1. everything we think we know about what motivates us is wrong
2. Riverhead Hardcover
3. 1594488843
4. Daniel H. Pink

Editorial Review :

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.

Customer Review :

Terrific book

"Drive" is an excellent take on what motivates people in modern society compared with times past. Things it covers are:

1. A couple of decades ago rhesus monkeys solved a puzzle without a reward of food, water or sex. They began playing with it and solved it, implying a thrid drive - some intrinsic reward. They even made more errors when an external reward was used - raisens. Then, more recently similar results were found in an experiment (a Soma puzzle) with humans, implying humans also have this third, intrinsic, drive - for novelty, challenge, with scientific proof counter to what business usally does to motivate workers.

2. Like computers, societies have operating systems - a) Motivation 1.0 - in older times just for survival, b) Motivation 2.0 - the industrial revolution led to rewards and punishments, carrots and sticks to motivate workers, c) Motivation 2.1 - some refinements like flex hours and casual dress, d) Motivation 3.0 - purpose driven rather than monetary compensation - think Wikipedia versus Microsoft's Encarta encyclopedia, Firefox, Apache web server, Linix. Strongest motivation - enjoyment. Vermont - first state to implement a new business organization, "low profit limited liability corporation" with purpose maximized rather than profit.

4. Behavioral economics shows people motivated also by irrational motives. US census showed many non-employer businesses. Financial rewards can turn play into work - reducing performance, loss of creativity. - the Sawyer Effect.

5. Extrinsic rewards can work for left-brain algorithmic tasks, but not for right-brain flexible problem-solving, creative solutions - can lead to bad, even unethical behavior and sort-term thinking like what led to the recent Great Recession - too much pay caused epic problems. Goals which lead to mastery are good - rewarding the activity better than rewarding the result.

6. Rewards best if unexpected, not if-then but now-that.

7. Self Determination Theory (SDT) - Type I person - 3 needs of a Type I person: a) autonomy - over 4 T's - task, time, technoque, and team, b) mastery - a flow - 3 laws to get in the flow - mindset, pain, asymptote - getting closer and closer to perfection but never reaching it, c) purpose - words are important like having an oath, when an employee says "we" rather than "they" for the company.

8. Toolkit for a Type I person - a) flow test - one sentence for a person like freed the slaves for Lincoln, b) small question - like was today better than yesterday, c) take a "sagmeiter" - a sabbatical like every 7 years - do something different like travel, d) do annual personal performance reviews, e) get unstuck by going oblique - by pushing out of a mental rut, f) move 5 steps closer to mastery - deliberate practice, g) 3x5 cards with question/answer to give meaning to each day, h) create your own motivational poster.

9. Nine ways to get your organization to be Type I - have 20% free time, encourage peer-peer now-that rewards, conduct an autonomy audit, take 3 steps to giving up control, play "whose purpose is it?", Reich's pronoun test - we or they, design for intrinsic motivation, Goldilocks for groups - not too easy, not too hard tasks, turn offsite into "FedEx day."

10. Type I compensation - get it right then get out of sight. Ensure internal, external fairness - harder job gets paid more, etc. Pay more than average.

11. Tips for parents on how to motivate kids: homework - autonomy, mastery, purpose, have a FedEx day, Do It Yourself (DIY) report cards, don't combine allowances and chores, praise strategy and effort not IQ, let kids see the big picture of things.

Overall, this book is very insightful and an easy read - recommended.

Rating :

Drive is my new gift book for my clients

Dan Pink has done an amazing job of putting the facts together about motivation. I also like that he broadened the discussion beyond the corporate, business management, leadership to include students (teens and college students). His book fits perfectly to my corporate consulting practice and the Career Coaching for Students program I'm providing to high school students. There are a few of us out there that have been focusing on the very teachings in Dan's book for the past 10 years. I can say the results are phenomonal for my clients. Drive speaks to the facts very eloquently at a level and pace that is easy to consume. This is a must read for any manager of people and especially if you expect to find success for your organization through people.
Carl Nielson
The Nielson Group [...]
and
Success Discoveries, LLC [...]
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

Rating :

Should Be Required Reading for all Managers and Employers

What really drives people to perform at their best? According to Daniel Pink, far too many managers rely on the carrot/stick approach to motivate employees. He cites substantial scientific research that shows that these approaches are outmoded and simply do not work for many types of work in the modern economy. In fact, the carrot or stick approach can actually diminish workers' performance over time. (The notable exception is that these approaches can be effective for workers who do routine, repetitive tasks, that require little creativity or individual initiative.) Pink shows that for many types of work, money is not the most powerful incentive. He shows that paying expected bonuses can actually diminish productivity, creativity, and performance over time.

