The fa
mous line from the Apollo space capsule scare, “Houston we have a problem.” has become a cliché used for just about everything imaginable as it relates to not being able to function. The problem is we end up with way too many problems and not enough problem solvers. The good news is there exists a set of problems that you and I are most likely designed to be able to solve. However, if we are inclined to only be able to recognize the presence of problems, we may never take that step which says I can do something to provide a fix or solution.
I am not mechanically adept, period, end of story. I admire people who are. I was certainly exposed enough growing up to know a lot more than I do but it
was not my thing. Our eldest son can fix nearly anything mechanical. Pumps, automobile repairs, home improvement projects, and just about any other type of need in this area, he can handle them all. I can’t. However, I do know how to diagnose and solve complex problems that pertain to organization, scheduling, coordination, execution, and planning issues. These are the problems I can solve.
One
of the great challenges for anyone is to come to realize what problems they can solve. It would be ludacris for me to tackle a mechanical project knowing I have little or no aptitude for it. Unfortunately, there are literally millions 
who are mismatched in their jobs today. I’m not talking about a dream world here. My youngest son used to say he would like to be an evangelist for the Lord specializing in reaching people on the golf courses of America. I’m not talking about this type of what would you rather be doing kind of issue. I’m talking about taking the time to know the types of problems you can solve because of your bent, your orientation, and your skills.
So many today can only see problems, talk about problems, and report problems but with little or no abilities to solve them. Some say training is the a
nswer and I would agree that’s one answer. However, you could train me on something mechanical until the cows come home and I would still not be able to be effective in that arena. But turn me loose on a project that involves research, interviews, analysis, conclusions, and recommendations, and I’m your guy. Over the years I’ve discovered this is my bent, this is where I function best, and while I’ve had to do many other things along the way, it is within this sphere that I have accomplished the best of what I have to offer.
I remember one time being pulled out of a direct management positio
n to head up a project team chartered to plan for the continuation of all corporate information processing functions in the event of a disaster. Several had attempted this task but had not been able to pull it off. My boss said he knew I had what was needed to solve this problem which was now required by law as part of our responsibility as a publicly traded company. While this recoverability and continuation of services stuff is readily available today, it was essentially a blank page back then.
Thi
s assignment was almost like a sabbatical sort of thing and it really challenged me at that time. Yes, I knew this type of work was right down my alley but vacating my manager position where I had a large staff and operating budget to tackle this project was very difficult. I agreed to do it. Someone was immediately promoted into my manager position. I went from a staff of forty to a three-person team made up of a senior analyst, an auditor, and myself. Thus we began our journey into uncharted territory.
Over the next twelve months we literally became experts. We attended conferences. We conducted interviews and visited with a variety of other companies. We discussed, argued, sometimes very loudly, but in the end we put together a first class plan for our company. Making sure business information systems can continue is an expensive proposition and it had to be approved by upper management before we could proceed. The team wanted to do a multimedia big bang type of production but as Project Manager I chose a handwritten flip chart instead.
The big issue was how we would be able to convey the sense of urgen
cy and the nee
d to invest extensively to accomplish these objectives. As I worked on the presentation at home our eldest son and I talked about how to get their attention. Together we came up with the idea of showing the downtown skyscraper that housed the company engulfed in flames. He was a pretty good artist so he drew the flames and I took care of getting an enlarged photo of our building. We strategically placed the realistic flames on the floor that housed the central computing center. Bingo! What a homerun we hit with that one picture!
The senior level executive who funded the project later said he had been very skeptical about this recommendation. But he testified that when he saw that picture and appreciated the fact that something like a fire could happen, he was sold. In
fact, he went on to say that picture came back to him many times later. Wow! Using what each one brings to the table is what solves problems. When the project was ended I had no home to go to since someone had filled my job. This made me a little nervous but within a couple of weeks the entire organization was shuffled and I ended up in a senior manager’s job overseeing an operation made up of over 100 people.
