Best-Selling Author
Dan has a peculiar fascination with work. It’s the inspiration behind his books Drive, A Whole New Mind, Johnny Bunko and Fast Company‘s blog Free Agent Nation. Dan thinks of his work as a writer in terms of bricks and mortar—manual labor that’s more “hands than head.” And that’s true in many respects. Dan has a dogged discipline of putting his hands to work, conducting copious research and banging out one best-seller after another. More than a topical area, though, Dan uses work as a lens to understand humanity and how societies function.
Just think about it. Most people spend at least half of their waking hours working. Understand that and you have a window into understanding human beings—what makes us tick as individuals and citizens. It’s Dan’s insatiable curiosity about the way societies work and his genuine love of people that make him one of the most influential cultural anthropologists of our time…and a perfect person to provide perspective on the Let Go & Lead project.
On Work
The nature of work has changed, giving way to a new world in which ‘right brain’ qualities—inventiveness, empathy, and meaning—will predominate.
On Management
Management is a technology invented in the 1850s—and a 19th Century technology is wrong for 21st Century challenges.
On Motivation
Motivational techniques are often based on folklore rather than on science. Carrots and sticks are not the best tools to motivate increasingly creative, conceptual and complex work.
On Purpose
The organizations that are really performing at a high level are often those that have a purpose beyond profit.