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Stay Productive by Learning in the Flow of Work 

[Gallup](https://www.gallup.com/workplace/608675/new-workplace-employee-engagement-stagnates.aspx) research in 2023 revealed employees continued to feel less satisfied with, and more detached from, their employers than they did four years ago. They also report less likely to feel that someone at work cares about them as a person.

It might explain why “What really motivates us” was a popular topic in our live Q&A session with organisational psychologist and multi-New York Times bestselling author [Daniel Pink](https://www.danpink.com/) this week.

The author of _"Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us"_ told a highly engaged Growth Faculty audience that, for some tasks, rewards could demotivate people. Selling, AI, and learning from regret were also touched upon.

Here are some of the lessons we learned from Daniel Pink at this week’s event, partnered with [realestate.com.au](https://www.realestate.com.au/) (REA).

Daniel Pink event 

While paying someone well is the starting point, Dan says three other factors motivate us in life and in work. 

They are **autonomy**, **mastery**, and **purpose**.

Three factors that motivate 

Autonomy is acting with choice; being both autonomous and happily interdependent with others. Dan says research show a link between autonomy and overall wellbeing, and it has a “powerful effect on individual performance and attitude.”

Therefore, leaders should have a “default setting” that assumes people are trustworthy, and that people deserve a degree of autonomy.

Trusting people to decide their goals, how they get their work done, when they do it, and where they do it, is highly effective for motivating a modern workforce, he says.

Conversely, close supervision, “if-then” rewards, and other forms of control are shown to lead to declining productivity and job satisfaction.

Autonomy

Mastering something new and engaging can be discomforting, but the challenge also can lead to a satisfying flow state.

“Instead of fleeing from that discomfort, which might be our natural tendency, the reframing of discomfort as ‘This is what learning feels like,’ can turn that discomfort into a positive force,” says Dan.

“You just change the way you label something,” he says.

If a workplace is a “no-flow” zone, worker disengagement increases. Dan says creating a “flow-friendly environment” that helps people more towards mastery can increase productivity and satisfaction at work.

In _“Drive”_, Daniel Pink cites “_Mindset”_ author Carol Dweck :“Effort is one of the things that gives meaning to life.”

Mastery

Autonomous people working toward mastery perform at very high levels, says Dan, but those who do so _in the service of a greater objective_ can achieve even more.

“The most deeply motivated people – not to mention those who are most productive and satisfied – hitch their desires to a cause larger than themselves,” says Dan.

In summary, he says we get our drive from our deep-seated desire to direct our own lives, to extend and expand our abilities, and to live a life of purpose.

Purpose

Dan told the event participants that motivating someone with rewards can “pollute the pond.”

“If there are incredibly high stakes rewards or punishments attached to achieving goals, some people are going to take the low road,” he says.

They can also lead to _poorer_ performance if the task requires complex or creative thinking.

He says rewards narrow our focus, which is helpful if there’s a clear path to a solution. However, this narrow focus also blinkers the wider view that is needed to iterate something new.

Dan told event participants _intrinsic_ motivation – the drive to do something because it is interesting, challenging or absorbing – is essential for high levels of creativity.

Rewards reduce performance for some tasks

Pretty much everyone is in sales, according to Daniel Pink. In his book _“To Sell is Human”_ he shares how Atlassian succeeds with the philosophy “Everyone the customer touches is effectively a salesperson.”

Dan says the role of a salesperson these days is to make sense of information, akin to a management consultant.

“The way to be successful in a world where buyers and sellers are equally matched on information is to actually take the high road to understand people's needs, to try to solve problems.”

The best salesperson is not an extrovert, he says, nor are they an introvert. Rather, they are ambiverts, toggling between introversion and extroversion, and knowing “when to push or pull” and when to “listen or speak up.”

Selling and persuading 

Asked about learning from regrets, Dan pointed the audience to the work of Professor Amy Edmondson, author of [_“Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well”_](https://preprod.thegrowthfaculty.com/articles/typesoffailure) which recommends reframing failures and setbacks as learnings.

Professor Edmondson believes organisations should celebrate good attempts as much as great outcomes.

For further reading about what Dan has learned about regrets, see our blog article [“Inspiring quotes from 'The Power of Regret' by Dan Pink”](https://thegrowthfaculty.com/articles/topquotesDanPinkregrets) and our [interview with Daniel ](https://thegrowthfaculty.com/articles/danielpinkpowerofregret) on his book _“The Power of Regret.”_

Failures and setbacks

The event wound up with a poll on artificial intelligence, and another on the 4-day work week.

85% of participants said they perceived Artificial Intelligence (AI) as “my new virtual assistant.” 15% viewed it as “an existential threat,” and 2% as “the saviour of humanity.”

Dan is in the first camp. He himself uses AI tools Claude, a research large language model called Consensus, and Perplexity, which is a sort of an AI -powered search engine that he’s been “using more than Google.”

 According to Dan, “AI is not going to take your job. But, a smart person using AI when you're not might take your job.”

“Right now, though, I think we don't actually know how AI is going to be used,” he says.

AI is "my new virtual assistant"

On “What do you think of the 4 day week?” 52% said it “worked for some and not for others,” 46% said it was “the way of the future” and 3% felt it was “just a fad.”

Dan said he believed it was best to let team members configure their work week to suit the work.

“Instead of a one-size-fits-all policy, we want to allow people to have a my-size-fits-me policy,” he said.

4-Day Work Week Works for Some

[Growth Faculty members](https://thegrowthfaculty.com/memberships/?campaign_id=701RG000006BNNhYAO&promo=BlogGF) benefit from a world-class [immersive live virtual learning program of events](https://thegrowthfaculty.ac-page.com/GF-Program-Download) - all included in their annual subscription. It’s an engaging and entertaining way to develop leaders.

Growth Faculty recently launched a good value [Enterprise plan](https://join.thegrowthfaculty.com/enterprise/) for **larger companies** to develop leadership skills across their whole organisation.

New events are being added regularly to this highly curated program. Keep an eye on the website Growthfaculty.com for fresh additions to the line-up.

For **higher level leaders,** including CEOs, there is an in-person [Good to Great® Immersion Workshop with Jim Collins](https://thegrowthfaculty.com/events/a02RG000002EGYsYAO/overview/?campaign_id=701RG00000ALpCMYA1&promo=Blog&type=Affiliate) in Chicago, U.S., in October 2024. This is exclusively for executive teams and numbers are limited.

What really motivates us: Summary of Daniel Pink event

Highlights from Daniel Pink: Life, Work, and the Human Condition

Keep informed
Stay Inspired

What really motivates us: Summary of Daniel Pink event

Highlights from Daniel Pink: Life, Work, and the Human Condition

Keep informedStay Inspired

Keep informed
Stay Inspired