Kevin Schroeder has posted about an idea he recently came across (in this article) called the "Curve of Talent". Kevin's post expands on the idea and makes it a bit more relevant to the "how can I be a better developer" question asked quite often.

I get asked, quite frequently, about how people can be better programmers. Why they're asking me, I have no idea. But what I usually tell them is to be curious and be creative. Waste time. Now, I don't mean "wasting time" by playing Quake (one of the best adrenaline-based games of all time), I mean taking time to learn new things and try new things... sometimes without permission and sometimes before or after normal work hours. (Though not ALL the time. If you always are working you have priority issues).

He recommends working on side projects - ones where you can be free to explore new technologies and ideas that might not fit in the confines of your day to day work. The article from Eric Paley talks about "C level performers", people who may or may not have the experience, but just can't seem to make things happen. Kevin's recommendations can help you break out of this "C" mold and get on the path to not only better yourself as a developer but also make you more equipped for future projects.