Those who can solve problems gain influence very quickly.
People respect those who tackle and resolve difficulties between people with creativity and persistence.
What problem solving means for leaders
Problems always arise, because we interact with people in a complex, dynamic world.
Leaders face problems because they are unavoidable. Sooner or later, the problem has to be solved anyway.
What problem solving looks like in practice
10,000 ways that didn’t work
Thomas Edison needed more than 10,000 attempts to build a working light bulb. “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work,” he said – and his Menlo Park lab became a model for modern research.
A movie that was never meant to be made
A direct rescue of six U.S. diplomats from Iran would have been too dangerous. CIA agent Tony Mendez disguises them as a Canadian crew for a fake sci-fi film – and goes through with the plan even when the CIA wants to call it off.
One mathematician against Rome’s legions
When the Romans besieged Syracuse, Archimedes turned the law of the lever, pulleys and geometry into catapults and defensive machines. He kept improving them against each new attack – keeping the city defensible for over two years.
What the animation shows
A tangled knot unravels loop by loop into clear order.
