What I learned from "A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future"

I am a big fan of Daniel Pink's books, so when I saw his name on a podcast recently I clicked. Little did I realize, the podcast episode was a few years old and the book being discussed had already been published a few years prior to that. And this is how, in 2023, I came to find myself looking up Daniel Pink's book from 2005 entitled "A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future". I was intrigued that in 2005 he essentially predicted what would later become known as content creation. In an age of Tiktokers, Youtubers and gamers having viable careers, the age of "creatives" has clearly arrived.

I was so engrossed in this book I literally read it over a weekend. It had what I am looking for in most non-fiction: information presented in an engaging way to give me a new perspective on life.

While I've often heard of the left-brain / right-brain dichotomy, I've never given it much thought (from either side of my brain). Despite having an undergraduate degree in psychology, I have spent little time learning about the different hemispheres and why each is important. Indeed, it seems the right hemisphere has been misunderstood for a long time as the frivolous "artsy" side.

The author's premise was that while we are in the age of the knowledge worker, many of the skills that are useful today will be automated or outsourced. Lawyers and other professionals will need to find new ways to add value if software or professionals overseas can perform the same work faster or cheaper. Our "left-brain" skills, that is, the language-based, analytical and logical parts of our brains, will be necessary but not sufficient. The "right-brain" skills - creativity, big picture thinking, humour, emotional intelligence - will be more important than ever.

The author, a former lawyer himself, stated that "The attorneys who remain will be those who can tackle far more complex problems and those who can provide something that databases and software cannot - counseling, mediation, court-room storytelling, and other services that depend on the R-Directed Thinking."

The author broke right-brain thinking into six categories, providing examples of each and how to develop those skills that are likely to become higher value in the future (in what he called a transition from the "Information Age" to the "Conceptual Age").

The six areas are:

design
story
symphony
empathy
play
meaning

Design

In an era of abundance, when we can find whatever we want (and again, this book was written before Amazon became the behemoth it is today), the author proposed the idea that utility will not be enough to stand out. He suggested that businesses will need to differentiate their goods and services by making their offerings beautiful and emotionally compelling. I recently paid more for a bottle of Method hand soap because the bottle was more attractive, so this deeply resonated.

Design is one way a law firm can strategically stand out from the crowd. Through websites, business cards, office decor, and even fashion choices by lawyers, we can leverage right-brain thinking to connect with our customers and audiences (yes, audiences, because in 2023 we are also all content creators).

Want to improve your design skills? The author suggests taking notes about everywhere you see design. Soon, you will realize design is in everything everywhere all at once (yes, I just saw the film) - in the keyboard you are using, in the clothes you are wearing, in the mug from which you are sipping (or guzzling, I won't judge). Design is not elitist but rather a seemingly human desire to embrace beauty over basic utility.

Story

Much of the story section of the book focused on the emotionless approach physicians use when speaking with patients (medicine is pretty much as left-brain a field as any). While physicians have been found to interrupt patients often in order to jump to the facts, they miss out on the personal narratives of their patients and how the ailments are impacting their lives. It turns out there are positive benefits to patients being allowed to tell their story. Some medical schools have even started to incorporate classes to enhance empathy and the importance of narrative.

Most lawyers know that the highest number of LawPro claims are under the category of Communication. While litigators may benefit more than the rest of us in honing their story-telling skills, we can all likely benefit from taking the time to tell - and listen - to stories.

To improve your sensibilities around story, the author suggests to, perhaps not surprisingly, read more. He also shares some specific resources that teach students, such as screenwriters, how to dissect the elements of story. On a personal note, if you want to incorporate the concept of story into your marketing, I recommend the book Building a StoryBrand.

Symphony

Symphony is about bringing together the sum of its parts, whatever "it" may be. The author talks about the importance of boundary crossing, seeing the big picture, and making connections. Why the person who speaks multiple languages or plays an instrument might excel in seemingly unrelated domains or bring fresh ideas to a tired industry. Being able to bring disciplines together will increasingly be a recipe for excellence. For example, the author suggested that as work is outsourced to Asia, an individual trained in sales who can also communicate across languages and cultures will have a huge advantage over their colleagues and competitors.