Was that project effective? Seven years later an outside audit team diss
ected that plan and when the smoke cleared they pronounced that with minor tweaking and updating it not only was viable, it was perhaps the best they had ever seen. This is what happens whenever people’s particular problem solving skills are applied to problems they are well suited to solve. Here’s to hoping you will find your niche in that grand scheme that you and you alone can do so well. At least it is something to shoot for and something worth pursuing. In finding that place you will learn what it means to make a life as opposed to just making a living! More later………….
mous line from the Apollo space capsule scare, “Houston we have a problem.” has become a cliché used for just about everything imaginable as it relates to not being able to function. The problem is we end up with way too many problems and not enough problem solvers. The good news is there exists a set of problems that you and I are most likely designed to be able to solve. However, if we are inclined to only be able to recognize the presence of problems, we may never take that step which says I can do something to provide a fix or solution.I am not mechanically adept, period, end of story. I admire people who are. I was certainly exposed enough growing up to know a lot more than I do but it
was not my thing. Our eldest son can fix nearly anything mechanical. Pumps, automobile repairs, home improvement projects, and just about any other type of need in this area, he can handle them all. I can’t. However, I do know how to diagnose and solve complex problems that pertain to organization, scheduling, coordination, execution, and planning issues. These are the problems I can solve.One
of the great challenges for anyone is to come to realize what problems they can solve. It would be ludacris for me to tackle a mechanical project knowing I have little or no aptitude for it. Unfortunately, there are literally millions 
who are mismatched in their jobs today. I’m not talking about a dream world here. My youngest son used to say he would like to be an evangelist for the Lord specializing in reaching people on the golf courses of America. I’m not talking about this type of what would you rather be doing kind of issue. I’m talking about taking the time to know the types of problems you can solve because of your bent, your orientation, and your skills.So many today can only see problems, talk about problems, and report problems but with little or no abilities to solve them. Some say training is the a
nswer and I would agree that’s one answer. However, you could train me on something mechanical until the cows come home and I would still not be able to be effective in that arena. But turn me loose on a project that involves research, interviews, analysis, conclusions, and recommendations, and I’m your guy. Over the years I’ve discovered this is my bent, this is where I function best, and while I’ve had to do many other things along the way, it is within this sphere that I have accomplished the best of what I have to offer.I remember one time being pulled out of a direct management positio
n to head up a project team chartered to plan for the continuation of all corporate information processing functions in the event of a disaster. Several had attempted this task but had not been able to pull it off. My boss said he knew I had what was needed to solve this problem which was now required by law as part of our responsibility as a publicly traded company. While this recoverability and continuation of services stuff is readily available today, it was essentially a blank page back then.Thi
s assignment was almost like a sabbatical sort of thing and it really challenged me at that time. Yes, I knew this type of work was right down my alley but vacating my manager position where I had a large staff and operating budget to tackle this project was very difficult. I agreed to do it. Someone was immediately promoted into my manager position. I went from a staff of forty to a three-person team made up of a senior analyst, an auditor, and myself. Thus we began our journey into uncharted territory.Over the next twelve months we literally became experts. We attended conferences. We conducted interviews and visited with a variety of other companies. We discussed, argued, sometimes very loudly, but in the end we put together a first class plan for our company. Making sure business information systems can continue is an expensive proposition and it had to be approved by upper management before we could proceed. The team wanted to do a multimedia big bang type of production but as Project Manager I chose a handwritten flip chart instead.
The big issue was how we would be able to convey the sense of urgen
cy and the nee
d to invest extensively to accomplish these objectives. As I worked on the presentation at home our eldest son and I talked about how to get their attention. Together we came up with the idea of showing the downtown skyscraper that housed the company engulfed in flames. He was a pretty good artist so he drew the flames and I took care of getting an enlarged photo of our building. We strategically placed the realistic flames on the floor that housed the central computing center. Bingo! What a homerun we hit with that one picture!The senior level executive who funded the project later said he had been very skeptical about this recommendation. But he testified that when he saw that picture and appreciated the fact that something like a fire could happen, he was sold. In
fact, he went on to say that picture came back to him many times later. Wow! Using what each one brings to the table is what solves problems. When the project was ended I had no home to go to since someone had filled my job. This made me a little nervous but within a couple of weeks the entire organization was shuffled and I ended up in a senior manager’s job overseeing an operation made up of over 100 people.Was that project effective? Seven years later an outside audit team diss
ected that plan and when the smoke cleared they pronounced that with minor tweaking and updating it not only was viable, it was perhaps the best they had ever seen. This is what happens whenever people’s particular problem solving skills are applied to problems they are well suited to solve. Here’s to hoping you will find your niche in that grand scheme that you and you alone can do so well. At least it is something to shoot for and something worth pursuing. In finding that place you will learn what it means to make a life as opposed to just making a living! More later…………. 
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