Blind spots

The key to better understanding and dealing with the subjective dimension of education is to help us become more aware of the blind spots each of us has, due in part to our intellectual wiring. Understanding how our brain functions can help us become better leaders, teammates and performers.

I've learnt in the past few years that the two hemispheres of our brain control completely different functions - the left side controls our objective, tangible or "hard" side and the right side controls our subjective, intangible or "soft" side. Going back to a traumatic childhood I learnt that, rather amazingly, the right side of my brain provided me with a total sense of well-being and even euphoria. My left hemisphere also takes pride in its ability to categorise, organise, describe, judge and critically analyse absolutely everything. In order to keep up with life's experiences in the external world, my left mind processes information remarkably fast - much faster than my right hemisphere.

I think most have grown up learning to use our left brain much more than our right - through elementary school learning the 3Rs and through high school learning algebra, science or a second language. For many of us, our first job required us to quickly learn a number of new skills and tasks, and so again, we focused on using our left brain.

Fortunately, we have the ability to recalibrate our brain's circuitry. Thanks to their neural plasticity, their ability to shift and change their connections with other cells, you and I walk the earth with the ability to be flexible in our thinking, adaptable to our environment, and capable of choosing who and how we want to be in this world. Fortunately, how we choose to be today is not predetermined by how we were yesterday.

I have spent a large part of my life developing the left side of my brain, so much so that I tend to overuse the left brain and override the right. This can be useful when we have to analyse data but it can also create serious blind spots.

So, remember:

• Things are not always as they appear. Be willing to entertain the notion that you may not have the whole picture.

• When someone sees things differently, try to understand their point of view; they might know something you don't.

• Get input from multiple sources so they can help point out possible blind spots.