In his speech Drive the surprising truth

Continue Learning about English Language Arts

What part of speech is motivation?

The word motivation is a noun. A motivation is something that motivates.

What part of speech describes a noun?

An adjective is the word that describes a noun.

What part of speech is sincere?

Adjective, it describes.

What part of speech is accompany?

Accompany is a verb. It describes an action.

What part of speech is accompanied?

Accompanied is a verb. It describes an action.

5.0 out of 5 stars A practical approach to work and life
Reviewed in Australia on 8 August 2021

Hands down the best book I read this year. Breaks down the psychology behind work and what's fulfilling and what's not. Draws on the research work behind the findings. Daniel Pink is a great writer and always brings together difficult concepts in a simple digestible form. I recommend his book 'When' too.

Reviews with images

Top reviews from Australia

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Reviewed in Australia 🇦🇺 on 8 May 2014

Verified Purchase

Many people secretly believe that the standard and accepted motivational "operating system" used by business is seriously broken!

Why do we all need to turn up at a certain time and place like robots? Why is there a focus on process rather than results? Why are we constantly being bribed with carrots or threatened by sticks?

Surely in the 21st century there must be a better way?

This book not only tells you the "better way' but also gives you a plethora of scientific evidence that proves why the old system doesn't / cannot work...

If you're an employer of manager, you must read this book.

If you've escaped from the cubicle and ever feel "guilty" about your new found freedom and non-compliance with outdated motivation systems, this book will eliminate that guilt quicker than a trip to the confessional!

Reviewed in Australia 🇦🇺 on 15 April 2017

Verified Purchase

Wonderfully informative, super helpful, tools provided that can facilitate action happening and so invigorating. I understand myself and others much better now. Must put all the key learnings into practice so I am much improved in my leadership.

Reviewed in Australia 🇦🇺 on 26 October 2016

Verified Purchase

This book is an amazing read. It's short and to the point. It helps understand what motivates people to do what they do. The book is full of motivational vocabulary which can be useful for anyone dealing with people day in and day out.

The best part of the book are it's summary sections at the end which I rarely find in other books. There is a detailed section about other books, blogs and people you might like if you have liked this book.

Overall it's a very good book and I highly recommend it.

Reviewed in Australia 🇦🇺 on 4 December 2015

Verified Purchase

The strength of Pink's book is the freshness of the ideas and the rethinking about motivation. It is written well and in an easily digestible format. I recommend it to any organisational leader and HR professional.

Reviewed in Australia 🇦🇺 on 27 February 2020

Verified Purchase

Interesting from one end to the other

Reviewed in Australia 🇦🇺 on 20 December 2015

Verified Purchase

This is a fascinating book and must read for everybody regardless of their position in a company.

Reviewed in Australia 🇦🇺 on 13 April 2015

Verified Purchase

Great book, very informative

Reviewed in Australia 🇦🇺 on 8 August 2021

Hands down the best book I read this year. Breaks down the psychology behind work and what's fulfilling and what's not. Draws on the research work behind the findings. Daniel Pink is a great writer and always brings together difficult concepts in a simple digestible form. I recommend his book 'When' too.

5.0 out of 5 stars A practical approach to work and life
By Lackshu Bala on 8 August 2021

Hands down the best book I read this year. Breaks down the psychology behind work and what's fulfilling and what's not. Draws on the research work behind the findings. Daniel Pink is a great writer and always brings together difficult concepts in a simple digestible form. I recommend his book 'When' too.

Images in this review

Top reviews from other countries

1.0 out of 5 stars The only surprise is that anyone's surprised

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 28 September 2018

Verified Purchase

I'm worried about this book. Rather, I'm worried about the need for this book. How is it that anyone alive is "surprised" that people do things for the sake of doing things, when damn near everyone alive has spent their whole lives doing just that?

