In Marty Neumeier’s book, The Designful Company, he describes a phenomenon coined “third brain thinking.” We each have two brains – a left and right brain. The left brain controls word and language functions, is logic-based, comprehends facts, focuses on details, orders past and present, functions in reality, and forms strategy while the right brain controls symbol and imagery functions, is feeling-based, comprehends meanings, focuses on the big picture, orders future possibilities, functions in fantasy, and presents possibilities. (Thanks to Dan Eden’s Left Brain: Right Brain for that help.) And when the two work together, as a third brain, they form a sort of synergy, working in ways neither brain could function alone.

Neumeier explains third brain thinking really is a metaphor for holistic thinking, and my addition – critical thinking. How many times did you hear “critical thinking” in nursing school? It seems like it appeared every third sentence or so, and the skill was introduced, taught, measured, and refined throughout nursing school. Neumeier goes on to explain third brain thinkers have the ability to zoom in and out on problems, zooming out to see the grand picture, where the problem fits in the current situation, and how it is different from other situations and then zooming in again to focus on the problem details and solution quality. Third brain thinking is one quality of designful leaders, or those people who create solutions to difficult problems.

His explanation screams “nursing.” Nurses are constantly assessing both large and small situations, managing multiple patients, differentiating them, and focusing in on the small issues leading to quality care. The nurse’s critical, or third brain, thinking is one of his greatest assets, and it goes to show that it – and designful leadership – can be taught and refined to impact healthcare.