A Whole New Mind

Happy to post an interview with Daniel Pink - who advance-praised the Play Ethic book - in which he reveals a little about what his new book, A Whole New Mind, will be saying. As previously mentioned in this blog, he's explicitly citing 'Play' as one of his master disciplines for the 'Conceptual Age' of business:

Empathy is pretty understandable. But why is it especially important now?
Because computers can't do empathy. Anybody who's dealt with an automated phone service understands that. But human beings do it innately. It's the ability to read emotions, to empathize with people, to understand where they're coming from, to see with their eyes, to feel with their hearts. Those qualities weren't so important back when a high SAT score and an aptitude for math meant you could get ahead. But today, it's what going to separate the stars from the also-rans.

You mention Play as one of your six aptitudes. What do you mean?
I mean bringing to work a spirit of joyfulness and fun. For instance, there's evidence that managers who are funny do better. If you go to offices where people are laughing, you're likely to find that people are productive. And by Play I also mean the play industry in particular. Those of us over 35 or so have no idea how important and influential the video-game business is. And quote me on this: Games are the future of advertising. Even the U.S. Army is using video games in recruiting.

And Meaning?
This, too, is a really big deal. I wish we had more time to talk about it. As the Baby Boomers age, and as societies grow more prosperous, the pursuit of meaning and purpose is becoming a key part of middle-class life.

Think of the 10 million Americans doing yoga or the 15 million who meditate or the countless more who just want to live lives of meaning. Commentator Andrew Delbanco has said, "The most striking feature of contemporary culture is the unslaked craving for transcendence."

Check out Pink's alma mater, Fast Company, this month - majoring on creativity (note the handy guide to keeping creatives happy).