Drive | Daniel Pink

Why I Wrote Drive

What You'll Learn in Drive

Human beings have a mix of drives. We have a biological drive – we eat when we’re hungry, drink when we’re thirsty. We have a reward-and-punishment drive – we often will do more in response to rewards and less in response to punishments. But we also have a third drive – intrinsic motivation – that is often overlooked.
Our reliance, in organizations and schools, on a carrot-and-stick approach to motivation is outdated and often counterproductive. We’ve long assumed that if-then rewards (“If you do this, then you get that”) are the best way to motivate people. But decades of research show they can reduce performance, crush creativity, and dampen long-term motivation – especially for complex or creative tasks.
The three key elements in enduring motivation are autonomy, mastery, and purpose. Autonomy is having a measure of control over what we do and how we do it. Mastery is making progress and getting better at something that matters. Purpose is doing something that makes a difference in the world or a contribution to others.
The most successful organizations are those that build environments where intrinsic motivation can thrive. Companies that offer people control over their time, encourage continuous learning, and connect individual work to a greater mission outperform those relying on rigid management and short-term incentives.

Most Highlighted on Kindle

"Autonomy over four aspects of work: what people do, when they do it, how they do it, and whom they do it with."
"Getting an A in French class is a performance goal. Being able to speak French is a learning goal."
"At the end of each day, ask yourself whether you were better today than you were yesterday. "
"People are much more likely to reach that flow state at work than in leisure."
"Type I behavior is fueled more by intrinsic desires than extrinsic ones. It concerns itself less with the external rewards to which an activity leads and more with the inherent satisfaction of the activity itself."

Purchase Now:

DRIVE: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

The key to high performance and satisfaction is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, learn and create new things, and do better by ourselves and our world.

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Awards & Accolades

#1 New York Times bestseller

159 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list (main and extended)

One of Amazon's "Top 100 Leadership and Success Books to Read in a Lifetime"

Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Publishers Weekly bestseller

National bestseller in Japan and the United Kingdom

Translated into 40+ languages worldwide

“Pink makes a convincing case that organizations ignore intrinsic motivation at their peril.”

 Scientific American

“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’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

“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 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."

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