What Drives Us to Work?



Dan Smolen interviews author Daniel Pink to discuss what drives us to work. Dan is The New York Times’ best-selling author of several books, including DRIVE: The Surprising Truth of What Motivates Us.

In good economies and bad, what drives us to work remains unchanged.

During the pandemic, millions in the American workforce adjusted to remote work. And a large share of them became part of The Great Resignation. Yet often, motivations drive us to work towards positive purpose and meaning.

In this episode, we discuss how:

  • Autonomy, mastery, and purpose motivations take root in our lives. Starts at 4:34
  • Corporate managers often believe that money is the only work-performance motivator. (It isn’t.) Starts at 7:37
  • The pandemic affects our thoughts. Starts at 13:16
  • Answering “what is my sentence?” can aid your purpose and meaningful work career goals. Starts at 24:32
  • Regret can help improve our lives and work. Starts at 28:30

What drives us to work is key to our success in the future of work.

About our guest:

Daniel Pink earned a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics from Northwestern University and a Juris Doctorate from Yale Law School where he edited the Yale Law and Policy Review. Currently, he is writing a seventh book on the subject of regret. Daniel lives and works in Washington, D.C.

EPISODE DATE: November 12, 2021

Social media:

Daniel Pink Website

World Regret Survey