towards leadership and culture

We are all familiar with the right brain left brain dichotomy. Which one are you? Daniel Pink has written a book about the value of right brain thinking in his book A Whole New Mind. He takes a look at some emerging trends in today’s global economy. His main argument is that left brain work is becoming automated and is losing value. The jobs of engineers and scientists are being done better and cheaper by computers and outsourced personel. Meanwhile, right brain jobs are becoming more and more important in a world that is searching for meaning. It is a fascinating read. Parts of the book reminded me of Thomas Friedman’s The World is Flat (another great read) where he argues that the boundaries between global comerse and culture are being removed.

So Pink believes that right-brainers will rule the futre… kind of. The core of Pink’s argument is that left brain work will have to be spiced up with right brain creativity. Those who wish to succede in our flat world must be able to add meaning to their work that surpasses the basic functions of their job. Engineers must create works that are equally artistic as they are function. Scientists must be able to relate to moral and social causes to their work. Pink paints an overall priority of empathy with the right brain.

Which way do you lean? Right or left? Can you add more right brain meaning to your left brain tasks? What would this even look like? I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in making the biggest impact possible in your nine to five occupation.

Woah, woah… dont let the title fool you. The Art of Manliness is much more than a collection of macho manisims. Brett and Kay McKay aim to paint a picture of the modern day gentleman. Subjects incude gutting a fish, changing a diaper, landing a plane and delivering a baby: everything you need to know to operate as a true man (see: gentleman).

I was surprised by the tone that Brett and Kay took towards the end of the book as they progressed through the superficial qualities of manliness and began to take a closer look at heart matters. I got the feeling that the authors suckered me in with fisticuffs and hit me with paternal advice. It was good! This book lacks any spiritual insight regarding masculinity but still offers a fun look into the life of a modern day gentleman. It was a fun read and I would recommend it for anyone interested in some casual, and sometimes challenging, fun.

Think Orange discusses the disconnect that exists between the church and the family. The premise of the book is simple: red and yellow make orange, therefore think orange. OK, it is not exactly that simple. Reggie Joiner paints the church yellow and the family red; something about halos and hearts (or something like that). The important part is how he challenges families and ministry leaders to consider each other when raising up children. He does a good job at highlighting strengths of orange thinking citing Biblical, historical and social studies.

This is not Joiner’s doctoral thesis on family ministry. It is, however, a useful guide to help you start thinking about family ministry. The second half of the book offers some helpful images of family ministry that would be useful for any church. If any of us could begin to implement some of the concepts that Joiner and his team have captured we would be in a better place.  I have brought some of Joiners ideas to my team already. This book is well worth your time… but dont read it alone. Make sure that everyone in your church who works with babies to eighteen year olds gets their hands on this book. It is really that good.

What about your church? Does your church think orange? Is the family regarded as one unit or do you ministries take a narrow view of children and students?