> better programmer vs more productive

That's a good point. Honestly, I would prefer a team of developers that are like you vs. outliers that are by definition hard to find and maybe even more difficult to manage. You sound above-average w.r.t your work ethic which is also hard to find and even more important for a strong development team.

> You can't get a 9-to-5 worker excited enough

Would love to know how to achieve that. I use psychological knowledge in my leadership and may have found a way to give people a way to show their full potential. But I'll make further tests before I write about it. Maybe you already have some well-tested tips - I found this infographic and liked it [1].

[1]: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/10-proven-ways-to-build-tru...