Are Startup Employees Motivated by Money?

Taking a peek into the startup world, it’s easy to point out the flashy apps, hoodie-wearing geniuses, and multi-million-dollar deals. Sure, working at a startup can seem like a glamourous lifestyle from the outside. But that’s not how it usually stacks up, and most startup employees probably don’t have six-figure bank accounts.

So, if it’s not the money motivating people to join startups, what is it?

In a recent interview, Christian Chabot, CEO and co-founder of Seattle-based Tableau Software, told me that those truly fit to work at startups are driven by a sense of purpose and mission. “A sense that you are a secret, Manhattan Project-style team, quietly working on something that is going to be really, really important,” he says. “There is a certain kind of personality that literally is so excited about that, they cannot imagine working anywhere else.”

Chabot’s observations are in line with the findings of an infographic released on Thursday by Clarity, a professional networking platform.

The infographic, embedded below, points out that more startup employees are motivated by praise and commendation than by increased pay. The biggest motivators, it explains, are autonomy, mastery, and purpose.

Are you a startup employee? What motivates you most?

By: Erica Swallow

Source: Forbes