Inspired Leap - You are far more brilliant than you think you are!

• Quote of the Month
• Upcoming Speaking Engagements
• Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age
• Left or Right: Which Side is Better?
• Get Your Right Brain Ready
• Remember: Both Sides of Your Brain Are Critical
• Inspired Leap Reminders
• Final Thoughts on Our Preparing for the Conceptual Age

With the gorgeous weather here in Austin, it’s difficult to believe that we’re deep into winter, but—according to the calendar—we’ve still got another month before spring officially arrives. And winter is historically a time for going within to get ourselves ready for bursting forth in spring with high energy, creativity, and new selves. Last month, I gave you some new insights to ponder during the long winter evenings—the profound changes that are taking place in the world today, as described in Thomas L. Friedman's book, The World Is Flat.

This month, I want to expand on the idea that this new, flat world requires us to strengthen our creative and innovative talents. Drawing from another outstanding book, A Whole New Mind, by Daniel Pink (author of the best-selling Free Agent Nation), you’ll learn what you need to do to be a key player in what he describes as the Conceptual Age.

Read on to be inspired to develop and exercise the right side of your brain in order to thrive in the new Conceptual Age.

Today, the defining skills of the previous era—the "left brain" capabilities that powered the Information Age—are necessary but no longer sufficient. And the capabilities we once distained or thought frivolous—the "right brain" qualities of inventiveness, empathy, joyfulness, and meaning—increasingly will determine who flourishes and who flounders. For individuals, families, and organizations, professional success and personal fulfillment now require a whole new mind.

The Future from a Right Brain Perspective: February 21, 2006, 6:00 pm, World Future Society – Central Texas Chapter (www.centexwfs.org)

February 24, 2006, 9:00 am, Sassy Conference. While I’m not speaking, I am in charge of the coaching program for this great new conference. Please join me at this inspiring event. (www.sassyconference.com).
An Intuitive Intensive at Lake Austin Spa Resort: March 16, 2006, 9:00 am – 3:00pm, with spa treatment immediately following. (Visit Inspired Leap to sign up now. Early Bird pricing ends today.)
Inspired Creative Thoughts: How to Generate Them, Even in Pressure-Packed Situations: March 24, 2006, American Creativity Association International Conference, Austin, TX. In light of this month’s discussion, please give serious consideration to attending this conference. Your future success likely depends upon your creativity flourishing! (Visit www.amcreativityassoc.org to sign up now.

Last month, I shared Thomas Friedman’s findings on the dramatic and rapid changes taking place in the world and how they might affect us:
Friedman provides compelling information about the rapid changes occurring in the U.S. and around the globe and the source of those changes. He starts with the fall of the Berlin Wall and goes on to describe the ramifications of the technology boom and the dot.com bust.
Take Notice: The World Is Now Flat! The United States has been a leader in the areas of creativity and innovation for much of its existence, and has traditionally stayed many steps ahead of its international competition. But Friedman shows the dramatic effect that technology, political change, and other transformations are having on the ability of our peers around the world to compete for work, and how their work ethic and competitive pricing are helping them to narrow the gap. In addition, the Chinese, Indians, and Russians-in particular—are hungry for what the "good life" can bring them, and are willing to work long hours to get their share. In the case of the Chinese, there is also a clear objective of surpassing the U.S. as the largest economy in the world. [January 2006 Inspired Leap Ah-Ha newsletter, p. 2]

In his compelling book, A Whole New Mind, author Daniel Pink also discusses the changes in the world and makes a case for the dawning of a whole new era. Pink calls this new era "the Conceptual Age" because of the critical need for traditionally "right-brain" skills.

