I am not making a political statement here nor is it a fashion statement. I am talking about an amazing writer and speaker on the subject of work, management and the behavioral sciences, Daniel Pink.
My enthusiasm for him is not influenced by the fact that he earned a B.A. from Northwestern University (my alma mater) before he went on to the Yale Law School. He would have made a great trial lawyer because of his compelling rhetoric style, but instead he decided to go into politics and economics. From 1995-97 he was chief speechwriter for the Vice President of the United States, Al Gore. Currently Pink is co-curating the Next Big Idea Club with Susan Cain (The Power of Introverts), Malcolm Gladwell (the “tipping point” guy) and Adam Grant (co-author with Sheryl Sandberg of Option B). Their focus is on books about psychology, business, happiness, and productivity.
Pink has already featured prominently in three blog posts here which you can easily find by entering his name in the search bar at the bottom of this page. Today I would like to introduce you to two of his TED Talks. I found them both to be absolutely riveting, both for the subject matter and his delivery.
Have a look at The Puzzle of Motivation (click here) (18:33) It suggests that our instincts about using the carrot and stick might be misguided. This is worthwhile viewing for managers and parents alike.
The second presentation, “The Science of Timing”, comes to us from the RSA which offers Pink’s presentation in two forms. The “spotlight” (abridged) version can be seen at (click here) (6:58). That spotlight piece was taken from his full talk which can be seen at (click here) (58:23)
I hope you find these presentations as thought-provoking as I did.
