Daniel H. Pink's Blog, page 35
July 27, 2009
Sabbaticals by Sagmeister
Just back from TED Global, which was one of the few conferences I've attended that actually lived up to its billing. Even for a jaded dude like me, it was quite remarkable. Nearly all the talks were excellent. And Bunko winner Becky Blanton absolutely, totally, positively rocked the house in her 6 minutes of brilliance at TED University.
One of the talks that really stuck with me came from the amazing designer Stefan Sagmeister. He described a typical life timeline: The first 25 or so years are d
July 20, 2009
Emotionally intelligent signage in a garage
Seen at the end of a seemingly interminable circular driveway at the Denver Convention Center.
Jim Seybert for this one!)
July 16, 2009
Don't mess with Bob
On Sunday afternoon, I spotted this sign in my neighborhood. It's not exactly emotionally intelligent, but it is pretty funny. And it might actually work. Anybody remember the famous "Delaware is closed" episode on Candid Camera?
July 15, 2009
The Adventures of Becky Bunko
Last year, we held The Great Johnny Bunko Challenge – a groovy contest in which we asked readers to submit a seventh essential lesson for satisfying, productive careers (As you know, the book provides six such lessons. Please take a moment to recite them. I'll wait.)
The winner was Becky Blanton, whose entry — "Stay hungry" — garnered the most votes. Becky won a trip to TED Global, which begins next week in Oxford, England.
If that weren't nifty enough, it turns out that Becky her has a remarkabl
July 11, 2009
Emotionally intelligent signage can save you money
Tanny McGregor of Cincinnati sends this example of emotionally intelligent signage that she saw on the streets of Aurora, Indiana.
July 6, 2009
Should stats trump calc?
Harvey Mudd College math professor, and self-proclaimed mathemagician, Arthur Benjamin thinks so. He explains his reasoning in this fairly convincing three-minute talk.
P.S. Let the record show that I took calculus in college, got an A, used it a bit in microeconomics, and have rarely thought about it again. But nearly every day I encounter an issue involving statistics or probability. I'm just saying.
July 3, 2009
You ask. We deliver. Usually.
Several book groups — at companies, schools, and elsewhere — recently have asked if we have discussion guides for Bunko and AWNM.
Now, just in time for your 4th of July barbecue, we do.We've put together a set of four 2-page discussion guides for both books. You can download them for free using the links below.
A Whole New Mind: Discussion Guide for Business
A Whole New Mind: Discussion Guide for Educators
The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: Discussion Guide for Business
The Adventures of Johnny
July 1, 2009
Money can't buy you performance
As some of you know, I'm finishing up a book about the science of motivation. And each day, it seems, brings more evidence of how we've gotten this subject all wrong.
The latest example comes from the London School of Economics, where scholars looked at 51 studies on pay-for-performance schemes:
"We find that financial incentives may indeed reduce intrinsic motivation and diminish ethical or other reasons for complying with workplace social norms such as fairness. As a consequence, the provision o
June 28, 2009
Which animal are you?
One of the great things about a long project, like the book I'm finishing now, is not only the source of satisfaction at the end — but also what you learn about yourself and how you work along the way.
What I'm discovering, or perhaps confirming, this time around is what kind of animal I am.
To wit . . .
Tortoise or hare? I'm a tortoise. Totally.
Hedgehog or fox? I lean hedgehog.
Night owl or morning lark? I'm more larkish than owlish.
Show horse or work horse? Neither. I think I'm a mule
June 23, 2009
Factoid of the day: The 80s are over
The U.S. now has more DVD kiosks than video stores.
(Source: Reed Hastings, in the NY Times)
