problem solvers wanted

Look around you today, there are 2 things you will find literally everywhere, namely;
Change and problems.
There were days when writers used type writers, now I do all my writing exclusively on my handheld blackberry. That is change.

Our city of Kampala is having to deal with problem after problem, from fire to child sacrifice, butayimbwa and so on the madness never stops.

In such a world the most significant persons are them. That solve our problems or show us how to handle the transformations that life subjects us to.

Ultimately problem solving is more an attitude than it is a skill to prove this,
Imagine you come ho
When companies advertise for Jobs one common thing they are looking for are people with problem solving ability. Unfortunately, this breed of people is rare because our education basically teaches to look for problems but never to solve them.

Just look back at our exam questions, examine the challenges faced by the missionaries. What are the problems faced by fishermen in kasenyi? No one asks for the solutions that one would adopt, if they do, students must replicate what they were dictated to in class.( If this is describes you, there is hope, I will be discussing how to become a problem solver over my next 2 articles.

Employers and the economy of uganda and world over are looking for problem solvers.

The thing that is common in people and businesses that weather the storms of change and problems is a creative, flexible and adaptable mind set.

The world history is a collection of trends, and trends are simply series of interconnected changes and incidences over time.

In other word we see through trends, change happening and problems metamorphosissing into unfamiliar phenomena altogether. For example who knew that your phone could be a bank and a teller or that MTN is a financial institution, mobile money is an example of new problems new solutions.

As a business man you need to understand that customer satisfaction only happens when your clients' problems are solved, they come to your restaurant to buy juice but want to take it home, solution, pack it in a desirable container don't tell them you don't do juice take away.

Businesses are successful that last the test of time are those which are set up to solve community problems, in this regard to this Andrew Carnegie one of the worlds richest men and philanthropists said, ' if any man desire to be rich he must provide a service that solves the needs of people in commensurate proportion to their wealth.'

However the challenge your business may have set out to solve may not be necessary anymore, for example companies started to increase production of typewriters are now obsolete, those that didn't transition are no more, Xerox on the hand understanding that their solutions were no longer relevant have gone ahead to re engineer themselves again as market leaders.

Locally speaking, barclays used to be a bank for the privileged few high end clientele only, but today Barclays problem has evolved down to individual, student and small business accounts, this is a sign of anticipating changes in needs and solving them.

To further illustrate this point I will use the example of a car;
At one time you used to take taxis because you were all over, on the days you worked late you couldn't find a taxi in the pack to Butalangwa where you live.

So you saved or borrowed and bought a kikumi(toyota corolla se). It solved the problem and now can get home anytime.

Soon you were married and a baby came along, you realized you needed more space and comfort so you bought an Ipsum, enough leg room for mummy baby and nanny.

Soon you got another baby and was promoted at work and needed to travel very often, you decided to buy a van so that more people could fit comfortably on some of your vacation trips.

This here is a typical example of one problem changing into different things, these things happen in business, ask MTN that started out with voice and a couple of call centers, today MTN is a bank(mobile money), a radio(MTN tunez), an internet service provider, a business consultancy(MTN business training) MTN has grown because they anticipate and solve business problems, this ability is available to you as a business and individual.

What you started with in your job 5 years ago probably won't solve todays work challenges..

There are 2 things I will suggest if you want to be a problem solver;
1. Develop a Solution oriented attitude, quit looking at the problems and you will see the solutions. Remember it doesn't take psychic powers to point out problems, but we worship people who help us solve these problems.

2.Appreciate the challenge,
It is important for you to look at your challenge in proper perspective, presumption is detrimental to any problem solving attempt because you could end up with more problems than you are trying to solve, so appreciate the gravity of your challenges.

3.Suggest a solution.
This is a sign of initiative,everyone is looking for it, both in private and public practice.

Use your head