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9 Business Links, Tuesday, July 13, 2010 Book Review Courtesy of Halton Hills Library DRiVE: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us By Daniel Pink ISBN: 9781594488849 ©2009 Review by Beverley King, Halton Hills Public Libraries S ome might say that a mule will only move forward on the dusty path when you whack him with a stick. Now, if you don't believe in the threatening stick, you can dangle a big juicy carrot out in front of your mule and you should get the results you're hoping for. Carrots and sticks always work, don't they? Isn't this the natural assumption we've adopted? What if this assumption was wrong? According to Daniel Pink, it is wrong. In his new book, DRiVE: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, Pink wants to help you discover what truly motivates people and why rewards don't always work in the 21st century. He's passionate about the "mismatch of what science knows and what business does." He points out "that business leaders are making decisions and creating policies about talent and people that are based on assumptions that are outdated, unexamined, and based on rudimentary folklore instead of science." In many cases the carrot and stick methods don't work. What's even more interesting is that, in many circumstances, everything gets worse when you dangle a big fat reward in front of the person or the team you hope to motivate. Rewards narrow our mind and focus on the end result with determination. The rewards increase performance. Pink explains that this works well for work that is clearly defined with precisely known outcomes, but it fails if the work is more complex or creative. In today's working world, the work is more conceptual. Conceptual work has no clear path to the end result and often the result is undefined or unknown. There is no single solution and any one particular solution may be obscure and far from obvious. This is not a philosophy; it is not the author's opinion. It is proven science. He points to evidence that, in many circumstances, larger rewards will actually have a negative effect on performance. He's very passionate in his belief that the business community is missing the facts on what motivates people. The old mentality that we assume holds true in all cases doesn't and he has proof. It has been studied in great detail, but somehow the results continue to go unnoticed. Pink advocates that "science confirms what we know in our hearts." DRiVE is a look inside these scientifically proven concepts about how we think and what actually motivates us. Pink puts it into practical terms for business leaders, organizations, educators and parents. It doesn't matter what role you happen to be in. You will find some practical examples in the toolkit section, which is organized so you can quickly skip to the segments that are most relevant to you. It's worth your time to discover what actually motivates us. Read this book and you will soon recognize outdated methods of motivation. Carrots and sticks might work for a mule on a dusty path, but isn't it time we recognize that much of the work in the 21st century is conceptual, making reward based compensation dangerous. EMPLOYEE OF THE QUARTER By Tracey Wellon, TY Virtual Assistant N OW is your chance to make a difference in a person's life. Have you received great customer service and believe the person that helped you deserves some recognition for a job well done? Have you noticed someone else's employee doing a fantastic job, above and beyond? Do you know an employee that gives 110%? Do you know someone who consistently provides superior customer service? This new award puts into your hands the ability to make a difference to someone in our community. You can now make a difference to that person who made an impact or lasting impression on your life or someone else's life. The person chosen will receive not only deserved recognition, but also a gift for their efforts. They will be featured in the quarterly BusinessLink publication for the quarter as well. Please take the time to make a difference in someone's life. Nominate that person by going to www.haltonhillschamber.on.ca. Under the tab Networking & News you will find the nomination application for Employee of the Quarter.