Sadly that is the entirety of his insight, and Pink talks around it (and around and around it) without ever getting anywhere else.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Review - for Educators

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 15 July 2016

Verified Purchase

Pink sets out to demolish long-held beliefs such as that people are only motivated by extrinsic factors and he does so with gusto. While primarily focusing on the business world, most of the things he says apply directly to education as well.
Pink starts by making a useful distinction between ‘algorithmic’ and ‘heuristic’ tasks (p. 29). The former are ones which you perform by following a series of pre-determined steps, while the latter require a more creative approach. Crucially, the latter are far more motivating! In our field this would translate into a distinction between, say, the standard transformation exercise and an activity like improvising and recording a monologue. The big Q for us is: what is the ratio between these two types of activities in our classroom?
Later on, Pink draws on Csikszentmihalyi’s insights on ‘Flow’ (p. 115). Csikszentmihalyi’s research showed that most tasks where people achieved ‘Flow’ shared three key elements: a) there were clear goals, b) there was immediate feedback and c) the task difficulty level was perfectly pitched – slightly higher than the performer’s current level. The implications for task design here are obvious...
In discussing ‘extrinsic’ vs ‘intrinsic’ motivation, Pink points out that there is often a trade-off; extrinsic factors may work best in the short-term, but in the long run intrinsic motivation is always the winner! (p. 79) Back to ELT, exam classes illustrate this perfectly: granted, both parents and students often clamour for more exam-oriented material as there is always a test round the corner, but in the long run this is disastrous (I have yet to meet students who do CPE tests for fun after getting their certificate...)
Motivation leads to ‘autonomy’ and this is where things get really exciting! On p. 86 we are introduced to the concept of ROWE (‘Results-Only Work Environment’). The idea is simple: your employer does not care how or when you do something, so long as you deliver the goods! Now imagine ROSE instead! Imagine a school where classes are not compulsory, where students are more autonomous and they have to actually generate something as evidence of learning (rather than sit endless tests). This is not a dream; the IB model has taken many steps in that direction...
Then on p. 93 we go one step further still! Atlasian is a software company where once a week employees can do anything they want!! At the end of the day, employees just show what they have come up with. Now, can you imagine a school where once a week you can work on any project you want? Imagine being paid to design your favourite activities, to incorporate novel IT-based task in the syllabus or prepare worksheets for ‘Comedy for ELT’ sketches? Sheer bliss! :-)

5.0 out of 5 stars A Review - for Educators
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 15 July 2016

Pink sets out to demolish long-held beliefs such as that people are only motivated by extrinsic factors and he does so with gusto. While primarily focusing on the business world, most of the things he says apply directly to education as well.
Pink starts by making a useful distinction between ‘algorithmic’ and ‘heuristic’ tasks (p. 29). The former are ones which you perform by following a series of pre-determined steps, while the latter require a more creative approach. Crucially, the latter are far more motivating! In our field this would translate into a distinction between, say, the standard transformation exercise and an activity like improvising and recording a monologue. The big Q for us is: what is the ratio between these two types of activities in our classroom?
Later on, Pink draws on Csikszentmihalyi’s insights on ‘Flow’ (p. 115). Csikszentmihalyi’s research showed that most tasks where people achieved ‘Flow’ shared three key elements: a) there were clear goals, b) there was immediate feedback and c) the task difficulty level was perfectly pitched – slightly higher than the performer’s current level. The implications for task design here are obvious...
In discussing ‘extrinsic’ vs ‘intrinsic’ motivation, Pink points out that there is often a trade-off; extrinsic factors may work best in the short-term, but in the long run intrinsic motivation is always the winner! (p. 79) Back to ELT, exam classes illustrate this perfectly: granted, both parents and students often clamour for more exam-oriented material as there is always a test round the corner, but in the long run this is disastrous (I have yet to meet students who do CPE tests for fun after getting their certificate...)
Motivation leads to ‘autonomy’ and this is where things get really exciting! On p. 86 we are introduced to the concept of ROWE (‘Results-Only Work Environment’). The idea is simple: your employer does not care how or when you do something, so long as you deliver the goods! Now imagine ROSE instead! Imagine a school where classes are not compulsory, where students are more autonomous and they have to actually generate something as evidence of learning (rather than sit endless tests). This is not a dream; the IB model has taken many steps in that direction...
Then on p. 93 we go one step further still! Atlasian is a software company where once a week employees can do anything they want!! At the end of the day, employees just show what they have come up with. Now, can you imagine a school where once a week you can work on any project you want? Imagine being paid to design your favourite activities, to incorporate novel IT-based task in the syllabus or prepare worksheets for ‘Comedy for ELT’ sketches? Sheer bliss! :-)

Images in this review

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book on what motivates us and the impact

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 1 October 2022

Verified Purchase

Enjoyed reading this book about the science behind what motivates us and how it's changed leading up to modern times - published in 2018, it's relevant more now in a remote/hybrid world than ever.

