"[...] and it doesn't explain why top contributors are more likely to leave than mediocre contributors."
Why, this one is easy to explain: because they can and because being a top contributor correlates strongly with caring about more than the paycheck. If you care about the quality and meaning of your work then working in a crappy organization hurts you more than the guy who just does not care.
>>correlates strongly with caring about more than the paycheck.
Why shouldn't the top contributor worry about his pay check or money?
Top contributor != A person who does great work for free.
Unfortunately this is how it is perceived in the industry. I've seen managers consider top contributors who look for money as evil wealth grabbers. Whereas a guy who does nothing sitting in the next cubicle is still acceptable.
That's not what GP comment said though. It said they care about "more than" the paycheck. The pay is not the only motivator, what's implicit is that an interesting and challenging problem are also important to a top contributor, as well as the quality of the work that they output. That's a big part of what makes them a top contributor.
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"[...] and it doesn't explain why top contributors are more likely to leave than mediocre contributors."
Why, this one is easy to explain: because they can and because being a top contributor correlates strongly with caring about more than the paycheck. If you care about the quality and meaning of your work then working in a crappy organization hurts you more than the guy who just does not care.
>>correlates strongly with caring about more than the paycheck.
Why shouldn't the top contributor worry about his pay check or money?
Top contributor != A person who does great work for free.
Unfortunately this is how it is perceived in the industry. I've seen managers consider top contributors who look for money as evil wealth grabbers. Whereas a guy who does nothing sitting in the next cubicle is still acceptable.
That's not what GP comment said though. It said they care about "more than" the paycheck. The pay is not the only motivator, what's implicit is that an interesting and challenging problem are also important to a top contributor, as well as the quality of the work that they output. That's a big part of what makes them a top contributor.