"A Whole New Mind - Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future" by Daniel H. Pink

If you listened to your folks - you went to college. If you really listened to them - you became a Lawyer, Accountant or Software Engineer. However, Daniel H. Pink the author of “A Whole New Mind” suggests you may not want to push your kids to do the same. Mr. Pink believes that we have entered a new age and he is calling it the “Conceptual Age”. Basically he contends that we have moved from the information/knowledge based age to an age where the people who have the capacity to use the tangible information in concert with the intangible - well your time is now. These people are the Right Brainers of the world.

Let’s back up for a moment and explain how we define a Right Brainer from a Left Brainer. Scientists have long known that a neurological Mason-Dixon Line divides the brain into two regions. And until surprisingly recently, the scientific establishment considered the two regions separate but unequal. It was believed that the left side was responsible for all of the important stuff and the right side was just something left over from a prior period of human development.

This theory lasted until 1950 when a Caltech professor named Roger W. Sperry studied patients who had had a portion of their corpus callsum, the thick bundle of nerve fibers that connects the two hemispheres, removed. Through a set of experiments Sperry performed on these split-brain patients; he concluded that our brains are divided into two halves but they both are performing vital tasks to our survival. Sperry said “The so-called subordinate or minor hemisphere, which we had formerly supposed to be illiterate and mentally retarded and thought by some authorities to not even be conscious was found to be in fact the superior cerebral member when it came to performing certain kinds of mental tasks.” Sperry went on to write “There appear to be two modes of thinking represented rather separately in the left and right hemispheres, respectively. The left hemisphere reasoned sequentially, excelled at analysis, and handled words. The right hemisphere reasoned holistically, recognized patterns, and interpreted emotions and nonverbal expressions. Sperry earned a Nobel Prize for his work and dramatically changed the way we view the brains functions forever.

So now consider for a moment how much of what we do with or left brain is now being done by computers or cheap labor from China or India. Then consider how fast information and connections can be made and/or exchanged. These two developments have led Pink to surmise that we have entered an age where the right brained people will need to play a bigger role in our economies and we will need their expertise to navigate this new period that we find ourselves in.

The author goes onto tell us that “In the Conceptual Age, we will need to complement our L-Directed reasoning by mastering six essential R-Directed aptitudes. Together these six high-concept, high-touch senses can help develop the whole new mind this new era demands.” Here is the list:

1. Not just function but also DESIGN
2. Not just argument but also STORY
3. Not just focus by also SYMPHONY
4. Not just logic but also EMPATHY
5. Not just seriousness but also PLAY
6. Not just accumulation but also MEANING

Pink recognizes that some people will embrace this new age with enthusiasm and open arms; however, others are going to enter this period with great trepidation. This change is along the same lines as when we went from the Agricultural Age to the Industrial Age. There were farmers that would not touch that new piece of fandangle equipment when they had the use of a good mule or oxen in the barn that didn’t smell half as bad and was easier to start in the morning. Of course in the end if they didn’t learn how to adapt they ended up selling off that mule and anything else that was left on that farm. Mr. Pink says not to worry. “After all, back on the savannah, our cave-person ancestors weren’t taking SATs or plugging numbers into spreadsheets. But they were telling stories, demonstrating empathy, and designing innovations. These abilities have always comprised part of what it means to be human. But after a few generations in the Information Age, these muscles have atrophied. The challenge is to work them back into shape”

Being a Right Brainer, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Validation is wonderful. But I also recognized in reading this book that the author is really advocating for a more balanced use of our minds. Recognizing our strengths and improving on our weaknesses will improve our chances for being successful and ultimately a happier and healthier person.

I would love to hear what you think of this book; so read and come back and leave a comment. But meanwhile – thanks for stopping by and be sure and check out our many business services at www.abacusandco.com. Next months review will be done by a colleague; Vince Palumbos and he will be reviewing “Love & Profit” by James A. Autry so be sure and check back.