A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future

From Publishers Weekly
Just as information workers surpassed physical laborers in economic importance, Pink claims, the workplace terrain is changing yet again, and power will inevitably shift to people who possess strong right brain qualities. His advocacy of "R-directed thinking" begins with a bit of neuroscience tourism to a brain lab that will be extremely familiar to those who read Steven Johnson's Mind Wide Open last year, but while Johnson was fascinated by the brain's internal processes, Pink is more concerned with how certain skill sets can be harnessed effectively in the dawning "Conceptual Age." The second half of the book details the six "senses" Pink identifies as crucial to success in the new economy-design, story, symphony, empathy, play and meaning-while "portfolio" sections offer practical (and sometimes whimsical) advice on how to cultivate these skills within oneself. Thought-provoking moments abound-from the results of an intensive drawing workshop to the claim that "bad design" created the chaos of the 2000 presidential election-but the basic premise may still strike some as unproven. Furthermore, the warning that people who don't nurture their right brains "may miss out, or worse, suffer" in the economy of tomorrow comes off as alarmist. But since Pink's last big idea (Free Agent Nation) has become a cornerstone of employee-management relations, expect just as much buzz around his latest theory.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist
"Abundance, Asia, and automation." Try saying that phrase five times quickly, because if you don't take these words into serious consideration, there is a good chance that sooner or later your career will suffer because of one of those forces. Pink, best-selling author of Free Agent Nation (2001) and also former chief speechwriter for former vice-president Al Gore, has crafted a profound read packed with an abundance of references to books, seminars, Web sites, and such to guide your adjustment to expanding your right brain if you plan to survive and prosper in the Western world. According to Pink, the keys to success are in developing and cultivating six senses: design, story, symphony, empathy, play, and meaning. Pink compares this upcoming "Conceptual Age" to past periods of intense change, such as the Industrial Revolution and the Renaissance, as a way of emphasizing its importance. Ed Dwyer
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Worthwhile magazine
Will give you a new way to look at your work, your talent, your future.

Review
Will give you a new way to look at your work, your talent, your future. (Worthwhile magazine) Very important, convincingly argued, and mind-altering. (Po Bronson, author of What Should I Do With My Life?) Wow! This is not a self-help book. It's way more important than that. (Seth Godin, author of Purple Cow)

Seth Godin, author of Purple Cow
Wow! This is not a self-help book. It's way more important than that.

Miami Herald
An audacious and powerful work.

Newsweek
For soon-to-be liberal arts graduates, it makes an encouraging graduation gift.

Harvard Business Review
For those wishing to give their creative muscles a workout, the book is full of exercises and resources.

Tom Peters, author of In Search of Excellence
This book is a miracle. Completely original and profound.

Seth Godin, author of Purple Cow
Wow! A Whole New Mind is one of those rare books that marks a turning point.

Product Description
The future belongs to a different kind of person with a different kind of mind: artists, inventors, storytellers-creative and holistic "right-brain" thinkers whose abilities mark the fault line between who gets ahead and who doesn't. Drawing on research from around the world, Pink outlines the six fundamentally human abilities that are absolute essentials for professional success and personal fulfillment-and reveals how to master them. A Whole New Mind takes readers to a daring new place, and a provocative and necessary new way of thinking about a future that's already here.

About the Author
Daniel H. Pink is a former White House speechwriter and the author of the bestseller Free Agent Nation. A contributing editor at Wired magazine, he has written on work, business, and politics for The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Slate, Salon, Fast Company, and other publications. He has also lectured to corporations, universities, and associations around the world on economic transformation and business strategy, and has analyzed commercial and social trends for dozens of television and radio programs.