Drive
by Daniel H. Pink · first published 2009
57% recommend42% neutral1% critical
Why HN recommends it
Accessible pop-psychology on motivation, arguing that intrinsic drivers like autonomy and mastery beat carrot-and-stick rewards. Suits managers and anyone struggling with their own motivation.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
From Daniel H. Pink, the author of the groundbreaking bestseller A Whole New Mind, comes his next big idea book: a paradigm-changing examination of what truly motivates us and how to harness that knowledge to find greater satisfaction in our lives and our work.We've been conditioned to think that the best way to motivate ourselves and others is through external rewards like money—the carrot-and-the-stick approach. That's a mistake, Daniel H. Pink says in his transformative new book. The key to high performance and satisfaction is intrinsic, internal motivation: the desire to follow your own in
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
2010–2018L'Etranger. Albert Camus
Michel Mougenot
Recommended by 5 · mentioned by 55 recommend · 5 mention5 recommend · 55 recommend
2009–2019The power of less
Leo Babauta
Recommended by 4 · mentioned by 64 recommend · 6 mention4 recommend · 64 recommend
2010–2023Switch
Chip Heath, Chip; Heath, Dan Heath
Recommended by 14 · mentioned by 1514 recommend · 15 mention14 recommend · 1514 recommend
2015–2024The surrender experiment
Michael A. Singer
Recommended by 7 · mentioned by 97 recommend · 9 mention7 recommend · 97 recommend
How to talk so kids will listen
Adele Faber
Recommended by 9 · mentioned by 99 recommend · 9 mention9 recommend · 99 recommend
2008–2026The one minute manager
Kenneth H. Blanchard, Spencer Johnson, Kenneth Blanchard
Recommended by 18 · mentioned by 2418 recommend · 24 mention18 recommend · 2418 recommend
2011–2026Zen of Graphics Programming
Michael Abrash
Recommended by 8 · mentioned by 128 recommend · 12 mention8 recommend · 128 recommend
…inherently curious and motivated, but it can easily be suppressed by environmental factors. In particular "stick and carrot"-type reward systems. For a (much more) elaborate expansion on this, see the book Drive by Daniel H. Pink.
on “Tesla has used space characters in internal emails to identify leaks” ↗I could not recommend Drive by Dan Pink[1] enough. It is not a book on management but is very insightful into what motivates people. I believe this is a great book for someone in a management position. [1]: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Drive-Surprising-Truth-About-Motivat...
on “Ask HN: Do you know any good books on management?” ↗Not a 2009 book but my first book of 2010: Drive by Daniel H. Pink. A book about the science of motivation that I found so engaging that I read it in one day.
on “Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?” ↗Just read Dan Pink's Drive where this idea comes to fruition and it makes complete sense (especially in my own life). From Drive[1]: Instead of paying employees the wages that supply and demand would have predicted, they gave…
on “Balsamiq : Salary Policy” ↗…a known phenomenon in psychology: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motivation_crowding_theory It means that splashing money around to get people to do stuff can have the opposite effect. Also see the book Drive by Daniel Pink: http://www.amazon.com/Drive-Surprising-Truth-About-Motivates...
on “Going Beyond Vulnerability Rewards” ↗…can certainly relate but cannot offer any advice. I'm currently reading the book below to understand more about this (it's a bit too verbose but it's a decent book I recommend). http://www.amazon.com/Drive-Surprising-Truth-About-Motivates...
on “Ask HN: Is it me or ...?” ↗I struggled for many years of lack of motivation. One source of insight into motivation is "Drive: The surprising truth..." http://www.amazon.com/Drive-Surprising-Truth-About-Motivates... The main takeaway is that you want internal motivation, not external! I found my internal motivation through…
on “Ask HN: Need Advice Losing Focus and Motivation” ↗Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us : http://www.amazon.com/Drive-Surprising-Truth-About-Motivates... First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently : http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0684852861/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?qid=...…
on “Ask HN: Reading for first time managers” ↗Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us (https://www.amazon.com/Drive-Surprising-Truth-About-Motivate...) Throws out a new perspective on what motivates people.
on “Ask HN: What books are you reading?” ↗The books which I have read which have had a profound impact on how I think and improve what I do are: 1. Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us - Daniel H. Pink 2. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance - Angela Duckworth 3. The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck - Mark Manson 4. Be Obsessed…
on “Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?” ↗…finding ways to keep yourself on those goals (Do one thing at a time, Make it Real, etc). I'm glad you're finding way to keep up with your learning goals! If you're into pop-psychology, Daniel Pink's "Drive" https://www.amazon.com/dp/1594484805 is so good!
on “Research-backed strategies for better learning” ↗…humanity is deeply flawed, you expect carrot-and-stick motivations to work. It doesn't matter if they're self-actualized. If anyone is still confused, this might be worth a read: https://www.amazon.com/Drive-Surprising-Truth-About-Motivate...
on “Low unemployment isn’t worth much if the jobs barely pay” ↗…same author blogs under "Rands in Repose[2]" which has much of the content from the aforementioned book available for free. While in the people category you'll also get a lot of recommendations for "Drive!" by Daniel Pink[2], which is a book about intrinsic motivators (autonomy, mastery, purpose) and how they are more important and effective than extrinsic motivators (e.g. money), particularly for knowledge…
on “Ask HN: Reading for first time managers” ↗This is a really cool article that goes really well with Daniel Pink's book Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us. Pink says that people need 3 things to truly feel motivated at work. Mastery, Autonomy, and Purpose. That seems to be based on self-determination theory…
on “Study: People Want Power Because They Want Autonomy” ↗I dunno about 'rock star' (although I'm a pretty amazing drummmer…) but yes, the talk centers around hiring the most driven people possible. I don't think any of us act like we have a stake in the company — we do. I'd highly suggest reading Drive by Daniel Pink. The entire book is about how people are motivated. It would…
on “Developer-driven development” ↗