We are moving from an economy and a society built on the logical, linear, computer-like capabilities of the Information Age to an economy and a society built on the inventive, empathic, big-picture capabilities of what’s rising in its place, the Conceptual Age. [pp. 1¬2]

It is an age animated by a different form of thinking and a new approach to life—one that prizes aptitudes that I call "high concept" and "high touch." High concept involves the capacity to detect patterns and opportunities, to create artistic and emotional beauty, to craft a satisfying narrative, and to combine seemingly unrelated ideas into something new. High touch involves the ability to empathize with others, to understand the subtleties of human interaction, to find joy in one’s self and to elicit it in others, and to stretch beyond the quotidian in pursuit of purpose and meaning. [pp. 2-3]

Both authors make a compelling case for the rise of creativity, innovation, and invention as the distinguishing characteristics of those that finish in "first place," as opposed to those that finish a distant "second" in economic and societal growth and success. As technology and political change—to name but a few of the keys to this transformation—are enabling large, formerly "third world" countries to compete aggressively in fields we have usually thought of as safe and non-transferable, we are being compelled to actively develop and use our whole brains in order to stay ahead of the pack.

This is exciting and welcome news to someone like me working to bring more intuitive thinking into the business world, but is a bit daunting to those who’ve relied on logical and analytical thinking to manage their careers and daily lives. However, everyone ultimately benefits from actively using and making the most of their whole brain, so keep an open mind—regardless of how you might be feeling about all of this—as you read and look for the opportunities in the changes ahead.

As he was looking at the changes happening in the world, Pink found the perfect metaphor for these changes—our own brains. Today, with the advances in scanning technology, scientists are able to tell us much about how our brains work, including the roles and key characteristics of the left and right hemispheres of our brains.

Our brains are divided into two hemispheres. The left hemisphere is sequential, logical, and analytical. The right hemisphere is nonlinear, intuitive, and holistic. These distinctions have often been caricatured. And, of course, we enlist both halves of our brains for even the simplest tasks. But the well-established differences between the two hemispheres of the brain yield a powerful metaphor for interpreting our present and guiding our future. [p. 3]

Throughout the rest of his book, Pink prefers to talk in terms of "L-Directed" or "R-Directed" aptitudes to make sure readers understand that both the left and right hemispheres of the brain are used all of the time. Therefore, I will incorporate his terminology where appropriate.

Historically, there has been a strong bias toward left-brain aptitudes, especially in the business world. As it turns out, this isn’t all that surprising, as the left hemisphere is associated with the right side of the body and the right hemisphere is associated with the left side. Most of us are right-handed (activating the left hemisphere when we write) and most written languages are read from left to right (your head moves from left to right as you read each line or page, thus activating and emphasizing the left hemisphere).

In her book Awakening Intuition, Dr. Mona Lisa Schulz tells us that the left hemisphere is typically dominant and confident, while the right hemisphere is more receptive and less sure of itself.

Ideally the two hemispheres should work in tandem, but they usually don’t. The left brain tends to lord it over the right, like the president or Congress, running things and making laws. The right hemisphere acts like the electorate, which is there to be governed.

Research also shows that men tend to have a stronger left brain and women tend to have a stronger right brain. While there is so much more to say about the specialties of each hemisphere and how they work together (or not), I want to turn your attention to how you can strengthen and activate your right hemisphere, or in Dan Pink's language—become more R-Directed.

After sharing with us the reasons why we need to strengthen our right brains—our "R-Directed aptitudes"—in A Whole New Mind, Dan Pink shows us how to do just that. I believe his six areas of focus provide a good way of creating your own right-brain exercise program. Just as a good physical body exercise program works different areas of your body, a good right-brain exercise program should awaken, stretch, and exercise different aptitudes of the right brain.

Pink defines six core "senses" that are critical to strengthening our right brains, and he defines them in contrast to the historically dominating left-brain senses that we’ve all been trained to use. Outlined below are his "six senses." For brevity, I have left out some content in his descriptions. See A Whole New Mind for more information.

1. Not just function but also DESIGN. Today it’s economically crucial and personally rewarding to create something that is also 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. [see the August, 2005 newsletter for a write-up on the power of story]

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 or man tick, to forge relationships, and to care for others.

