These are gems extracted from Dan Pink’s “A Whole New Mind” in brevity by CEO Patrick Wee.
Corporations used to rely on knowledge workers and technology to deal with the information explosion. Not anymore… Because areas that are not replaceable by knowledge workers and computers have become critical to succeed in the 21st Century.
The Conceptual Age is the new era of work where current economic demand calls for workers who are skilled in areas guided by the right hemisphere of the brain including: Design, Story, Symphony, Empathy, Play and Meaning.
Design: It’s not necessarily for only the artists or designers to consider this sense. We can all create something in our lives. The design here means taking into consideration of the human elements. “Today, it’s economically crucial and personally rewarding to create something that is also beautiful, whimsical, or emotionally engaging.” (Pink, 2006, 65)
Story: A right story told at the right time leaves deeper impression than a well-designed statistic. In order to get our meaning across, to persuade, to bring people on board, the essence has become the ability to fashion a compelling narrative. By telling others our stories and listening to other people’s stories, we demonstrate our presence, and we acknowledge others’ feelings.
Symphony: It is quite self explanatory. A symphony requires all the instruments to play at the right time, in the right pace, with the right pitch. On a broad sense, the economy requires people who can bring different parts together and produce, like the conductor. For individuals, we need to cultivate our skills to see the bigger picture for our life and work, rather than focusing on the unmet needs.
Empathy: What make us distinguished from general public is our ability to understand what motivates our fellow men and women, to nurture relationships and to care for others.
Play: There are ample evidence showing the enormous health and professional benefits of laughter, lightheartedness, games and humor. In Conceptual Age, in life and in work, we all need play. It is the fun parts that make the wheel running.
Meaning: When we accept that there is something bigger than ourselves, when we enter the realm of pursuing significant desires for purpose, transcendence and spiritual fulfillment, when we understand that our happiness lies in the self-actualization while helping others, we will have found the meaning of our lives. None of the above six skills can be outsourced or delegated. Whoever masters them first will have a huge advantage in the new age.
Let’s get started.