A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink
This book appreciates and honors the talents and skills of the “left-brain” thinkers that have helped our society get to where we are in this “information age”, yet stresses that the future belongs to the “right-brain” thinkers that will be able to use the qualities of inventiveness, empathy, and the ability to see the big-picture as we travel into the “conceptual age.”
It has a tremendous amount of great insights, research and examples of how this shift will impact the world. Even with the various successes in the our world….there is still a strong search by people for purpose and meaning and this book touches on how the appreciation of “right-brain” thinking will lead people down that path.
3 of the biggest lessons that I have taken from this book are:
1. IQ is overrated In our overly IQ focused society, we put alot of “stake” into someone’s IQ when in all reality it gives very little of an indication of someone’s success. Daniel Goleman’s research showed that IQ leads to only 4-10% of a person’s success!!
2. “Humans are not ideally set up to understand logic (left-brain); they are ideally set up to understand stories (right brain).”- Roger Shank, Cognitive scientist. This was a reminder to me to continue to share insights/lessons via stories to ensure people can fully embrace and understand the message.
3. We have lived in an abundant era. The US spends over $4 billion on ring tones annually, $17 billion on self-storage, and spends more money on trash bags than 90 other countries spend on everything! With the financial crisis of the past few years, hopefully we will redirect our resources towards things that will have a positive impact on the world.
I highly recommend this book as an opportunity to open your mind to the new possibilities of the future. The shift is happening regardless, so it is best to begin the journey of getting ahead now before you are passed by.
In Your Service
Brandon Johnson
“Positive Energy Guy”
