Drive

by Daniel Pink

~A Review by Janice Ewing~

The subtitle of this book is “The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us.” My motivation for reading it was twofold. The topic is one that interests me as a teacher and a writer. In addition, I had read an earlier book by the same author, A Whole New Mind. That book, about using our right brains more fully, was fascinating and insightful, and I looked forward to a similar experience with this book. I was not disappointed.

One of Daniel Pink’s strengths is his ability to synthesize past and current research about human behavior, and connect it to problem-solving in everyday life. In a writing style that combines storytelling with exposition, he shares multiple examples of studies that have shown the factors and conditions that truly motivate us in various aspects of our lives. He then contrasts these findings with the methods that are more commonly used to motivate people, in spite of scientific evidence to the contrary.

So what are these factors and conditions? You have to read the book to fully appreciate the depth and subtlety of his analysis, but Pink very thoughtfully provides, at the end of the book, a “Twitter Summary,” a “Cocktail Party Summary,” and a “Chapter-by-Chapter” Summary.” In Pink’s words, here is the “Twitter Summary”: Carrots and sticks are so last century. Drive says for 21st century work, we need to upgrade to autonomy, mastery, and purpose.”

Many of Pink’s examples of the mismatch between what science and social science can teach us about motivation, and our lack of application of this knowledge, are in the fields of business and education, but the implications are limitless. As I read the book, it was easy to find connections to my role as a teacher of teachers. I had to think more deeply about the connections to our lives as writers. I thought over the components individually and together. When Pink discusses autonomy, he is talking about self-direction over time, task, and technique. Mastery, which he describes as “impossible to fully realize,” is the desire to continue to learn and grow. Purpose, Pink explains, provides a context for the other two components, and makes us fully human. I believe that these are key ingredients for our lives as writers. What do you think?

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Biographical Note: Janice Ewing grew up in the Bronx but has lived her adult life in Philadelphia and its suburbs. She is a writer and adjunct professor. Her earliest memories include weekday afternoon trips to the library and Sunday mornings with the NY Times spread all over the living room. She enjoys reading and writing poetry as ways of understanding the world. She has a husband and two adult daughters, all of whom love to read. See the Author Index for Prose A-K and Author Index for Poetry to read more of Janice's work.