How To Exercise The Right Side Of Your Brain. Most People Are Left Brain Dominant.

HOW TO EXERCISE THE RIGHT SIDE OF YOUR BRAIN

Using both sides of the brain can produce valuable payoffs, such as improved management, enhanced motivation and greater job satisfaction.

Although physiologically almost identical, the left and right hemispheres of the human brain have separate specialties. The left brain is verbal, literal, analytical, time-bound and sequential, while the right brain is non-verbal, spatial, holistic, imaginative, intuitive and creative. The hemispheres work together, but one side usually dominates and is used to process every situation.

Most people are left-brain dominant, and our world of numbers, measurements and logic promotes left-brain thinking. Responsible for analyzing, meeting deadlines and developing budgets, managers typically operate predominantly from the left, as well. This leads to rigidity which can stifle creativity, imagination and intuition, all of which are valuable assets in management.

How do you know if you favor the left or right brain? Respond to the following statements with true or false.

1) I prefer standard procedures and proven ways of doing things.

2) I am more likely to notice details and remember facts than to generalize new possibilities and alternatives.

3) I prefer to pursue dreams and goals for the future, as opposed to living in the here and now.

4) My friends probably would describe me as more imaginative and change-oriented than practical and stable.

5) When making decisions, I prefer being logical and analytical, regardless of how I feel.

6) It's easier for me to express my feelings than to make objective decisions.

7) I tend to work in bursts of energy rather than constant, steady energy.

8) To me, it is more important to know how to implement an idea than to develop another concept.

9) I am better at coming up with new visions than describing details, colors and sounds.

10) It is more difficult for me to adapt to constant change than to deal with routine matters.

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Review your answers. "True" responses to numbers 1,2,5,8,10 indicate left-brain dominance, with a preference for logic and linearity. If you answered "true" to numbers 3,4,6,7 or 9, you're more right-brain dominant and, thereby, intuitive and creative. Most people clearly demonstrate a preference for one side or the other. If you are divided equally, consider yourself rare and fortunate.

To become a more effective manager, learn to use whole brain thinking where the left side is merged with the right. In whole brain thinking, before the left side makes a decision, it is committed to check with the right brain. The best results come from a healthy cooperation between logical thought and intuition. Creativity is based on the synergistic relationship between the left and right brain -- equally dependent on the left brain's ability to grasp the value of a good idea and logically work out problems it presents.

To improve management skills, commit to exercise the weaker side of your brain. Try the following to tap into the right brain:

* Communicate through sensing, touching and visual imagery. Don't just tell, but describe as vividly as possible. Listen with the eyes, as well as the ears.

* Acknowledge and express your feelings instead of repressing them. Keep a journal.

* Expand your perspective by visualizing in the future. Think in larger terms than just today or tomorrow (i.e, If you only had three months to live, what would you do?).

* Practice visualization. See yourself performing well on the job, at home, in recreational activities, etc.

If you are an atypical individual who already favors strong right brain, develop your left brain through these suggestions:

* Make a "to-do" list daily or weekly; cross off items upon completion.

* Take notes during meetings; write down and remember details.

* Organize your desk and eliminate clutter.

* Force yourself to read directions of assembly or operation to devices.

* Read books of applied science, computer skills or problem-solving puzzles.

* Increase your vocabulary by learning a new word a day, or study a new language.

Using both sides of the brain can produce valuable payoffs, such as improved management, enhanced motivation and greater job satisfaction.

REFERENCE

The Energy Director Assessment. Beaverton, Ore.: Great Performance Inc., 1990.

Thomas P. Sattler, Ed.D., is a professor of kinesiology at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Julie E. Mullen, M.S., is the program director at the Grand Ohio Athletic Club, which is operated by Tennis Corporation of America.

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