Dan has a genius for spotting trends, digging deep to synthesize scientific research into practical advice we can adopt to improve lives and relationships. Some of his best known books include Free Agent Nation, where back in 2002 he predicted how technology and platforms would give the rise to the solopreneur phenomenon, A Whole New Mind: Why Right-brainers Will Rule the World, To Sell is Human – the Surprising Truth about Moving Others and most recently When – the Secrets of Perfect Timing.
In When Dan examines the importance of good and bad timing. He shows how each human has a unique and biologically determined “chronotype”, which determines when we are at our sharpest and most creative and energetic. We should sync the work that we do with the time of day. This means that for folks like myself, who are morning people, I should do the work that requires deep analysis and expansive thinking as soon as I wake up and do routine administrative tasks later in the day. Dan also looks at the science around taking breaks as well as the impact of timing on life events (e.g., the best time to quit a job or when your spouse is most likely to ask for a divorce). He also explores the effect of timing on groups providing useful guidelines for managers, teachers and others who want to get the best performance from the people they are working with.
Dan’s books are rich, useful and original and judging from all the 5-star reviews on them from Amazon, his other readers agree. Not only does he do complete and meticulous research for each one, but he also rounds out his ideas with a great deal of phone and in-person interviews. For this reason, I thought he’d be a fine guest for a QRCA VIEWS Luminaries interview and was delighted when he accepted my invitation.
Here is a transcript from our conversation, where Dan talks about his latest book and describes how he integrates qualitative research into his work. This interview appeared in the Fall 2018 issue of the QRCA VIEWS Magazine.