The future, according to Pink, belongs to a very different kind of mind than we value today. We are moving from the Information Age, which values logical, linear, computerlike capabilities, to the Conceptual Age, which values inventive, empathetic, big-picture capabilities.
That means artists, inventors, designers, storytellers, caregivers, and consolers--Right-Brained thinkers, the "emotionally astute and creatively adroit whose distinctive abilities the Information Age has often overlooked and undervalued."
Pink gives three social and economic reasons why R-Directed aptitudes are grabbing the wheel.
- Abundance: Freed from the struggle for survival, we are now searching for meaning.
- Asia: Workers abroad can do L-Directed work equally well for less money
- Automation: Computers are better, faster, and stronger than humans when it comes to jobs that can be reduced to a set of rules, or broken down into a set of repeatable steps."
From backs to left brains to right brains.
From IQ (Intelligence Quotient) to EQ (Emotional Intelligence).
Pink shares six R-Directed aptitudes we will need to master for future success.
- Design: Ability to create something that is both functional AND meaningful.
- Story: Ability to put facts in context enriched by emotion.
- Symphony: Ability to see the big-picture.
- Empathy: Ability to stand in others' shoes.
- Play: Ability for laughter, lighheartedness, games, and humor.
- Meaning: Ability to achieve gratification in the main areas of one's life.
For Oprah, who lives in her right brain, The Conceptual Age--the "age of art and heart," is her time to shine.
Is it your time to shine, too?
As always, thanks for stopping by.
