house calls": visiting other developers' offices to either pair program or troubleshoot bugs or just talk about Windows API best practices and the like. (Yes, we all had private offices!)
After a while, one of my colleagues asked a question that stuck in my mind: "How can you afford to be so generous with your time?"
Sure enough, a few months later I got a review with a mediocre rating and a comment: "Your productivity hasn't been quite we hoped, especially considering that the rest of the team has gotten more productive lately."
Which was exactly what I thought they had hired me for!