A Whole New Mind
In this new era of the Information Age, book author Daniel Pink rightly pointed out the three challenges each of us are facing right now:
- For individuals at risk of losing their jobs due to outsourcing, you better ask yourself: "Can someone overseas do it cheaper?"
- Same as above, "Can a computer do it faster?". That is, can a computer automate your job?
- For businesses, "Is what I’m offering in demand in an age of abundance?"
Think of programmers, doctors and lawyers whose astronomical incomes used to dominate the job landscape but whose jobs are currently being offshored or outsourced to Asia (the author lumped Asia as the metaphor for outsourcing).
On the other hand, companies are forced to rethink their offerings because it’s not enough that their product or service is working. It must appeal to aesthetics, user experience, a higher calling or simply that which appeals to something that is bigger than life.
The book is somewhat a rehash of what proponents of emotional intelligence and right-brained thinking already know, that in the 21st century, we better attuned to our "six senses". Case in point: Apple with its emphasis on design (iPods, iPhones), nursing jobs (wow, the author notably mentioned the Philippines) and the like.
Lastly, the author added one idiom to our modern vocabulary: Abundance, Asia and Automation. These 3 forces are bound to shape our lives but then, to those who transcend these challenges, they are sure to excel head and shoulders above their peers. Or so the author thought…