Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

In "Drive," the author breaks down what truly motivates and satisfies people, not only at work, but in our personal and family life as well. He draws on over four decades of scientific research to make his case, and the result is a surprising new look at what people need to be motivated and happy.

And the best news? Pink gives us smart, original techniques for applying this information in our professional and personal life. We can use these easy-to-implement strategies to work smarter and live better.

"Drive" is the kind of book that we think most Club members will enjoy. The author is funny and engaging, and his writing style is so easy and laid back that the book doesn't read like a science book at all. We take in this fascinating information without realizing we're learning at all.

The book is also a success because the information is truly useful. Whether you're a parent trying to motivate your kids to do their chores, or a manager trying to find new ways to motivate and reward your team, you're going to find relevant information in this book.

So who is Daniel Pink? Well, he's not a psychologist, but a journalist, and is the author of the New York Times bestseller A Whole New Mind and two other best-selling business books. He's a global lecturer to corporations, associations and universities around the world on economic transformation and the new workplace.

Pink clearly took great care properly researching his information. Every study and quote is sourced in the back of the book, which gives readers the option to double-check the information if they're so inclined.

So, keep listening to find out the three key elements to motivation, how just one sentence could change your life, and why cash rewards don't have to come from the boss.

Now, the author has broken "Drive" into three main parts, each with several chapters. Part one looks at the flaws of our current reward-and-punishment system, and proposes new ways for us to think about motivation. It also examines what the author calls Type One behavior, which is a way of thinking grounded in human motivation.

Part two looks at the three elements of Type One behavior. These elements – autonomy, mastery, and purpose – are what truly motivate us. In this section we discover how to use these elements to increase our satisfaction and performance in life.

Part three is a toolkit of sorts. It's a comprehensive set of resources that will help you apply these elements to your life. This is the how-to section where the author pulls everything together so we can actually use it.

While the whole book is a must-read, this last section is particularly full of really useful exercises and strategies.

The author begins by explaining what has motivated people in the past. And, he's cleverly likened these elements to a computer operating system.

In the beginning – that is, 50,000 years ago – we had what the author calls "Motivation 1.0." This operating system was very basic. We were motivated by food, shelter, and survival. That's it.

As we began to evolve, however, we started to figure out that there was more to us than these basics. We formed societies, and introduced commerce. We hired employees, and launched into the Industrial Revolution. To handle all this, we developed "Motivation 2.0": the carrot-and-stick approach. Reward people for behavior you like, punish them for what you don't.

The problem with this approach is it suggests we really aren't that different from a horse or donkey. Dangle something we want in front of our faces and we'll just keep plodding along, right?

Well, we all know that humans are different from animals, which is why Motivation 2.0 really isn't working, especially lately – and why the author believes we're ready for "Motivation 3.0."

To prove we're ready for this next level, the author takes us on a tour of projects that illustrate why we want more than just money to work and live.

Take, for instance, the astounding success of Wikipedia, an open-source encyclopedia written solely by volunteers. Or, look at the operating system Linux, which is used by millions and – you guessed it – created by volunteers.

And it's not just in technology that this open-source phenomenon is taking place. There are open-source cookbooks, medical research, photography, prosthetics, credit unions and cola, to name just a few.

And, open source projects are only the beginning. How else can we explain the rise of socially-based businesses? These low-profit businesses have a mission that has nothing to do with profits or a bottom line. Their goal is to effect social change, do good, and enhance lives. For these companies, making money isn't really their top priority.

The author outlines two different types of motivation to explain why these projects and companies have been so successful.

One type of motivation is extrinsic. When we're extrinsically motivated, we're working for external rewards like money, more vacation time, and better benefits.

The other type of motivation is intrinsic. When we're intrinsically motivated, we're working for internal rewards like the pure joy of doing a creative project, or the drive to sharpen our skills. Scientists have discovered that intrinsic motivation is the strongest and most pervasive driver of the two.

Although social business can, and do, use extrinsic rewards, the majority of people are driven by intrinsic motivation. It's the internal rewards that give us the most satisfaction.

So, what's behind these motivations?

Well, as you heard earlier, the author's identified three main drivers: autonomy, mastery, and purpose. These intrinsic drivers are the focus of part two.

Let's look at autonomy first. The author says the traditional idea of management is built on the assumption that without direction, prodding, and rewards, we'd essentially do nothing. We'd sit at our desks and stagnate for eight hours.

But, inertia isn't part of our fundamental nature. Human beings are wired to be actively engaged in their surroundings, the author says. This desire to be self-directed has been identified by scientists as one of the three basic human needs.

This freedom to choose has a huge impact on our well-being. The author cites plenty of companies that are giving their employees the freedom to do their job how, and when, they see fit. Electronics giant Best Buy and online shoe reseller Zappos are just two among many. And what's been the result?

Overwhelming productivity. Decreased burnout and stress. A greater sense of well-being among the staff. And, that's just the start. The benefits of having an autonomous work life spill over into our personal lives as well. We're more relaxed at home, we're more engaged with our families, and we're just downright happier.

Now let's look at mastery. The author defines mastery as the desire to get better and better at something that truly matters to you.

