coNvErsatioNs
WITh daNiEl PiNK conTInUEd
“If we start making our ‘when’ decisions in a
more intelligent, strategic way, we’ll be able to
work smarter and live better.”
people rated the first scenario (a short life
that ends on an upswing) more highly
than the second (a longer life that ends
on a downswing) even though
the second life was considerably longer.
This is one effect of endings on our
behavior. Endings are hugely important for
any customer-facing business. How
experiences, encounters and transactions
end will disproportionately affect
how customers encode—that is, evaluate
and record—them. Businesses of all kinds
should be much more intentional about
endings and provide endings that elevate
and create meaning.
P: How can leaders use timing to
help their teams work better
together?
dP: Many ways—too many to mention
here! But here’s one of my favorites.
Sometimes teams lose their momentum
and motivation around the midpoint of
the project. Leaders can address that
midpoint slump and turn it into a spark in
two steps. First, be aware of the midpoint
and make others aware of it, too. Second,
explain to the team that they’re behind—
but only a by a little. Both laboratory
experiments and Big Data analysis of
National Basketball Association games
show that being slightly behind at the
midpoint can be extremely motivating.
P: We loved your keynote presen-
tation at the 2017 IsPA Conference
& expo! How does WHeN correlate
with what you told us about
human motivation?
dP: Thank you. At a broad level, both
sets of ideas try to use science to help
people see the world a little more clearly
and live their lives a little more fully. What
I’ve tried to do is unearth interesting
research findings from the academic world
and make those findings both relevant
and actionable for regular people like you
and me.
P: What is the number one
takeaway you hope readers get
from WHeN?
dP: Be much more intentional about
“when” decisions. We tend to take
decisions about “what” to do quite
seriously. Most of us have a to-do list.
We’re often as serious about how we do
things and who we do them with. But on
the topic of “when” to do things, we’re
lax. We think it doesn’t matter. But the
evidence is overwhelming that it does
matter. It affects our creativity, our produc-
tivity, even our health. If we start making
our “when” decisions in a more intel-
ligent, strategic way, we’ll be able to work
smarter and live better. n
group timing in the Workplace
In Pink’s book, he writes about timing in groups, and the three ways groups must synchronize to be productive: to the boss,
to the tribe, and to the heart. once a group is running smoothly, though, you can’t just let it be. As Pink writes, “group coordi-
nation doesn’t abide by the set-it-and-forget-it logic of the crock Pot.” He says that to maintain your well-timed group you
should regular ask yourselves these questions—as a team.
l do we have a clear boss? This boss could be your actual boss, or it could be an outside factor like timing or a bus
schedule. Either way, this must be a boss “who engenders respect, whose role is unambiguous, and to whom everyone can
direct their initial focus.
l are we fostering a sense of belonging? According to Pink, this sense of belonging must “enrich individual identity, deepen
affiliations with the group, and allow everyone to synchronize with the tribe.”
l are we activating the uplift? For the group to success, their must be a sense of doing good that resonates with the whole
group. What is your group’s higher purpose?
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PULSE
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June 2018