Drive's main point is that the most effective way to motivate people is to pay them fairly and create a work environment that fosters autonomy, mastery, and a sense of purpose. The book cites several interesting examples of organizations that have created new and highly successful models for motivating their workforces.

Drive is an important book. Plus it's a quick and entertaining read. I highly recommend that any manager or employer who wants to get the very best from his/her employees at all levels ought to study Drive, as well as First Break All the Rules by Marcus Buckingham.

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Wonderful read after a long time!

Excellent book - gave a great understanding beneath why we do certan kinds of things indifferently or with passion. Great read in general. Actually this is a great book for parents :-) it will change the whole way you see your child. I am thinking if the same kind of motivation is apt for canines too as increasingly reward(read treat) based training is in picture nowadays..wonderful book!

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A Far-fetched How To Book on Motivation

The book is about Motivation and it is a bit gimmicky, like Motivation 1.0 to Motivation 2.0, etc.

In the digital economy, autonomy, mastery, and purpose are treasured, and motivation is more intrinsically driven. This sounds great on paper. But many people still live in the not entirely digitalized world, and external motivation in terms of Carrots and Stick still work in some under-developed countries.

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1. ISBN13: 9780743269513
2. Condition: NEW
3. Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Customer Review :

Great Condition/Great Book

The book was in really good condition. It's a great book. Anyone who likes to read should check it out.

Rating :

Probably the best out there on the subject

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey is an excellent motivational book for businesspeople or anyone for that matter. There is a multitude of phony, puffy, cheesy and fluffy "self-help" books out there in this department, but I feel that this book really stands out as the one to get. If you read this book and utilize the strategies in it, you WILL see an improvement in your life. Nuff Said.

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A catalyst for my quest to just 'be better'

Here is an excerpt from my blog post about working on Covey's 2nd Habit. I hope it will encourage others to take the time to really think about and work through the lessons in this book. I'm not sure I am a more confident or effective person as of yet, but it feels good to 'Be Proactive' (a la Habit #1) and feel like I'm working towards making progress. -- Evonne
[...]

Begin with the End in Mind (Part 1)

I tried writing my obituary today. No, I haven't already decided to give up. It was an exercise suggested by the enduring classic, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It's not a book about `confidence' per se. It is about being an effective and successful person. The philosophy Covey teaches to achieve this end is known as the Character Ethic. The Character Ethic attributes success to fundamental and underlying human characteristics such as integrity, honesty, courage, potential and growth. This is in contrast to the Personality Ethic which calls its followers to focus on personality traits, skills and maintaining a positive attitude among other things to be an effective person and according to Covey this latter approach been unduly popularized throughout the latter half of the 20th century. I don't know which ethic is more correct and I'm not sure that I believe there are only two ways to approach effectiveness. But I think we can all agree that feeling effective and successful are important to feeling in control and confident and I hope to explore both approaches (among many others) in this blog.

In Habit #2: Begin With The End In Mind, Covey suggests that you take a moment to think about what you would want a member of your social network, your family and a community organization that you're involved with to say about you at your funeral.

"Now think deeply," he writes, "What would you like each of these speakers to say about you and your life? What character would you like them to have seen in you? What contributions, what achievements would you want them to remember? What difference would you like to have made in their lives?"

And now here's the real clencher... "Before you read further, take a few minutes to jot down your impressions. It will greatly increase your personal understanding of Habit 2." Damn't.. sigh.. and so I was stuck jotting ideas on a napkin..

(By the way, if you're wondering what happened to Habit #1: Be proactive a.k.a. "work inside your circle of influence" and "if you think the problem is out there, that's the problem". Well, you're looking at it.)

