The Power of Meaning

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A lot of us underestimate the power of meaning, he says. When we think about other people, we're always in the outside view. We don't understand the true joy that people have because to do it, we have to be in it ourselves. How often do we go to people andd just give them credit? He writes: "We treat credit as if it's a scarce resource, as if we have less credit than gold"

Dan Ariely: Payoff Dan Ariely is the James B. Duke Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Economics at Duke University and a founding member of the Center for Advanced Hindsight. His books include Irrationally Yours, Predictably Irrational, The Upside of Irrationality, The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty, and his most recent book, Payoff: The Hidden Logic That Shapes Our Motivations. Key Points The things that motivate us are about accomplishment and achievement, not day-to-day happiness. Most people realize that they themselves are not truly motivated by money, but they still assume other people are completely motivated by it. Figure out a way to pay people that adds to the development of a long-term relationship, not a short-term transactional one. It is important to find a way to connect people’s jobs to the final outcome of their work, because many people don’t feel connected to their organization’s main purpose. Resources Mentioned Payoff: The Hidden Logic That Shapes Our Motivations* by Dan Ariely Predictably Irrational* by Dan Ariely Drive* by Daniel Pink Dan Ariely's website Book Notes Download my highlights from Payoff in PDF format (free membership required). Related Episodes The Surprising Truth About Influencing Others, with Daniel Pink (episode 84) Create the Best Place to Work, with Ron Friedman (episode 181) What to Do When Somebody Quits, with Molly Moseley (episode 251) New Management Practices of Leading Organizations, with David Burkus (episode 253) Employee Engagement With Management 3.0, with Jurgen Appelo (episode 276) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.