education | technology | ai & NOT A.I. | design

The following list are recommended by Daniel Pink and his readers in his book, “Drive”.  First, if you haven’t read Pink’s book, put it at the top of your list.  Because I love the insights and strategies Pink submits, I am definitely going to try to read some, if not all, of these books.  If you have any insight about which ones I should read first, I welcome your feedback.

Daniel Pink – PopTech 2007 – Camden, ME (Photo credit: Kris Krug)

Pink’s Reader’s Recommendations:

1. The Talent Code – Daniel Coyle (This was just recommended to me by a friend)
2. Encore – Marc Freedman
3. Rework – Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
4. Linchpin – Seth Godin (I love this author and blogger – This may top my list)
5. Just Listen – Mark Goulston
6. Switch – Chip Heath and Dan Heath
7. Delivering Happiness – Tony Hsieh
8. Teach like a Champion – Doug Lemov
9. Mastery – George Leonard
10. Employees First, Customers Second – Vineer Nayar
11. How full is your Bucket? – Tom Rath and Donald O. Clifton
12. Wellbeing – Tom Rath and Jim Harter
13. Learned Optimisim – Martin E. P. Siligman
14. Do More Great Work – Michael Bungay Stanier
15. Start with Why – Simon Sinek
16. The Motivated Student – Bob Sullo
17. Good Boss, Bad Boss – Bob Sutton
18. Intrinsic Motivation at Work – Kenneth W. Tomas
19. Wooden Leadership – John Wooden and Steve Jamison

Pink’s Recommendations:

• The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization
• Maverick: The Success Story Behind the World’s Most Unusual Workplace
• The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles
• Once a Runner
• Punished by Rewards: The Trouble with Gols Stars, Incentive Plans, A’s, Praise, and Other Bribes
• The Amateurs: The Story of Four Young Men and Their Quest for an Olympic Gold Medal
• Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
• Outliers: The Story of Success (I have read and recommend this book.  Also check out every other book by Malcolm Gladwell.  He writes with the same style and appeal of Daniel Pink)
• Good Work: When Excellence and Ethics Meet
• Then We Came to the End
• Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (This may be second on my List)
• Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience (This may go to the top of my List)
• Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else
• Finite and Infinite Games: A Vision of Life as Play and Possibility

The reason I am putting two of the books at the top of my list is because I have heard a few people talking about them.  I suppose this is why I read most of the books that I do-either recommendation, talk around the water cooler, they are on a list for school, and now because they are on a list from an author who I respect and enjoy reading.

Personally, I would add Freakonomics, SuperFreakonomics, Blur, and any books that Malcolm Gladwell or Seth Godin wrote to this list.