There is a huge body of evidence showing that people do better in their work when they know why they're doing it in the first place. They do better when they see what they're doing contributes to something in the world. Daniel H. Pink More Quotes by Daniel H. Pink More Quotes From Daniel H. Pink If you create something, whether it's a painting or a company, I think if you care about it, you have some obligation to go out and tell people about it. Daniel H. Pink care people thinking You know, I'm not a huge fan of the concept of 'passion' when it comes to careers. Instead of trying to answer the daunting question of 'What's your passion?' it's better simply to watch what you do when you've got time of your own and nobody's looking. Daniel H. Pink passion careers leadership What do artists do? Artists give people something they didn't know they were missing: a dance, a piece of music, a painting, a piece of sculpture. Catering to that need is the best business strategy. Daniel H. Pink artist giving people Symphony is the ability to see the big picture, connect the dots, combine disparate things into something new. Visual artists in particular are good at seeing how the pieces come together. I experienced this myself by trying to learn to draw. Daniel H. Pink symphony artist trying We have in our head something called story grammar. We see the world as a series of episodes rather than logical propositions... In our serious society, storytelling is seen as being soft. But people process the world through story. Daniel H. Pink stories people world Typically, if you reward something, you get more of it. You punish something, you get less of it. And our businesses have been built for the last 150 years very much on that kind of motivational scheme. Daniel H. Pink leadership mind years "Mad" magazine is like one of my few formative experiences, absolutely. "Mad" magazine teaches a whole generation of people to be irreverent toward power. Daniel H. Pink teach mad people When we make progress and get better at something, it is inherently motivating. In order for people to make progress, they have to get feedback and information on how they're doing. Daniel H. Pink better progress information people Selling is helping people to do what they're already inclined to do. Daniel H. Pink helping-people selling helping people Autonomy: the urge to direct our own lives. Mastery: the desire 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. These are the building blocks of an entirely new operating system for our businesses. Daniel H. Pink new better service purpose Education in general, and higher education in particular, is on the brink of a huge disruption. Two big questions, which were once so well-settled that we ceased asking them, are now up for grabs. What should young people be learning? And what sorts of credentials indicate they're ready for the workforce? Daniel H. Pink questions learning education people Too many people hold a very narrow view of what motivates us. They believe that the only way to get us moving is with the jab of a stick or the promise of a carrot. But if you look at over 50 years of research on motivation, or simply scrutinize your own behavior, it's pretty clear human beings are more complicated than that. Daniel H. Pink look you believe people We have this idea that extroverts are better salespeople. As a result, extroverts are more likely to enter sales; extroverts are more likely to get promoted in sales jobs. But if you look at the correlation between extroversion and actual sales performance - that is, how many times the cash register actually rings - the correlation's almost zero. Daniel H. Pink result better look you The point of college is more to acquire skills than to acquire domain knowledge. One of the skills that is going to be most necessary: you have to be able to read with rigor and write with clarity. You have to be able to communicate. To make an argument, whether it's in a written piece or in front of a group of people. Daniel H. Pink you college people knowledge The science shows that the best way to use money is to take the issue of money off the people. Pay people enough so that money isn't an issue, and they can focus on doing great work. Daniel H. Pink best money work science For creative tasks, the best approach is often just to hire great people and get out of their way. Daniel H. Pink best great people way The left-brainer and the economist in me says watch what people do, not what they say. Daniel H. Pink they-say say me people Management did not emanate from nature. Management is not a tree: it's a television set. Somebody invented it. It doesn't mean it's going to work forever. Management is great. Traditional notions of management are great if you want compliance. But if you want engagement, self-direction works better. Daniel H. Pink you nature work tree People don't know how to listen, and it's not their fault. In school, we learn how to read, we learn how to write - but nobody teaches you how to listen. Daniel H. Pink nobody you people school Traditional performance reviews have passed their sell-by date. Big time. There's research showing that roughly two-thirds of performance appraisals have either no effect - or a negative effect! - on employee performance. Daniel H. Pink performance research time negative