I had heard of this eulogy/obituary exercise before and to be honest it never really resonated with me. I understand that it should highlight what you truly value and help you work backwards to prioritize your life and work towards those goals. But in addition to being, well.. morbid, I also tend to think it gives too much weight to what you want people to think about you. While beginning to ponder the questions, it put me into a manipulative mindset, asking myself how I get my friends/family/etc to say what I want them to say about me. But perhaps this says more about me and my tendencies than it says about the merits of the exercise.

Here are my napkin jottings. Please read as if there is a question mark after every statement because that was the tone of the voice dictating each line in my head. And I apologize in advance for all the cringing you are about to experience...

She was happy. (Remember, read: "She was happy?") She felt lucky.She was surrounded by people she loved and who loved her. People wanted her in their lives. One of the most interesting people I've met. Never dull. You'd never know what she was going to say. She made life interesting. She was brilliant, but almost just as notably, she was curious. People wanted to be around her. She had a way of making people feel comfortable and wanted and accepted. She wanted to understand everything. She wanted to be involved in everything. She was a mathematician, a business woman, a chef and food critic, a planner, a writer, a thinker, a philanthropist, an anthropologist, a strategist, an explorer, an adventurer, a curiosity, a language prodigy, a wonderful friend and loving mother. She had no regrets.

Okay, so I took some liberties here, but be proud of me for actually uploading my unedited scribbles. It's actually (even more) embarassing because I don't think I would've written something much different in 3rd grade.. how far I've come. Don't worry, my ego is not actually this big (and misdirected/delusional) but the exercise instructions didn't say to limit by my actual level of intellect, skills, behavioral tendencies, etc so I ran with it.

While I feel it did point out quite a few of my insecurities and to some extent some of the things I want or think I want in life, again I didn't feel like I was getting to the core of it. I actually wanted to come up with a few things I could feel proud of and live by and work towards instead of taking a 5-minute stab in the dark with my pen and a napkin. But how do I do that? Keep in mind you're asking a 26 year old what she wants in life...

So here is my plan, to be tackled this week (and diligently written about next Sunday, of course). Instead of daydreaming and musing, I am going to take a more systematic approach. Obviously from my scribbles you can tell I have no real idea what a eulogy or an obituary might sound like. And given my limited life experience I haven't had exposure to the breadth of life experiences and character qualities that can be highlighted therein. And just generally I don't know what makes for a meaningful and interesting discussion of a person's life... I've never attended a funeral and if you can believe it, the obituaries are not my `flip-to' section of the NYT. In addition, I have no idea what I could write in a mock obituary for my future self that would feel uplifting and satisfying to my current self right now.

I know I've flipped past countless examples in the obituaries section of the NYT, The Economist, The Atlantic... so I've decided to go back and actually read them. While perusing the web editions of these publications, I found troves of obituaries that I can't wait to read: David Foster Wallace, Bobby Fischer, Laurence Urdang, Yves Saint Laurent, Mary Garber, Charlton Heston. Obviously these lives were selected by these journals because the people who led them were luminaries and pioneers in their time and I don't expect to hold myself to quite as high a standard. But I think this will provide some good fodder and am very interested to learn what will stand out to me, what I will and won't want people to say about me and to eventually help me realize at least a few ideas that I want to internalize and make my own.

Will report back shortly...



Rating :

Life changing!

To put it simply, this book is life changing. Buy this book now, and become a more productive, effective person.

Rating :

Highly recommend!

Great book, read or listen. A must read for any driven person trying to seperate himor herself from the pack, at work, school or in general.

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1. ISBN13: 9781582701707
2. Condition: NEW
3. Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Editorial Review :

Fragments of a Great Secret have been found in the oral traditions, in literature, in religions and philosophies throughout the centuries. For the first time, all the pieces of The Secret come together in an incredible revelation that will be life-transforming for all who experience it.

In this book, you'll learn how to use The Secret in every aspect of your life -- money, health, relationships, happiness, and in every interaction you have in the world. You'll begin to understand the hidden, untapped power that's within you, and this revelation can bring joy to every aspect of your life.

The Secret contains wisdom from modern-day teachers -- men and women who have used it to achieve health, wealth, and happiness. By applying the knowledge of The Secret, they bring to light compelling stories of eradicating disease, acquiring massive wealth, overcoming obstacles, and achieving what many would regard as impossible.

