“Whole New Mind”

Celebrates 10th Anniversary

By

Steve Fawthrop

Updated from LinkedIn Post 8/18/2014

"Whole New Mind" by Author Daniel Pink got a lot of attention when it published in 2005. The book came up in a few different discussions recently and prompts a re-examination as it nears the 10th anniversary of its release late March 2015.

The topic of the book can be for learning the lessons out of general interest, but Pink very much positioned his treatise to be viewed with both individual and societal self-interest.

He first outlines the evolution of different economic structures over history and identifies the current stage (2005) as a shift from the Information Age led by knowledge workers (a term coined by Peter Drucker) to a new Conceptual Age led by creators and empathizers.

He emphasizes that much of the basic intelligent functional roles--like accounting--are being progressively replaced just like basic manufacturing and back office support jobs have been replaced. The identified reasons:

1) Abundance--As a society we pretty much have what we need and it is of good quality. This makes it harder to grow consumer sales without being a distinguished product or service. This limits job growth in general.

2) Automation--It has moved from blue collar, to pink collar to white collar jobs. Processes can be done easier and cheaper without as much direct human involvement. This stunts job and wage growth while still increasing productivity.

3) Asia--What does need humans can often be done at a lower cost by labor in Asia thanks to cheap telecommunications and digital movement of information that removes time and distance as a cost. Pink’s book published weeks apart from “The World is Flat” (Thomas Friedman) which garnered a lot of attention with its focus on the effect of global outsourcing.

Pink’s key point is that the distinctive value provided in the future will be done by those who reflect a unique, creative approach that cannot be easily or cheaply replicated. In other words, if you are going to have a unique selling proposition then you better be truly unique. Think of the late Steve Jobs of Apple as the poster child for this movement or an inspired story-teller like business writer and commentator Seth Godin (interview with Godin below).

Of course, your uniqueness individually or as a business does not have to be high profile. There is a coffee house next to where I live that is truly a coffee house. It is a converted old home. It is one location and has a unique character distinctive from the Starbucks four blocks south. The place also offers beer and wine (and did so before Starbucks), has music on weekends and can be rented for events. It has a USP without Richard Branson at the helm.

Pink focused on the “softer” areas of human development as a way to be more productive and distinctive. He has chapters on:

Design--The ability to produce with both form and function that is different.

Story--The ability to create emotion and distinction through story telling as a way to relate and motivate others.

Symphony--The ability to recognize various styles in people and movement within a company (or in society) and to productively synthesize and coordinate what is going on around you like the conductor of a symphony.

Empathy--Be seen as the one who distinctly understands.

Play--Creative thinking. This is the longest chapter.

(How environment and architecture can have positive impact on creative thinking: http://jamesclear.com/jonas-salk)

Meaning--The ability to move to a higher plane of existence and action in your life. Among some of the books he recommends is “Man’s Search for Meaning” by Victor Frankl. I read that in my freshman religion class in high school. It is on the shelf (one of my kids read it for school) so maybe it is due for a re-read in a whole new context.

Each chapter has recommendations and resources for each theme to help stretch capabilities and give you a fresh take on life.

All are practical taken alone but, like all things in life, tough to do.

For example, he writes about reading different magazines to get different takes on life. As someone who is a big reader I open myself up to interesting information on a general basis through newspapers, magazines, books and digital delivery. The Internet provides access to world viewpoints relatively easily if you or I want to seek them out, but most read to reinforce existing opinions.

The kind of advice Pink gives, especially related to readings on positive psychology and life outlook takes some time and reflection. In contrast, the majority of the public is spending time surfing the Web for entertainment purposes, sharing on social media (hello cat videos) or, in some cases, feeling like articles that run more than 200 words are unreadable. This is the conflict that Stephen Covey identifies so elegantly in the “Seven Habits” when we fall into the trap of doing the urgent vs. the important.

I hope you get my point. Working on the various skills takes time and effort to become Pink's version of the 21st century Renaissance Man (or woman).

So my advice, based on the book:

1) Read the book to open your mind.

2) Minimize your television. We all have some guilty pleasures, but you know if you are spending too much time with Jerry Springer or cage boxing.

3) Stay healthy by eating right, exercising and getting sleep.

