Hiring and Keeping Great People

Great employees want to:

1. work on something they find worthwhile
2. work with great people
3. work in a management system that lets them do those things without lots of hassle (bad management systems - see Dilbert for lots of examples)

Money and benefits matter, but especially for retaining people, providing an environment where they can take pride in their work matters more. For recruiting it matters but is often difficult for potential employees to appreciate.

Post on building a great team

As far as motivation, if you hire and manage right this isn't something you need to do. You need to eliminate de-motivation not to worry about motivating employees.

In response to Clarity question: What's an alternative to equity based compensation that recruits, motivates and retains employees?

Related: Let employees take pride in their work by eliminating de-motivation in the management system - Hiring the Right People