Step 4: Seek Novelty and Innovation We have looked at the role of the left hemisphere in achieving the highest levels of cognitive fitness; now let's turn to the right hemisphere's contribution. The importance of expanding the brain's capacity to deal with novelty, a capacity typically associated with right-hemisphere functioning, becomes particularly obvious when we consider the fact that the right hemisphere deteriorates faster with age than the left. The right hemisphere was once described by some neuroscientists as the "inferior" hemisphere in terms of cognitive functions, because it is the left side that governs our abilities in language and basic or linear logic. For many years, it wasn't clear how critical a role the right hemisphere played in obtaining the knowledge and wisdom that is later encoded in the left side. Research is now revealing that the right hemisphere is the exploratory part of the brain, dedicated to discovery and learning. When a child studies a language or an adult takes up painting - any time people look at and experience the world in a novel way - the right hemisphere is exercised. Later, the new knowledge (language, for instance) migrates to the left, exploitative hemisphere, where it is organized, encoded, and made available for day-to-day retrieval and use. If the left hemisphere is about language expression, then the right is about language acquisition. As on the left side, the neural networks on the right benefit from exercise. The more new things you learn, the better you become at learning. Actively engaging in novel, challenging activities capitalizes on your capacity for neuroplasticity - the ability of your brain to reorganize itself adaptively and enhance its performance. Studies of older adults usually show that those who live this way possess more complex neural networks than those who do not. The people who remain engaged in life consistently display an attitude of openness to new and unexpected experiences. Abraham Goldstein followed such a regimen of cognitive fitness. As a lawyer living in Manhattan and a professor emeritus at Baruch College, Goldstein continued to tutor law students and lead a physically and mentally active life to the age of 103. Continuous learning can provide another important benefit. Research shows that the Abraham Goldsteins of this world are more resistant to Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. Take the case of Richard Wetherill, a retired university lecturer and a talented chess player who could think eight moves ahead. In early 2001, Wetherill noticed that his chess ability had diminished; he could see only five moves ahead. Convinced that this was a signal that something was wrong with him, he consulted a neurologist. He took the usual diagnostic tests and passed them all. His brain scans looked quite normal. He died two years later, and an autopsy was conducted. Postmortem brain pathology showed that Wetherill had suffered from advanced-stage Alzheimer's, which would have rendered most individuals cognitively nonfunctional. Wetherill's case illustrates how those who are cognitively fit thanks to vigorous intellectual stimulation can be protected from the mental decline that comes with age. People who are receptive to novelty and innovation also tend to be good in a crisis, because they are open to seeing opportunity in even the direst situations. Gene Krantz's reaction to the darkest moment of the Apollo 13 emergency is a case in point: "I believe this will be our finest hour." Krantz had a long history of challenging convention, policy, and practice at NASA. He organized special teams that drew talent out of traditional silos and across boundaries. He also gave outside vendors office space in his complex to build expertise and relationships. He was featured in Michael Useem's book The Leadership Moment as a paragon of effective creative leadership. There's no way to verify this without neural imaging, but we would expect Krantz's brain to have a highly connected network of neural pathways in the right hemisphere. His mind-set and experiences lead to the kind of right-hemisphere development that is so critical to cognitive fitness. People who are receptive to novelty and innovation also tend to be good in a crisis, because they are open to seeing opportunity in even the direst situations. More generally, what we're talking about is having an open attitude that Buddhist monks refer to as the beginner's mind, a willingness to step back from prior knowledge and existing conventions in order to start over and cultivate new options - a challenge that typically activates right-hemisphere cognitions. If you are really serious about creating innovative options, you couldn't do better than to turn to Buddhist thinking. In Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, Shunryu Suzuki describes the Zen mind as one that is open, allowing for both doubt and possibility, and one that has the ability to see things as fresh and new. As he observed, "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few." We also advocate adopting a protege. While it's widely known that being a protege benefits rising executives, an ongoing stream of research reveals that the person who often gets the most value from a mentoring relationship is the mentor, who is exposed to information, queries, and ideas from which she may otherwise be too remote. In the field of medicine, for example, senior attending physicians can learn a lot from the insightful questions raised by students. Cognitive fitness can affect every part of your life. On an organizational level, it may be the ultimate lever for sustainable competitive advantage. Your critical task as a leader is to promote the highest levels of organizational performance by creating environments where people can achieve their brains' full potential. Thinking through the four steps and deciding how they apply to the strategic challenges your company faces is a good way to begin. Not all companies will come up with exactly the same mix of practices and policies; the cognitive profile required by a large company in the automobile industry may differ from what you'd need to run a biotech start-up. The former might emphasize left-hemisphere activity (for example, spotting hidden patterns in demand), while the latter might call mainly for right-hemisphere activity (for example, coping with a series of failed R&D projects). Whatever the best approach for your organization may be, a brain-positive culture that encourages people to put their whole brains to work can become a reality only with the right kind of committed leadership. The future belongs to companies with leaders who develop cognitive fitness for themselves and their organizations. CEOs need to be cognitive coaches to those whose work and decisions collectively create and propel the company's strategy.