Daniel Pink on Six Abilities That Matter Most

David Warlick blogged about a presentation by Daniel Pink, author of A Whole New Mind.

http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/2007/07/18/daniel-pink-at-leadership-event-in-new-jersey/

Warlick noted that Pink said it’s no longer computer skills that we need but skills that can’t be outsourced:

Six abilities that matter the most:

Design
Story
Symphony — the ability to see the big picture, recognize patterns, see what’s not there.
Empathy
Play
Meaning

This list excites me. It’s filled with promise. But it scares me too – what are we teaching in LIS education that build these skills? Are we teaching graduate students to play? To see the meaning in what they do — the context? Are we teaching them to continue and tell the story of libraries?

The Fall semester starts in just 6 weeks. It’s filled with promise as well. Tell me, LIS folk, what would be the best ways to impart these skills to your future employees?