Is your future success dependent on your ability to better use your right brain?  That is the hypothesis being raised by people like Daniel Pink, author of the book A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future.  As reported in the USA Today, in a recent PBS special called Living on the Right Side of the Brain, which was based on the book, Pink makes the argument that “our children will no more be doing routine white-colar work than we were likely to inherit the blue-collar jobs of our grandfathers.”

In the last several years there has been an ongoing trend to outsource left-brain work such as the more mundane aspects of computer science and engineering.  These tasks can be completed more cost-effectively by machines or highly trained left-brain resources from far away places like India and China.  In a way, these tasks have become commodities that are farmed out the lowest bidders.  So where is the future for developed economies such as the US and Western Europe?  The answer is in valued-added tasks, the ones that require innovative thinking and creative ways of do things. That is where the right brain comes into play.

Many people hit by the challenges of the current economy are taking the opportunity to reinvent themselves and switching from left-brain corporate jobs to right-brain entrepreneurial opportunities where they get to be more creative and, in many cases, gain more satisfaction from their work.

Take Chris Halloran of Phoenix for example.  In his days as an investment banker he pulled a seven-figure salary.  But he has given up that very lucrative job to start a photo studio.  He said that the first $85 he made by using his creativity was more thrilling than any money he made in his old job by starring at spreadsheets.  In another case, Gordon Chin was laid off from his attorney job with a large law firm in Washington DC to become an interior designer.  “This was a daunting leap of faith”, he said.  “Now I get to use my creativity with immediate, gratifying results.”

But what exactly is the difference between the right brain and the left brain?  In essence the left brain is used for computational, logic, linear tasks.  The right brain processes images, patterns, big picture type tasks.  Here is a video where Daniel Pink explains the difference between the two hemispheres, and how the world of work is changing, requiring additional focus on the right brain:

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So what will lead to future success in the business world?  According to Laszlo Bock, Vice President of People Operations at Google, the next “killer app” is the fusion of left brain and right brain abilities.  The company whose name has become a verb, has come up with another new word for your vocabulary:  “Googliness”.  What exactly does Googliness mean?  According to Bock it is “the ability to solve problems in unique ways, lead co-workers, and thrive in a loose organizational structure.”  In other words, it is the ability to effectively use both sides of your brain.