Quicklet on TED Talks: Dan Pink on the surprising science of motivation (CliffNotes-like Summary)

ABOUT THE BOOK

When it comes to what motivates us at work, the conventional wisdom is money. It’s long been established that if you want to motivate someone to do a better job, you pay them well and provide financial incentives to do an even better job. In companies throughout the United States and much the world, employees eagerly anticipate the day when they hear from their boss whether they’ll be getting a bonus or pay raise.

But is money all that motivates us? Thinking on my own situation, there have been plenty of times when I was well compensated for a job but still didn’t perform as well as I should have. There have also been times when I did everything that I could and put in a lot of time on jobs with lower pay. If you were to ask around your own family, friends, and colleagues, I suspect that you’ll find they’ve experienced this as well.

This goes against everything that we’ve been told about motivation. The more I get paid, the better my job performance is supposed to be. This belief that money is the biggest driver of performance is so accepted that to suggest otherwise would almost be un-American.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Abdul Montaqim is a journalist, based in London, and has been working in the media since 1989. Among the more well known titles he has written for are The Guardian newspaper, Time Out magazine and the International Business Times website.

EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK

Dan Pink was supposed to be a lawyer after graduating from Yale Law School. Instead, he became a writer. This change in career trajectory, rejecting a relatively stable, well-paid and prestigious job path to pursue a career in a notoriously unstable field, no doubt led him to think deeply about careers and what really motivates people.

He is the author of four books. His first book, Free Agent Nation: The Future of Working for Yourself, was a Washington Post bestseller and became an indispensable book for those wanting to understand employee-management relations. His second book, The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need, made a big splash for being the first American business book written the Japanese comic book format manga. The very different format didn’t prevent the book from being a success as well; it was a BusinessWeek bestseller and has been translated into several languages.

It is his following two books that have propelled Pink into the elite circle of in-demand authors. A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future boldly describes the six abilities that individuals must have and that companies must nurture in order to succeed in today’s economy. It is a New York Times bestseller and is available in over 24 languages.

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