4) Give as much time as you can to your spouse, children or significant other as possible.

5) Have a project going for personal development. It can be from elements Pink identified or other goals to keep the mind active. Don’t make it so complicated you give up. Work through one area at a time. Activity naturally opens up other opportunities to stimulate interest, learn and grow.

This does not guarantee success, especially financially, but you probably will get a lot further down the road than some of the terrific folks who are guests on Springer and, at the least, have a better outlook on life.

The book was written before the Great Recession and technology and global trade have only grown since the book was published. In his own summary of the book in an Oprah magazine article in 2008, linked below, he states there will be a movement away from the web developers and MBAs.

Perhaps some for the MBAs, but it seems to me, given the aggressive recruitment and dollars chasing talented developers in general and certainly in the Seattle area where I live, he missed, or did not anticipate, how much more impact technological innovations will have in business and society by 2015 in the development of the cloud, apps and mobile. Keep in mind the book published two years before the iPhone was introduced.

The acceleration in technology prompts me to question if his advice has more significance now or have conditions altered enough we should be addressing changes differently?

Pink finishes by saying, “This new age fairly glitters with opportunity, but it is as unkind to the slow of foot as it is to the rigid of mind.”

Time to get moving?

Additional resources

Six minute video with Pink to give you background on his philosophy and approach: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhKLSTBSgwI

Eight page book summary: http://www.teachersmarts.com/21/docs/A%20Whole%20New%20Mind.pdf

Book summary done in a mind map format. Different perspective as a good exercise for visualizing the main points of the book: http://www.kuzzuk.net/weblog/books/whole-new-mind/

Book summary as Slideshare presentation for reinforcement. 93 slides but a lot are teasers so more visual than content heavy but hits on the key points: http://www.slideshare.net/bjfischer1962/a-whole-new-mind-slide-deck-060810

Pink summary and commentary on his book in Oprah magazine in 2008: http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Excerpt-from-A-Whole-New-Mind-by-Daniel-Pink

More in-depth discussion in a thirty minute interview with Oprah. She was a big fan of the book: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8709206428739405187#

A general interview with Pink, not specifically about the book: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20141017124410-6526187-what-work-and-management-author-daniel-pink-says-about-happiness?trk=tod-home-art-list-large_0

Also:

A book that is somewhat similar, and published more recently (2013) that I recommend is "Ctrl-Alt-Delete. Roboot Your Business. Reboot Your Life. Your Future Depends on It" by Mitch Joel: http://www.business2community.com/books/ctrl-alt-delete-by-mitch-joel-book-review-0502042#!bDIROq

Wkipedia summary on "The World is Flat": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_Is_Flat

Bryan Elliot of "Behind the Brand" interviews Seth Godin regarding a more recent book, "The Icarus Deception" about creating art in life and other topics. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20140909150148-22369657-seth-godin-on-why-business-leaders-should-think-like-artists?trk=hb_ntf_MEGAPHONE_ARTICLE_POST

About me

I have been a sales professional in advertising, marketing and media as a career. This has included managing my own territories, selling with others and managing sales teams. My background includes:

Seven years in sales management including five years at the Puget Sound Business Journal in Seattle growing local sales to over $5 million annually (+70%). In Seattle I worked with an in-market staff, both outside and inside sales, and later, when in Orange County, dispersed reps.

Joint selling with local reps in the U.S. with USA Today. I also worked with independent reps in Asia while maintaining individual revenue responsibility. All of the work in Asia was pioneering to break new markets with my dominant focus on Japan. During my tenure my national territory grew to nearly $7 million annual revenue.

Have opened and grown individual sales territories for local, regional and national accounts. This included opening the Los Angeles office for the Network of City Business Journals, the national sales arm of American City Business Journals, the largest publisher of local business news.

I was born and raised in Seattle and graduated from the University of Washington with a B.A. in Communications in Advertising.

A good portion of my professional career was in California—19 years split between Los Angeles and Orange County. I returned to Seattle late 2012. Recent activities include work with moment M, a start up ad tech mobile advertising demand side buying platform (DSP): www.momentm.com

You can reach me by phone, e-mail or via LinkedIn

Steve Fawthrop 714-876-7062, cellstevefawthrop@outlook.comhttp://www.linkedin.com/in/stevefawthrop