Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

The central premise of this book is that people with slightly more right-brain skills will dominate the work force in the 21st century... or at least be much more important than the past 20 years. I bought this book because that is a premise I agree with, so I was curious to see how he demonstrated his point, or any advice he could offer. What I got was page after page of uninformed conjecture, hyperbole, cliches, and self-important blather. His premise? Left-brained work has dominated the industrial age, and the next "phase" of human development is what he decided to label the "conceptual age," where right-directed people will dominate. Really? You really think that? That's a hell of a statement... I hope you can back it up with some hard data... statistics, job growth numbers, etc? Anything? Nope. He claims the drivers towards the "Conceptual Age" are Abundance, Asia, and Automation. That's it. No further proof. Let's take these one at a time: Firstly, because of "Abundance", people are looking for better designs, even for ordinary household tools... thus designers become important. And apparently this is a new idea??? He believes that the words from the latest CEO of GM -- who said his job is to produce works of art that people drive -- as being somehow monumental. Oh my god! GM designs cars! They now care about "form" as well as "function!" Really??? You really think that's a new thing? So I guess then those fins on a 1956 Chevy are there for aerodynamic purposes... and the mountains of chrome were there to make it more visible at night. Apparently the author is equally ignorant of the real drivers of the "left-brained" industrial revolution in the 19th century: the production of cheap textiles for clothing. YEP! The industrial revolution existed for the benefit of fashion designers and other "right brained" people who were tired of the ordinary abundance of the tunic. And how much of the computer revolution existed because people wanted a more "personalized" computer experience for their home or business? Ever hear of the iMac??? The author should try to do some research once in a while... Secondly, because of "Asia," a lot of left-brian jobs -- computer programming, accounting, and legal -- are moving to Asia. Whereas right-brian jobs that require artistic design, communication, empathy, play, and meaning stay right in the USA. Since these jobs are "high-touch" jobs, they can't be outsourced. Really??? You really think right-brain jobs cant be outsourced? I got a graphic designer in the Philippines who says differently. I got a dozen "empathy hotlines" you can call if you're feeling like killing yourself, and they'll do a hell of a lot better talking you down from the ledge than your friends or family. I also know of some really good customer support centers in India who are highly trained in empathic communication. Ever hear of teleconferencing or telepresence? Right-brained jobs are just as easily outsourced with the right technology. Jobs are moving to Asia for one basic reason: SUPPLY AND DEMAND. Nothing more. Most American businesses prefer American workers, simply because culture differences, currency exchange rates, and time zones are a pain to deal with... but Asian workers are so much cheaper that they are worth the extra pain. However, these wages are only low in Asia because Asian industries are not big enough to demand local software developers, lawyers, and accountants. Once Asia becomes more industrialized, local businesses will be demanding up the local talent... which decreases their supply... which drives Asian wages up... which makes American talent more attractive to American businesses again. This is just cyclical unemployment on a global scale: no more. Again... some research by the author would have been nice... Thirdly, because of "Automation," those who just follow a well-defined process will be easily replaced by robots, computers, or Asians (apparently). In other words... technology eliminates low-skill jobs. SHOCKER! But of course, this isn't actually true. As any economics professor will tell you, technology is disruptive, but it doesn't eliminate jobs in the long run. The simple fact is that workers who learn how to use the new technology become more productive, and therefore more valuable to their employers! Yes, job responsibilities shift around a bit, but overall productivity increases, which creates more jobs in the medium term. Then the author goes on to the second section of the book, which contains anecdotes about what skills will be important in the 21st century: design (agree), story (maybe), "symphony" (give me a break...), empathy (big agreement there), play (agree), and meaning (agree). The stories are good reading, but they are never supported by any hard data. There is evidence of a fad, but no evidence of a trend. The single saving grace of this book are the right-brain exercises. They are pretty fun ways for a left-brain-leaning person to step out of their comfort zone and flex the right brain a little. If you find this book in the bargain bin for $5, then its worth it just for the exercises. Otherwise, you'll probably want to avoid it...