Customer Review :

Awesome

This is an absolute necessity for every person on earth. It speaks to your heart and we should all look at life in this way.

Rating :

There is power in your thinking

There have been many books written on thinking and how it affects our lives. Look at Bernie Siegel's books where he has known patients with terminal illnesses become cured through love, positive thinking and self healing. There's also the book, As a Man Thinketh which talks about how we become what we think about. Even the Bible talks about how we are what we devote ourselves to -- your heart is where your treasure is. The Secret isn't new, I think this incarnation of it has caught on because it's been cleverly marketed. Some people here say it's a load of bunk, but I can attest that in my own life I have noticed that depressive thoughts begets depression and I have even been told my therapists that if you're depressed the best way to get out of it (aside from medications when necessary) is to force yourself. One doc told me that I can't wait for the depression to lift before taking action, I have to take action and THEN the depression will lift. He was right. I have had times in my life where I've felt really good about myself, I've thought myself as a healthy person and during those times had little to no illness. Then I've had times I've thought myself as a sick person and was plagued with symptoms and problems. And that's ten years before The Secret was even published. I don't know about the spiritual or religious aspects but I think that you really can change yourself and your health etc. by the way you think. The Bible even says to capture your thoughts and to think about whatever is true and pure and good. And that advice is 2000 years old. So don't be too quick to cast The Secret aside. It may not be perfect and it's really fallen into the whole "super capitalism/greed" scheme of things but your thinking really can dictate how you feel and what you produce, and who wants to be around you and so on.

Rating :

The Secret

This book is very inspirational. I like to think of the universe that it refers to as God, and I feel it is very biblically oriented. I loved it so much that I sent it to all my daughters.

Rating :

Read it!

This is an amazing work. I also have the CD soundtrack. As a regular woman, and as a professional life coach, I firmly believe and use the Law of Attraction, which is the basis of "The Secret". After I read the book in 2007, I began using it for the little things as an experiment. I tried it for parking spaces and it worked. I have great parking spaces. Traffic flows better for me. And even if I leave late I get to my destination early or on time with ease. People are nicer. But the biggest thing is that I am now Multiple Sclerosis-Free. My body is healthy and works. My eyesight returned to normal, the numbness went away. And I can walk distances without an aid now. My neurologist is mystified.

I highly recommend "The Secret"! If you don't like to read, get the CD set instead. But either way, if you are open and have a positive heart, you will find it enlightening.

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It's Great

I think this is a very positive and good feeling book. A must read for anyone looking for a real pick me up!

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Customer Review :

Little gems of common sense.

"Rework" is one of those books that doesn't take itself too seriously. It is a quick read. While I didn't uncover any revolutionary secrets, I did appreciate the authors' attitudes toward common business practices. They have built a successful small business. They've eschewed the grandiose plans for IPOs, org charts that cover entire conference room tables, and all the other BS that typically accompany the "modern tech company". Their advice is, that it's ok to do that. Build a business you can live with rather than one you can sell. You'll end up doing something that you find worthwhile, rather than always chasing smoke and mirrors. This book is somewhat light on substance, however, it provides a decent antidote to all the demotivating process and bureaucracy that plagues business. Worth a read to be sure, even if just for the distraction.

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Very motivating and refreshing

I've pre-ordered the book and received it yesterday, March 08, just a day before it officially started selling. Initially I was going just to read few chapters, but ended up reading the whole book in under 2 hours. It doesn't contain any secret techniques, doesn't use fancy "business" terms, in fact it mocks most of these things, and does it pretty good. You can tell that authors do enjoy their work, and especially the flexibility of their business, that's why the book criticizes such things as boring meetings, complicated business plans etc. Even if you don't agree with everything they say, there's still that nice feeling when you realize that authors have built very successful business having these concepts in mind. Also, "Re-Work" has very small chapters, which I find a real advantage, as every time you turn the page, you read something new. Overall, my best recommendations.

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Read the book the day I got it!

