I liked reading Daniel Pink’s article “High Concept, High Touch” because I feel as though he breaks down the everyday mind into parts, but also emphasizes how success is drawn from people who utilize both parts to create a cohesive whole. People who learn to balance their creativity with their intelligence can make a greater impact for their profession, and are able to work on a higher level.

Pink separates the left brain and the right brain and discusses how they are separately essential to a person’s abilities, but when they are used together, a phenomenal result occurs. Someone who is an “L-Directed” thinker can think logically, and are often seen as essential to the economy or work force. Being “L-Directed Thinking” is preferred in many businesses. However, people who are “R-Directed Thinking” are often overlooked and underestimated when it comes to their performance. Contrary to what many people think, the creative “R-Directed Thinking” people are just as essential because they are able to open their minds up to options that an “L-Directed Thinking” person might not see as logical, but are options worth trying. In fact, as Pink points out, there are studies that say that being an “R-Directed” thinker can sometimes be more influential in the present work force because of their innovative natures. Sure, it’s good to be able to think logically or calculate difficult sums, but being an enjoyable personality and to be innovative, as most “R-Directed Thinking” people tend to be, is just as important.

Another interesting point he makes is that a person’s IQ or SAT score has nothing to do with their performance in the work force. I find myself agreeing with this quite strongly. I know personally that some people are just not capable of performing well on a test, but they are quite intelligent individuals. Without delving into the controversial standardized test, I do believe that the criteria for a person’s success should be something other than a test score. I absolutely love Professor Sternberg’s “Rainbow Project”, because it does just this. It takes the “L-Directed Thinking” preference out of the equation and instead allows for the “R-Directed Thinking” personalities to shine and demonstrate their capabilities.

Lastly, I agree with Pink’s conclusion that “L-Directed Thinking” is necessarily, but it is not all that there is, and that we need to better understand the “R-Directed Thinking” to provide for a better whole, instead of settling for the better half.