There are three that come to mind right now, but I don't think it's appropriate for me to name them. Two of the three could literally double their salaries if they took crappier jobs, but they don't because they have great gigs and don't care much about making more money.
Getting people to perform always comes to getting them in the right mindset! The more complex and creative the task, the less money matters in doing that.
If your work is mind-crushingly boring and repetitive, you'll go to the highest bidder. (That seems to be pretty much how investment banking works). But if your work is something you love, involves intricate problem solving and creativity, it will take more money to pull you away from a good job.
And for some reason I don't know, most (but not all) the great programmers I've come across haven't been all that interested in money in general.
The sooner people stop equating money with compensation the better off we'll all be. Money is but one small piece of the the puzzle.
Also, I think you're right - it's not always best to hire a great programmer, regardless of cost. If you can't keep them interested and engaged in the right type of problem, they will underperform under the crushing boredom. Get the right person for the job.
Getting people to perform always comes to getting them in the right mindset! The more complex and creative the task, the less money matters in doing that.
If your work is mind-crushingly boring and repetitive, you'll go to the highest bidder. (That seems to be pretty much how investment banking works). But if your work is something you love, involves intricate problem solving and creativity, it will take more money to pull you away from a good job.
And for some reason I don't know, most (but not all) the great programmers I've come across haven't been all that interested in money in general.
The sooner people stop equating money with compensation the better off we'll all be. Money is but one small piece of the the puzzle.
Also, I think you're right - it's not always best to hire a great programmer, regardless of cost. If you can't keep them interested and engaged in the right type of problem, they will underperform under the crushing boredom. Get the right person for the job.