I'm a big fan of DHH and Jason Fried, their ideas are definitely controversial in the global business space. However with the small business upstarts they are like spreading the gospel. Meetings are toxic, the way a lot of businesses operate is really out of wack with whats going on in todays market. I really enjoyed the book even tho I've read most of their work already it was nice seeing the book distilled in one place.

Rating :

1. ISBN13: 9780140280197
2. Condition: NEW
3. Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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Editorial Review :

Amoral, cunning, ruthless, and instructive, this piercing work distills three thousand years of the history of power in to forty-eight well explicated laws. As attention--grabbing in its design as it is in its content, this bold volume outlines the laws of power in their unvarnished essence, synthesizing the philosophies of Machiavelli, Sun-tzu, Carl von Clausewitz, and other great thinkers. Some laws teach the need for prudence ("Law 1: Never Outshine the Master"), the virtue of stealth ("Law 3: Conceal Your Intentions"), and many demand the total absence of mercy ("Law 15: Crush Your Enemy Totally"), but like it or not, all have applications in real life. Illustrated through the tactics of Queen Elizabeth I, Henry Kissinger, P. T. Barnum, and other famous figures who have wielded--or been victimized by--power, these laws will fascinate any reader interested in gaining, observing, or defending against ultimate control.

Customer Review :

Fantastic book!

Good things:
The book was in perfect condition and the price was really cheap.

Bad things:
1) I don't like being charged before I have the product in my hands.
2) It passed a month from the day I ordered until I received the book. I've already ordered other books to the USA (I live in Spain) and it didn't take so long.

Rating :

Great book

Excellent book to help assess the behaviors of others. Rereading chapters over the years has helped in many ways. If you enjoy history and are an industry leader or entrepreneur, this is a great book to have on hand.

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A great read...

The 48 Laws of Power is worth the money. If you want an edge in business and in life, I recommend this book. Use this book with, the book of five rings, the art of war and the 33 strategies of war. Never mind what others think about the books or about you reading them. They laugh because they don't have the knowledge to apply the reasoning/stragies these books provide. Employers from all works of life want leaders that can lead, not talk B.S. and take two (2) hour lunches. It won't happen overnight but, applied and practiced it will happen and you will get noticed. But, don't take my word for it, get it and see for yourself.

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What you actually want to know before buying the Kindle edition.

My review is based solely on the quality of the Kindle edition. For the most part it is great. There are a few little errors in spacing, spelling, and general format issues. I'd say you get 2 or 3 for each "law". The bigger problem is that there are a few spelling errors so egregious that you have no idea what the word is supposed to be. That happens every 3 "laws" or so. I gave it 3 stars because these mistakes are annoying enough that they should create a new Kindle edition, but not so bad you'd demand your money back. If you are reading this, these are the types of reviews you should be writing for Kindle books.

Rating :

Great Book, Terrible Kindle Edition

The 48 Laws of Power is a fascinating journey through human history. Its means of breaking up the lessons to be learned into "Laws" makes it both entertaining to read and a fascinating treatise on the nature of how people manipulate one another to achieve their goals. I would hope anyone reading The 48 Laws of Power quickly figures out that this is not an instruction manual on "How to Conquer the World, All By Yourself"--it's entertaining, it's informative, but it's far from a get-rich-quick device.

That said, one of the areas in which I am lacking in life has been the ability to truly understand and anticipate people's actions. I can tell you that this book has greatly helped me to understand human nature a little better, and has even been useful helping me figure out when someone is trying to manipulate me. I've been surprised at how much more I seem to be picking up on when it comes to others' personalities. It also amazes me how across cultures and across the millenia, human nature stays very much the same.

Unfortunately, the Kindle Edition of this book (which is where this review was written) is dreadful. Typos are not a problem, but there are whole sections of this book that somehow got mangled in translation and it's clear no one took the time to proofread it. The print edition of this book (which I also own) contains sidebars along the margins of many pages. For the Kindle edition, these side pieces are ungracefully dumped in the middle of a passage. The mangled portions of this book are often unintelligible.

I contacted Amazon about this and they responded that they unfortunately do not have any control over how well the publisher converts their products to the Kindle Edition. It's cut back on my desire to purchase Kindle products unless and until the quality improves, and I do not recommend the Kindle edition of this book for this reason. The print version, however, is certainly well worth the read.

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