Wanted to share this interesting interview/article on CNN: Why right-brainers will rule this century (click orange hyperlink).
The skills that I am proud of and excel at are what as known as "right-brain" thinking. I was competent at math and science, but would never thought of these as my best skills or assets, and I've known from an early age that what I was good at: helping people through my listening and empathy skills; being imaginative at problem solving and able to look at the big picture.
Well, it turns out that these very skills may be what is most needed in the future workforce. Left-brain thinking and skills are still crucial, of course, but it seems as though the previously recognized "lesser skills" (those being "artistic" or "empathic") may be much more sought-after in the coming years.
One of Pink's responses to why he believes the right-brainers, in this case a designer, will be ruling the century follows:
"A young designer in New York re-created the prescription bottle because she noticed that her grandparents were getting their medications confused. She put the medicine's name in large type at the top instead of the doctor's name, and Grandpa gets a green band on his medicine bottle and Grandma gets a yellow band so they can see the difference more clearly. That's an example of how design can literally save lives."
Read the remainder of the interview between Oprah and David Pink, and tell us your reactions---do you agree or disagree?
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I guess I just don't see the artistic types exactly being devalued now (or in the past). Creativity has always been highly prized. After all, it's authors, musicians, and other types of artists that people want to be when they grow up, not so much the mathematicians and engineers.
And if we're just talking about the "business world", the key to rise to the top a field has always been pairing creativity with technical proficiency. I'm not sure that is likely to change too much.
May 11, 2009 - 6:26pmThis Comment
I think this article drastically underestimates the historical value of "right-brain" thinking. It's always been true that creativeness and intuition are useful and a major differentiator in the work place. Einstein was a genius not just because he could do math, but because he could make intuitive leaps. But if he could on make those leaps without the left brain to do the math, he would have been a science fiction writer instead of a physicist.
I think the more accurate story would be that the 21st century will be ruled by "whole-brained" people. But that's not much of a story, since so was the 20th, and the 19th...
May 11, 2009 - 12:14pmThis Comment