In the past, working has been all about doing certain things in a particular way, like workers on an assembly line. But today's work environments have to solve complex problems. We work with colleagues around the globe, processing enormous amounts of information. Our work lives have gotten far more involved than they were even 50 years ago.

According to the author, the old comply-and-control management model just doesn't work like it did when we all worked in factories, or on farms. Today, most of us need creativity and an inquiring mind to do our jobs well. We need to be willing to experiment to solve these complex problems. But, most of us can't do this if we have a boss standing over our shoulders telling us what to do. The author says that engagement in our work is a powerful force in our lives. When we're engaged in what we're doing, we want to get better at it. We want to do more. And this desire for mastery can be an incredibly powerful motivator.

The last driver is purpose. When we're working in the service of some greater objective, something that really resonates in our hearts, then we're working with purpose, the author says. And when we have purpose, our productivity and satisfaction skyrocket.

Part two is full of rich, detailed information about each of these three drivers. The author spends one chapter on each driver, and each of these chapters has several subsections that further convince us of its importance. If you started this book a skeptic, you probably won't be after this section.

So, how do we pull all this together to get more motivated? Well, that's what part three helps us do.

One section offers us nine strategies for awakening our motivation. And, there are really some brilliant ideas here.

For instance, many of us feel that our lives don't have a single, driving purpose. The author says that we can start defining that purpose by asking, "What's your sentence?"

Here's what he means: the greatest achievers in life can all be described in one sentence. Abraham Lincoln's sentence is: He preserved the union and freed the slaves.

A long-time teacher's sentence might be: She taught two generations of children how to read.

To identify a purpose that truly speaks to you, you need to define what you want your one sentence to say.

Once you have your sentence, you can keep yourself motivated by asking yourself a smaller sentence every day. This question is: Am I better today than I was yesterday? Whatever your big sentence is, did you do something, no matter how small, to work on it today?

Being able to answer that question with a yes means you're working consistently towards your driving purpose.

Another section in this toolkit is geared towards managers and companies. Here, we learn nine strategies for improving our company, office or team. And, there are some real gems here.

For instance, instead of managers rewarding employees with a bonus for exceptional work, let your employees reward their colleagues. Any time someone sees or experiences exceptional work from a colleague, they can award them a $50 bonus on the spot.

Sounds outrageous, right? A US-based civil engineering firm started the idea, and it's worked. Even though it's monetary based, it skips the common flaws of corporate carrot rewards. How? Because at heart, it's just colleagues rewarding colleagues. And, according to the author, this kind of reward is more satisfying than being rewarded by the boss.

Now, while colleague-based bonusing programs are a creative idea, the practical details are sadly lacking in the book. There's no information on how this program was actually implemented in the civil engineering firm. For instance, how did the company keep costs under control? Was there any corruption in the program? The author didn't cover these downsides at all, so you might want to take this idea with a grain of salt.

Another creative idea is a three-step process managers can use to give up control. The three steps are: involving your team in goal-setting, using non-controlling language, and holding office hours. Don't worry, though. The author gives detailed instructions for implementing each of these steps into your organization.

Our favorite idea in this section has to do with company off-sites – when the entire company heads out of the office for team-building exercises and pep talks.

Many times, company off-sites can be a bit dreary, and often they don't produce results. If this sounds familiar, then why not replace your off-sites with what the author calls a FedEx Day?

Here's how it works. You simply set aside an entire day when employees can work on whatever they want, however they want, with whomever they want. There's only one rule. They must deliver something, either an idea, a product prototype, or a new process, the following day.

This is a real challenge, but it can be incredibly invigorating for your team, far more so than a day spent doing games and listening to pep talks.

We also get nine strategies for applying the lessons learned in this book to our parenting. We learn how teachers and parents can apply these principles to homework, report cards, chores, and rewards.

If you want to skip reading everything in detail – and we advise against this because the book's so funny – then you can head over to page 203. Here, the author has kindly summarized the most important points in every chapter.

So, what's our last word on "Drive"?

Well, we loved it. There's so much great information in here that picking the highlights was a real challenge.

This book will be an eye opener for managers and employees alike. The author gives us compelling evidence why the traditional reward-punishment system of management isn't really working anymore. And, we get real strategies to fix the situation.

But the greater message of this book is going to resound with readers on a deeper level. Many of us have begun to feel out of control and out of sorts with our lives. We're working hard, but feeling less satisfaction and gratification. We're making money, and yet we still feel empty and lost inside.

With humor and grace, the author has managed to explain why so many of us feel disconnected, and he also gives us tools and strategies to start changing. Yes, many of these strategies are geared towards our work lives. But, plenty give us direction to start changing our personal lives as well.

At heart, motivation isn't about just being excited to get up in the morning. It's about living a richer, more fulfilling life. It's about being engaged in things that we care about, deep in our hearts. It's about having a belief in ourselves, and our abilities, that ultimately leads to greater things.

If you feel that you're missing out on this deeper connection in your life, then you won't want to miss this book. "Drive," by Daniel Pink, is published by Riverhead Books.

That's the end of this episode of Book Insights. Click here to buy the book from Amazon.