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A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future
By Daniel H. Pink
Reviewed: September 2008
 If you only read one book this fall, make it this one. Daniel Pink, with thorough research, insightful linking and skillful writing, presents a case I think we’ve all felt but been unable to put a name to: that there is a shift in global thinking that goes much deeper than globalization. He calls it "right-brain directed thinking" and he spells out in beautifully readable language the sum total of the quantum changes now afoot and with which we are all—in one way or another—feeling.
Pink talks about the three primary forces at work in the world today: Abundance; Asia; and Automation. He asks the reader three questions:
- Can someone overseas do your job cheaper?
- Can a computer do it faster?
- Are you offering something that satisfies the nonmaterial, transcendent desires of an abundant age?
If you’re like many people the answers are yes-yes-no. If you can answer no-no-yes then you're in fine shape. If not, then Mr. Pink, a best-selling author who lectures around the world on economic transformation and business strategy, offers insight into how to begin thinking more right-directed so your answers can shift to the latter. (And yes, he uses the word "transcendent" and businesses are paying him to explain it to them!)
What is right directed thinking? Seeing the big picture, an ability to synthesize, a willingness to empathize. Left brain thinking, represented by the classic MBA-CA-Lawyer mentality is a thing of the past according to Pink. While we require both parts, left and right, to execute decisions, left-brain thinking has become more highly valued with "right-brainers" relegated to the realm of artsy-fartsy or soft and mushy. Not any longer, according to Pink. They are the currency of the future. "Meaning is the new money" he writes. For traditional left-brain professions, mentioned before, the only way to thrive is to distinguish oneself from a right-brain perspective by developing six right-brain skills that focus on the "whole." He spends the second half of the book examining those six capabilities: design; story; symphony; empathy; play; and meaning.
Pick up A Whole New Mind if you are curious as to what "play" or "symphony" (no, not the orchestra kind) has to do with surviving the current economic crises. I read it during the power outage at the island. It’s a quick, easy, informative read worth every penny of the $18 I paid for the paperback. Given that the financial markets are in utter turmoil this week (power’s back on as of yesterday—I just plugged into CNN) it might be a good time to arm yourself with a very worthwhile tool for fending off future (or current) anxieties.
We could all be better "right-brainers."
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Leadership
Books Reviewed: Archives
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