Leonardo da Vinci: The Genius Who Used Both Sides of the Brain

When people think of Leonardo da Vinci, they often think of the artist who painted the Mona Lisa.

But Leonardo was much more than a painter.

He was an engineer, scientist, inventor, architect, anatomist and storyteller. He studied the human body, designed machines, explored flight, investigated nature and created some of the most influential works of art in history.

What made Leonardo extraordinary was not that he mastered one way of thinking.

It was that he connected two different ways of seeing the world.

The analytical Leonardo measured.

He studied proportions. He dissected bodies to understand anatomy. He calculated forces and designed machines. He filled thousands of pages with observations, diagrams and experiments.

This was the world of logic:

• numbers,
• structure,
• systems,
• evidence,
• precision.

But Leonardo also imagined.

Leonardo da Vinci was not brilliant because he chose between art and science. He was brilliant because he connected them. He measured the world like a scientist and imagined the world like an artist. That connection is exactly what great financial storytellers must learn to do.

He looked at a bird and did not only see feathers and muscles. He saw the possibility of human flight.

He looked at a human face and did not only see shapes and measurements. He saw emotion, personality and a hidden story.

This was the world of imagination:

• images,
• emotions,
• relationships,
• possibilities,
• meaning.

The genius of Leonardo was in the connection between these two worlds.

His famous drawing, the Vitruvian Man, is a perfect symbol. It combines mathematics and beauty. It shows that measurement and meaning are not opposites. They complete each other.

This is the same lesson financial professionals need to learn.

A client’s financial world requires the Leonardo approach.

The left side of thinking is essential:

• financial analysis,
• risk calculations,
• regulations,
• projections,
• planning.

But clients do not make life-changing decisions because of numbers alone.

They need the right side:

• a vision of their future,
• a story about what their money represents,
• an emotional connection to their goals,
• an understanding of who they want to become.

A financial plan without a story is like an engineering drawing without a purpose.

It may be accurate, but it does not inspire action.

Leonardo reminds us that the greatest human achievements happen when analysis and imagination work together.

The financial storyteller does not choose between numbers and stories.

Like Leonardo, they unite them.

They use the precision of science and the power of imagination to help people see a future that they could not see before.

Think of your brain as the interaction between the right and left part of your brain. On the left side of your brain are the rules, regulations, technology and with a need to control. Number crunching. Some basic functions of the left side of your brain are logic, reasoning, counting, planning, organizing, inspecting and analyzing.

On the right side of your brain is imagination, visual stimulation and emotion packed stories about relationship and experiences. The right side stirs us, entertains us and moves us in dramatic fashion. Some basic functions of the right side of your brain are imagining, seeing the big picture, relating, laughing, remembering and feeling.

The two sides of your brain are joined by 300 to 400 million fiber-optic connectors. At any given time those connectors are transmitting millions of pieces of information from the two sides of our brain with their two distinct ways of viewing our world. A computer has not been built that can mimic the instantaneous and diverse processing that takes place in our brain spontaneously.  In a conversation with a client our brain is receiving and sorting input from the client’s words and body language while simultaneously preparing and organizing the information and ideas we wish to communicate. We take this complex process for granted but it is an amazing process. The truth is that we have not come close to utilizing the capabilities we possess in our thinking or communicating skills.

Our concern is the possibility that we might be off the mark 90 percent of the time in the way we communicate financial concepts and solutions to our clients. We know we are usually off by 50 percent because presentation materials and dialogue are predominately tailored to the left side of the brain – the number-crunching center. We believe this seminar will help you to expand your brain’s potential to think and therefore communicate in clearer, more understandable ways to your clients.