The author also mentions that individuals who are androgynous have a tendency to see many things across a spectrum. While this wasn't mentioned in the book (it was 2005, after all), an inference can be made that hiring managers may want to look at non-binary applicants as being potentially strong at making connections rather than possessing binary thinking.

Empathy

While artificial intelligence is on its way to being better at diagnostics than health professionals, empathy is still a very human trait with which computers struggle. Nursing is one example provided in the book of a field in which empathy is deeply needed.

This section made me think of my own law practice. Some of the advice I give is literally available for free in my Youtube videos, yet individuals get so much more out of a meeting. Why? I think empathy is one of the reasons. In our meetings clients can feel heard and seen. They get to tell their story. I find that when I acknowledge the deficiencies of our health care system I share a moment of connection with clients that doesn't add legal value, but still seems to be validating to clients.

Lawyers tend to be very logical, but as technology replaces some of our work, empathy might be the reason clients want to work with you.

Play

My 2023 resolution was to have more fun (after the last three years, I think we all need more fun!). Play is a theme that has been emerging in the various books and podcasts I've been consuming over the past six months. Perhaps in a very right-brain way, I have been making connections around the importance of play - at work and home. There is a quote in this book that resonates with me every time I hear it - "The opposite of play is not work - it is depression" (attributed to Brian Sutton-Smith). With that in mind, play feels almost mandatory.

In this section of the book the author talks about the many benefits of videogames and their utility in enhancing our right-brain thinking. I found it interesting to learn that the US Army created a videogame to help with recruitment. The game was made available for free, and both encouraged and penalized conduct based on realistic expectations of the military.

Also interesting - an Indian physician created a "laughter club", the likes of which are now international. The saying that laughter is the best medicine seems to have some science behind it.

Humour was highlighted as an attribute of effective executives because it is a powerful way to diffuse situations and communicate difficult messages.

Tl;dr, we all need some play in our lives.

Meaning

Once our basic survival needs are met, humans seek meaning (this will come as no surprise if you've ever studied Maslow's hierarchy of needs). For some, this can be through religion or spirituality, for others it is simply about seeking one's purpose on Earth. Researchers have collaborated with the Dalai Lama and others to explore the connection between science and religion. This chapter took me back to a grade 10 project I did, in which I presented on a study that looked at nuns' brains while they were engaged in prayer. There are parts of the brain that light up when humans are in a religious state. Some take this as proof of God while others interpret it as proof that being concerned about the meaning and purpose of life is hard-wired into our brains. In either case, our neurophysiology seems to have some innate capacity for spirituality and a desire to explore the meaning of life.

On a more pragmatic note, the author explained that some studies have found that folks who engage in spiritual or religious practices (believing in a higher power or praying regularly, for example) seem to have reduced risks of various health ailments.

For those of us who are not as spiritually inclined, walking labyrinths is a form of moving meditation that seems to permit us to escape our analytical left-brains (fun fact: some hospitals have started to add labyrinths to their grounds). I googled "labyrinth near me" and found there is even an Ontario labyrinth locator (but sadly no actual labyrinths near me). You can also buy a hand labyrinth and trace the ridges with your fingers.

And in case you are on a quest to find happiness, here are some things the author mentioned that seem to help with that pursuit:

engaging and satisfying work
avoiding negative emotions and events
being married
having a rich social network
gratitude
forgiveness
optimism

The author predicted, rightly I think, that there would be a trend of job-seekers wanting to work for mission-based companies that prioritize meaning. As a way to fact check his prediction, I looked at when BLab (the non-profit that certifies benefit corporations / social enterprises) opened its doors. Turns out, they began in 2006 (one year after the book was written).

So, what are my takeaways from the book? On a personal note, I have spent a lot of time learning about the power and benefits of meditation and mindfulness but I struggle to do it. My body and brain lean toward hyperactivity and I often feel that stillness is just not in my DNA. In my effort to improve my ability to be in the moment, I am going to take the long way to mindfulness and instead focus on spending a little more time engaging my right brain so I can at least give my left hemisphere a break.

If you've made it this far, I'm impressed. I write these blogs mainly as a way to chronicle what I'm reading and learning. For too many years I've read great books and didn't have a system for capturing what I was learning. I promptly forgot most of it. Taking notes and writing a blog is my way to help me retain what I've learned. But I sure hope you've learned something too.

Categories: : Book Recommendation