Memoirs of GB Episode 17: Solutions comes from the Leader

I go by the statement that

“problems can come from anywhere, but solutions will come from the Leaders”.

We have a choice to make, either we can be part of the problem or part of the solution.

People ask do you mean only leaders can solve the challenges, to me the one who solve the challenge is the leader and not the other way around. People in the bottom of the pyramid of the organization have phenomenal creativity and Innovation to solve some of the toughest challenges, today many hackathons tap this talent to solve some of the critical business challenges.

In my career over 2 decades now, 50% of time is spent on solving the challenges. I was confronted with some of the toughest projects across the globe, It’s the blessing in disguise to be part of such engagement that keeps you sharp with strict deadlines to solve those problems. Not just me, it’s a team effort and many a times we were like a pitstop in a formulae 1 race, a limited time to fix the problem to keep my champion racing hard and fast to win the race.

The first and foremost important criteria to solve any challenge is to spend ample amount of time on a problem. I call this as a flow approach, In one of the book I read the author describes an altered sense of time where we get so caught up in what we’re doing that we don’t notice time passing. We start working on something and then “wake up” hours later, wondering why it’s so dark outside. Flow comes from focus, total involvement, and deep concentration on something that completely absorbs us. Flow is part of the reason that a Pursuit to solve a problem is so appealing. We go into a flow mode when we’re working on something associated with a solution. Flow is enjoyable; it feels good to be so focused. This focus also lets us use both our conscious and subconscious mind to deal with challenges we encounter during the problem solving. We work on a problem during the day and finding the solution to the problem becomes so important to us that we devote our subconscious to the task as well. We have ideas while we were sleeping, while taking a shower, or when we are doing something that has nothing to do with the problem the Pursuit itself. Thus, the Pursuit helps us devote some of our subconscious energy to the achievement of our objective.

Now how to solve a problem before it arises, that comes out of experience and planning your mitigation for the unforeseen risks as well. Let me narrate this with a simple story

Years ago, a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops. As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals.

Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer. 'Are you a good farm hand?' the farmer asked him. 'Well, I can sleep when the wind blows,' answered the little man. Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him.

The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work. Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand's sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled, 'Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!' The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, 'No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows.'

Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement, he discovered that all the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away. The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew.

When you're prepared, spiritually, mentally, and physically, you have nothing to fear. Can you sleep when the wind blows through your life?

The hired hand in the story was able to sleep because he had secured the farm against the storm.

The above story goes on to talk about trials and tribulations in life and if we do our best to understand, accept, and implement the principles learnt by us we will experience a deep sense of security, peace, and joy from within.

We will then be able to 'sleep when the wind blows.'

Godspeed

Dinesh Chandrasekar DC*

P.S: All views expressed here are my personal views and opinion and have no bearing to the organization I work.?