“A Whole New Mind”

Are you a left-brain person or a right-brain person? Most people use both sides of their brain but one side is more dominant than the other.

I recently read a book called, “A Whole New Mind – Why Right Brainers will Rule the Future” by Daniel H. Pink. (A good friend of mine had recommended another book by the same author called – To Sell is Human).

Pink, in his book talks about the skills that would be necessary in the future due to three factors:

1. Abundance – In the age of abundance, meeting only logical and functional needs is not sufficient. Engineers must design things to not only work well but also that are pleasing to the eye or compelling to the soul, otherwise few will buy them, given too many other options.
2. Asia – Most of the left-brain directed jobs are being outsourced to Asia for economical reasons. Jobs left for the western world are more focused on design, innovation and right-brain directed work.
3. Automation – Heavily left-brain directed professions are getting automated and done by machines faster, cheaper and without human errors. In light of heavy automation and increasing technological innovation, the jobs left for humans will be focused on relationships, design and innovation.

So what happens to us and our children as our life gets changed by abundance, Asia and automation? Pink predicts that following 2 skills will become more important in the future:

1. High Concept – High concepts thinking relates to identifying patterns and opportunities, appreciating artistic and emotional beauty, and combining what appears to be unrelated ideas into strong innovative actionable ideas. 
2. High Touch –  High touch deals with being empathetic, understanding the nuances of human interaction, experiencing the joy in others and one’s self; and stretching beyond our everyday approach to doing things with a stronger focus on our purpose or meaning for life.

There are 6 specific high-concept and high-touch aptitudes that have become essential in this new conceptual age (as you are moving from Information Age to Conceptual Age, whose main characters are the creators and the empathizers). Think Steve Jobs and Elon Musk in the creators category.

The Six Senses:

1. Design – Not just function but also DESIGN.
2. Story – Not just argument but also STORY.
3. Symphony – Not just focus but also SYMPHONY (putting the pieces together)
4. Empathy – Not just logic but also EMPATHY.
5. Play – Not just seriousness but also PLAY.
6. Meaning – Not just accumulation but also MEANING.