Daniel Pink provides a balanced overview of the value of upgrading from external motivators (carrot & stick) to serving more intrinsic motivations (autonomy, mastery & purpose).

Balanced because Pink explains that some jobs which use more of your left brain (logical, rule-based routine tasks) are suitable for external rewards, but sticking to this when jobs need to use your right brain (creativity, handling uncertainty/ambiguity, intuition, emotional intelligence) is when it can actually do more harm than good and instead you need to switch to the 'Drive' approach of serving three elements:

1️⃣ Autonomy - the desire to direct our own lives

2️⃣ Mastery - the urge to get better and better at something that matters

3️⃣ Purpose - the yearning to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves

"The value of a life can be measured by one's ability to affect the destiny of one less advantaged."

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book on what motivates us and the impact
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 1 October 2022

Enjoyed reading this book about the science behind what motivates us and how it's changed leading up to modern times - published in 2018, it's relevant more now in a remote/hybrid world than ever.

Daniel Pink provides a balanced overview of the value of upgrading from external motivators (carrot & stick) to serving more intrinsic motivations (autonomy, mastery & purpose).

Balanced because Pink explains that some jobs which use more of your left brain (logical, rule-based routine tasks) are suitable for external rewards, but sticking to this when jobs need to use your right brain (creativity, handling uncertainty/ambiguity, intuition, emotional intelligence) is when it can actually do more harm than good and instead you need to switch to the 'Drive' approach of serving three elements:

1️⃣ Autonomy - the desire to direct our own lives

2️⃣ Mastery - the urge to get better and better at something that matters

3️⃣ Purpose - the yearning to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves

"The value of a life can be measured by one's ability to affect the destiny of one less advantaged."

Images in this review

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, fantastic delivery, interesting insights

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 18 August 2022

Verified Purchase

I don't read much at all - I was recommended to read this from my workplace, which embraces the vast majority of the philosophy outlined herein. I absolutely LOVE the culture where I work, so I took their advice and dove in to see how they ended up creating such a brilliant culture and work environment - I wasn't disappointed.

The book walks you through various counter-intuitive insights into how people work depending on what their job is, and how to get the best out of them. It hammers home every point it makes with both scientific research studies, and case studies at well-known highly successful businesses where these methodologies have been thoroughly battle-tested.

One thing I particularly enjoyed was the delivery - this book reminds you, and reinforces you of the points it is making. It seems to have been specifically written as an education tool, to help the reader really absorb the points it is making - I haven't read any of his other books yet, but I strongly suspect there is one in there about the best ways of learning; I feel like the writer knows exactly how to teach through written word.

To top it all off, there is a 'tool-kit' at the end of the book which gives examples of how to practically apply or implement the various teachings of the text.

This is simply a brilliant read, and I'd recommend it to anyone.

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just for work

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 23 October 2017

Verified Purchase

I was recommended to read this book, at the time I thought, to help me work out how to grow my business. I now realise that it was to help me figure out why I’d even want to do that. Sure I’ve got some ideas about what I’ll be pushing for over the next couple of years, but I also found out something way more important. We’re missing a huge opportunity to help our kids grow up into truly useful people, teaching them to jump through hoops with grades, and exams, even spending money, and chores. There’s so much more to go at, and they have that knowledge built in. Definitely a book that has helped me to reboot what I’m doing at work and home, with a load of good positive things that anyone can put into action.

How many pages is drive the surprising truth about what motivates us?

Who is the author of drive?

What is the book drive about?