5. Not just seriousness but also PLAY. Ample evidence points to the enormous health and professional benefits of laughter, lightheartedness, games, and humor.

6. Not just accumulation but also MEANING. We live in a world of breathtaking material plenty. That has freed hundreds of millions of people from day-to-day struggles and liberated us to pursue more significant desires: purpose, transcendence, and spiritual fulfillment. [pp. 65-¬67]

Consider that all of these senses or aptitudes can blend together to create a powerful perspective on a new idea or problem, or a new way of seeing the problem—in other words creating a symphony. For example, empathy is increased when stories are shared, as stories are powerful ways to engage emotions and help people see themselves within a narrative. Beautiful design comes from empathizing with the needs and desires of others, seeing the meaning behind the function of the object being designed, and seeing things from a new perspective—a perspective that can come from playing, laughing, or engaging in games. There are many more connections that can be made, but you get the idea.

While all of these are important, I want to call your attention to the last two senses, play and meaning. Last month I discussed a Fortune magazine article, Get a Life, that described how executive men were now joining women in the cry for more work-life balance. This trend fits beautifully with Pink's assessment that we need to engage our brains—and consequently our time—in activities that were once considered to have nothing to do with work—games, laughter, spiritual practices, and personal development.

Which of these six senses are most important for you to develop right now? If you are overwhelmed with where to start on developing these senses, try this:

1. Write down all six senses on a piece of paper.
2. Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and ask yourself which two of these six areas are the most important to work on right now.
3. Don’t think! Whichever two pop into your mind first, write them down.
4. Now look at the list again. Which one appeals to you the most? Write it down.
5. Which one of the six senses has the least appeal? Write it down.
6. Your new focus comes either Step 3 (using your intuition) or from Step 4 (using your feelings or emotions).

Ideally, your intuitive and emotional (positive or negative feelings about these concepts) responses will match. If not, pick one or two that you’ve written down. Start there. The key is to start! In future issues, I’ll talk about ways to develop and strengthen your abilities in all of these senses, but use Pink’s ideas in his book or your intuition to begin to discover your hidden talents in design, story, symphony, empathy, play and meaning.

One quick note: I’ve been talking about and writing down the six senses a lot this past week. I always seem to forget one, as I did when writing the sentence above. Guess which one I need to focus on? Your mind gives you clues all of the time, if you pay attention—even when you don’t want to know! By the way, the sense I need to focus on is play. Yes, I need to learn how to take more time for play. What a surprise for a recovering workaholic!

We need both sides of our brain to work together to effectively harness our brain’s true capabilities—a critical requirement for differentiating ourselves from competition and computers as we enter a new world. While this can be scary and overwhelming, consider the possibility that it’s actually an exciting and energizing change. For as we all learn to effectively use and balance the talents of both sides of our brains, it enables us to envision an amazing future. More brilliant inventions. Better communication and teamwork. A better understanding of the need for beauty. Improved relationships between the sexes. An acceptance of the importance of our soul in our work. The possibilities are endless.

No matter whether you are more L-Directed or R-Directed in your thinking, this change is ultimately for the good of all. One thing is clear: those that make the effort to truly activate and use all parts of their brains will be the big winners in the Conceptual Age. Will you be one of them?

As you begin to move toward spring and its delightful energy, may you find the courage to develop and access all of your brain's potential to create a powerful and balanced new you. Know that when you do this, you are leaping ahead of your peers and competition to be ready for whatever this exciting new Conceptual Age brings. As Dan Pink says,
The R-Directed aptitudes so often disdained and dismissed—artistry, empathy, taking the long view, pursuing the transcendent—will increasingly determine who soars and who stumbles. It's a dizzying—but ultimately inspiring—change. [p. 17]

If your company needs help with inspiring employees to reach new heights in productivity, creativity, morale, and integrity, please contact us at inspiredleap.com or 512-236-0090. If you need some more inspiration or more regular nudging to practice these steps, check out our website to see what’s new to inspire you (a visit to The Quiet Room may be just what you need!).