Synopsis

Lawyers. Accountants. Radiologists. Software engineers. That's what our parents encouraged us to become when we grew up. But Mom and Dad were wrong. The future belongs to a very different kind of person with a very different kind of mind. The era of "left brain" dominance, and the Information Age that it engendered, are giving way to a new world in which "right brain" qualities-inventiveness, empathy, meaning-predominate. That's the argument at the center of this provocative and original book, which uses the two sides of our brains as a metaphor for understanding the contours of our times.

In the tradition of Emotional Intelligence and Now, Discover Your Strengths, Daniel H. Pink offers a fresh look at what it takes to excel. A Whole New Mind reveals the six essential aptitudes on which professional success and personal fulfillment now depend, and includes a series of hands-on exercises culled from experts around the world to help readers sharpen the necessary abilities. This book will change not only how we see the world but how we experience it as well.

Soundview Summary - Soundview Executive Book Summaries

Best-selling author Daniel H. Pink moves us from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age as he defends his argument that the era of "left brain" dominance is giving way to a new world in which "right brain" qualities- inventiveness, meaning, empathy- predominate.

Pink offers a fresh look at what it takes for individuals and organizations to excel. Drawing on cutting-edge research from around the world, he reveals the six essential aptitudes on which professional success and personal fulfillment now depend: Design, Story, Symphony, Empathy, Play and Meaning.

Pink also offers several hands-on exercises and examples culled from experts to help readers sharpen the necessary abilities. The impact of what Pink presents can not only change the way we see the world but also how we experience it as well.

The last few decades have belonged to a certain kind of person with a certain kind of mind, Pink explains, like computer programmers who could crank code, lawyers who could craft contracts, and MBAs who could crunch numbers.

But the future belongs to a very different kind of person with a very different kind of mind- creators and empathizers, pattern recognizers, and meaning makers. These people- artists, inventors, designers, storytellers, caregivers, consolers, big-picture thinkers- will now reap society’s richest rewards and share its greatest joys, Pink says.

A change of such magnitude is complex. Ours has been the age of the "knowledge worker," the well-educated manipulator of information and deployer of expertise. But that is changing, Pink explains. Thanks to an array of forces – material abundance that is deepening our nonmaterial yearnings, globalization that is shipping white-collar work overseas, and powerful technologies that are eliminating certain kinds of work altogether- we are entering a new age.

There is something that encapsulates the change and it’s right inside your head, Pink says. Our brains are divided into two hemispheres; the left side is sequential, logical and analytical; the right hemisphere is nonlinear, intuitive and holistic.

Pink explains that we need both "L-Directed Thinking" and "R-Directed Thinking" in order to craft fulfilling lives and build protective, just societies.

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 era demands:

1. Not just function but also DESIGN. Today it’s economically crucial and personally rewarding to create something that is beautiful, whimsical, or emotionally engaging.
2. Not just argument but also STORY. The essence of persuasion, communication and self-understanding has become the ability also to fashion a compelling narrative.
3. Not just focus but also SYMPHONY. What’s in greatest demand today isn’t analysis but synthesis- seeing the big picture and, crossing boundaries, being able to combine disparate pieces into an arresting new whole.
4. Not just logic but also EMPATHY. What will distinguish those who thrive will be their ability to understand what makes their fellow woman and man tick, to forge relationships, and to care for others.
5. Not just seriousness but also PLAY. Too much sobriety can be bad for your career and worse for your general well being. In the Conceptual Age, we all need to play.
6. Not just accumulation but also MEANING. A world of material plenty has freed us to pursue more significant desires: purpose, transcendence, and spiritual fulfillment.

The Conceptual Age is dawning, Pink tells us. Those who hope to survive in it must master the high-concept, high-touch abilities. This situation presents both promise and peril. The promise is that Conceptual Age jobs are exceedingly democratic. The peril is that our world moves at a furious pace.

Pink writes,"The first group of people who develop a whole new mind, who master high-concept and high-touch abilities, will do extremely well. The rest – those who move slowly or not at all – may miss out or, worse, suffer. The choice is yours." Copyright © 2006 Soundview Executive Book Summaries

Biography

Daniel H. Pink is the author of the acclaimed national and international bestseller Free Agent Nation. A contributing editor at Wired magazine, he has written articles and essays for The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Salon, Slate, Fast Company, and other publications, and has provided analysis of business and social trends on dozens of television and radio programs.