Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

June 14, 2010 – Another great book from author Daniel H. Pink.  I’m not sure how surprising the research really is if you have read other books such as Csikszentmihalyi’s Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience which he references quite a bit. He explains the work of Edward Deci & Richard Ryan on Self Determination Theory and how heuristic tasks (right brain work) done these days by 21st century knowledge workers require a greater degree of competence, autonomy & relatedness than previously required by workers that handled narrower tasks. The book is engaging and very interesting. Dan Pink clearly explains the concepts in a manner easily understood by non-academics. Intrinsic motivation is not a new concept, but the recognition of its importance and the adaptation of the workplace environment to nurture and accommodate it are slow in materializing in most organizations. I’m definitely a “type I” person and have chosen a career path for myself that allows me to pursue mastery in what I’m doing. I HIGHLY recommend this book no matter what you do for a living!