Synopses & Reviews
Forget everything you thought you knew about how to motivate peopleat work, at school, at home. It's wrong. As Daniel H. Pink (author of
To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Motivating Others) explains in his paradigm-shattering book
Drive, 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 doesand 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:
*Autonomythe desire to direct our own lives
*Masterythe urge to get better and better at something that matters
*Purposethe 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 ideasthe rare book that will change how you think and transform how you live.
Review
"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
"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
"Pink's deft traversal of research at the intersection of psychology and economics make this a worthwhile read-no sticks necessary."
-SEED
"[Pink] continues his engaging exploration of how we work."
-Inc. Magazine
"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
"A worthwhile read. It reminds us that those of us on the right side of the brain are driven furthest and fastest in pursuit of what we love."
-Minneapolis Star Tribune
"Pink's analysis--and new model--of motivation offers tremendous insight into our deepest nature."
-Publishers Weekly
"Important reading...an integral addition to a growing body of literature that argues for a radical shift in how businesses operate."
-Kirkus
"Drive is the rare book that will get you to think and inspire you to act. Pink makes a strong, science-based case for rethinking motivation--and then provides the tools you need to transform your life."
-Dr. Mehmet Oz, co-author of YOU: The Owners Manual
Review
“Insightful, thought-provoking, and highly practical,
Focus is an invaluable resource for anyone who wants more deeply to understand how to motivate others.”
—Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project
"Focus is an exciting and important new book that brings motivational science to life in a remarkably practical way."
—Daniel Gilbert, Ph.D., author of Stumbling on Happiness
"Nothing has changed the research conversation in social psychology in the last decade as much as Tory Higgins's ideas about promotion and prevention. This book shows how promotion and prevention touch every aspect of our daily life from work to parenting."
—Chip Heath and Dan Heath, authors of Switch and Made to Stick
“In anything-but-routine fashion, the authors describe a fundamental difference in the way we seek and achieve success. Their description is so wide-ranging yet integrative, so entertaining yet instructive that I am able to offer an assertion of my own: If you are one of those people who want to be successful, you should read this book.”
—Robert B. Cialdini, Ph.D., author of Influence: Science and Practice
“Every once in a while a book comes out that changes the way you see yourself, other people, and the world. This is one of those books. Read it.”
—Peter Bregman, author of 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done
“Most people think that motivation gets them energized to act. Focus lifts up the hood on the motivational system and shows how competing motivations to achieve positive outcomes and avoid negative ones influence work, love, and parenting in unexpected ways. The book is filled with practical examples that make it a must-read for anyone who wants to understand why they behave as they do.”
—Art Markman, Ph.D. author of Smart Thinking: Three essential keys to solve
Synopsis
A must-read for anyone who wants to understand why they behave as they do.” Art Markman, Ph.D., author of
Smart Thinking Do you play to win? Or do you play not to lose?
As Tory Higgins and Heidi Grant Halvorson have discovered in their work at Columbia Universitys Motivation Science Center, everything we do is motivated either by a desire to be better off or to simply hang on to what weve got. And understanding the simple but crucial difference between the two can empower you to motivate yourself and influence everyone around you. Examining how promotion/prevention focus applies across a wide range of situationsfrom selling products to managing employees to raising children to getting a second dateHalvorson and Higgins show us how to identify, change, and use focus to get the results we want.
About the Author
Daniel H. Pink is the author of four books, including the long-running New York Times bestsellers Drive and A Whole New Mind. His books have been translated into thirty-three languages and have sold more than a million copies in the United States alone. Pink lives with his family in Washington, D.C.