Drive The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us

Forget everything you thought you knew about how to motivate people — at work, at school, at home. It's wrong. As Daniel H. Pink explains in his new and paradigm-shattering book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, the secret to high performance and satisfaction in today's world is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world.

Drawing on four decades of scientific research on human motivation, Pink exposes the mismatch between what science knows and what business does — and how that affects every aspect of our lives. He demonstrates that while the old-fashioned carrot-and-stick approach worked successfully in the 20th century, it's precisely the wrong way to motivate people for today's challenges. In Drive, he reveals the three elements of true motivation:

• Autonomy — the desire to direct our own lives
• Mastery — the urge to get better and better at something that matters
• Purpose — the yearning to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves

Along the way, he takes us to companies that are enlisting new approaches to motivation and introduces us to the scientists and entrepreneurs who are pointing a bold way forward. Drive is bursting with big ideas — the rare book that will change how you think and transform how you live.

"Pink's ideas deserve a wide hearing. Corporate boards, in fact, could do well by kicking out their pay consultants for an hour and reading Pink's conclusions instead." Forbes

"Fascinating...If Pink's proselytizing helps persuade employers to make work more fulfilling, Drive will be a powerhouse." USA Today

"Pink’s analysis — and new model — of motivation offers tremendous insight into our deepest nature." Publishers Weekly

"Pink makes a convincing case that organizations ignore intrinsic motivation at their peril." Scientific American

"Persuasive...Harnessing the power of intrinsic motivation rather than extrinsic remuneration can be thoroughly satisfying and infinitely more rewarding." Miami Herald

"These lessons are worth repeating, and if more companies feel emboldened to follow Mr. Pink's advice, then so much the better." Wall Street Journal

"Pink is rapidly acquiring international guru status...He is an engaging writer, who challenges and provokes." Financial Times

"Important reading…an integral addition to a growing body of literature that argues for a radical shift in how businesses operate.” Kirkus

"Pink’s a gifted writer who turns even the heaviest scientific study into something digestible — and often amusing — without losing his intellectual punch." New York Post

"Enchanting...an important book offering a whole new way to think about motivation." Globe and Mail

The author of the groundbreaking bestseller A Whole New Mind is back with a paradigm-changing examination of how to harness motivation to find greater satisfaction in life. This book of big ideas discusses the surest pathway to high performance, creativity, and well-being.

Look out for Daniel Pink's new book, When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing

The New York Times bestseller that gives readers a paradigm--shattering new way to think about motivation.

Most people believe that the best way to motivate is with rewards like money--the carrot-and-stick approach. That's a mistake, says Daniel H. Pink (author of To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Motivating Others). In this provocative and persuasive new book, he asserts that the secret to high performance and satisfaction-at work, at school, and at home--is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world.

Drawing on four decades of scientific research on human motivation, Pink exposes the mismatch between what science knows and what business does--and how that affects every aspect of life. He examines the three elements of true motivation--autonomy, mastery, and purpose-and offers smart and surprising techniques for putting these into action in a unique book that will change how we think and transform how we live.

The New York Times bestseller that gives readers a paradigm — shattering new way to think about motivation.

Most people believe that the best way to motivate is with rewards like money — the carrot-and-stick approach. That's a mistake, says Daniel H. Pink (author of To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Motivating Others). In this provocative and persuasive new book, he asserts that the secret to high performance and satisfaction — at work, at school, and at home — is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world.

Drawing on four decades of scientific research on human motivation, Pink exposes the mismatch between what science knows and what business does — and how that affects every aspect of life. He examines the three elements of true motivation — autonomy, mastery, and purpose — and offers smart and surprising techniques for putting these into action in a unique book that will change how we think and transform how we live.

Daniel H. Pink is the author of four provocative books about the changing world of work — including the New York Times bestsellers, A Whole New Mind and Drive, which together have been translated into 31 languages. He lives in Washington, DC, with his wife and their three children.