Clojurians Log v2

Good communication, self-motivated individuals, and clear paths to achieve their vision

Your question reminds me of, https://rework.withgoogle.com/blog/five-keys-to-a-successful-google-team/

Definitely a good blend of conscientiousness and creativity. I think having the right mixture of personalities and a supportive, inquisitive, group of people who are not egoic (since everyone around you is smart) and make the process of labor a joyful one

(from the re:Work link above)

1. Psychological safety: Can we take risks on this team without feeling insecure or embarrassed?
2. Dependability: Can we count on each other to do high-quality work on time?
3. Structure & clarity: Are goals, roles, and execution plans on our team clear?
4. Meaning of work: Are we working on something that is personally important for each of us?
5. Impact of work: Do we fundamentally believe that the work we're doing matters?

High output meaning ... more code generated, or more savvy business decisions made, or more customers acquired? High output probably revolves around producing good application code, and the application code will depend on what your company domain is. I also think these goals or checkpoints would vary based on the age of the company. Something very fresh [in terms of software integration] will need more creative, "green field," fresh innovative approaches (usually) while something more well-established needs someone to do archaeological detective work to find what pieces will correctly complement the set that already is there. I think this boils down to conscientiousness, communication, a desire to see your teammates [and co.] succeed. High output to me would be that the teeth on the mulcher are sharp and always ready to mulch the next software challenge. Managers see down-time as down-side that can be eliminated so we can keep "only the up-side" -- which is a bit unrealistic, but is the sort of coder-mercenary society we live in today, in my observations.