Machines are getting smarter every day and the vast majority of people believe AI will impact their work; either by replacing their job (36%) or by requiring upskilling (86%). For many of us, our way of working today is highly skewed towards using the logical, analytical thinking (which was often ascribed to the left side of the brain) which has helped us to enhance our strategic and problem-solving abilities in the workplace.
However, this is the space where AI readily competes with human intelligence. What’s been long thought of as a strength of right side of the brain, on the other hand, can bring exceptional qualities that no computer could replicate, making it a power that anyone has access in order to stay relevant in a world of increasing technological advancement. It’s important to note that “left brain/right brain” personality traits have been disproven by research, but a report published in Harvard Health asserts: “There is truth to the idea that some brain functions reside more on one side of the brain than the other.”
Our left brain simplifies our view of the world around us. It creates a model of reality which we can then use, manipulate and get things done. In contrast, the right brain experiences the full richness of the world at any present moment. Here is an example of the difference: Imagine your colleague asks, “Where do you live?” You will likely tell them your town and maybe the street or a nearby landmark (useful information to find each other yet information any computer has too).
If someone asks you instead, “What do I see when I stand in your street?” do you notice the picture that immediately comes to your mind? What is important to know about the right brain is that it processes in images. It’s not for nothing that we say “a picture is worth a thousand words.”
When you share that picture with your colleague, you will share more information and what matters to you about where you live, which strengthens your connection with your colleague.
A key strength of right-brain thinking can help us to overcome AI anxiety. While the left brain helps us to be effective, it can also get trapped in its own system, paying attention only to what it already knows and amplifying concerns.
As the right brain sees the whole, anything new also first comes into awareness through our right brain. When we are trapped in our thinking—in this case, the growing fear that new AI technology will make many human jobs superfluous—we need the right brain to unlock new ideas, insight and perspectives. As such, employees need their right brain see how to evolve their skills, capabilities, or even their jobs to succeed in the future of work.
As a leader, you can help your employees step away from AI anxiety by taking the following steps.
Make the AI experience real
While leaders use generative AI regularly, many employees don’t. Without experiencing something with our own senses, our speculation runs wild. Make sure your team members use AI to see for themselves how it works and what it does.
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As the right brain processes in images, we have to visualize work to bring in the right brain i.e. ask team members to find a picture or metaphor that illustrates what is most important to them about doing the work they do.
Treat AI as a new team member
With the above type of picture in mind, brainstorm how you, your team and AI can collaborate to achieve the work together, and in better ways.
The right brain is also essential in interpreting context, the real world around us, through the information we gather through our senses. Our emotional life originates through the right side of our brain because the right brain is more strongly connected to our body. This is true for our own emotions and for relating to the emotions of others. In this way, the right brain is a source of information about ourselves and others. Crucially, these are qualities that machines will find hard to ever possess. Leaders can help their teams to strengthen right brain qualities in many ways.
Change the question
“What do you think” is almost the standard way we proceed once a topic has been introduced in a conversation. It typically generates a left-brain response: a logical, structured argument. If we instead ask “What do you see, hear or sense,” we invite a right-brain response, which focuses on bringing a situation to life. This gives us a richer picture of the topic at hand, invites exploration and inevitably generates new ideas.
Bring metaphors into conversations
Many leaders will be familiar with the power of a good metaphor, such as going after some low-hanging fruit, riding out the financial storm, boiling the ocean or winning the battle. Metaphors immediately activate the right brain as they invoke images in our mind. Someone might say in a conversation, “This just feels heavy” when referring to a piece of work.
Your role as the leader is to capture the image and make it more visible. A little prompt like, “Heavy? Tell me more, what kind of heavy?” can already invite the right brain to elaborate. Make metaphors a feature in your discussions and encourage your teams to do the same.
Practice learning from the body
Some people are more attuned to their body language than others, yet we can all learn to become more aware of our bodies, step by step, and explore the resulting insights.
Think of a colleague who has been irritating you lately. When you observe them in a meeting room, take a moment to sit exactly like them. You might notice you feel very tired in that position. Then you suddenly remember they have been first in the office each morning for the past two weeks, and you start wondering what is going on. Once that realization is there, you will be curious to find out more. When you, as the leader, start paying attention to body language, others will follow.
When inviting the right brain to participate in a conversation we see more, think differently, and bring new insights. We are more in touch with our environment and with the people around us.
In a world where the problem-solving abilities of AI are increasing every day, we need to get smarter too, and capitalize on the human qualities and skills we can bring to the workplace. The right brain is like your personal genie in the bottle: an enormous power for you, and your team, to release and use.
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