Who Doesn't Love A Problem Solver? by Marc LeVine

“If I had an hour to solve a problem I'd spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.” ―?Albert Einstein

Who doesn’t love and respect problem solvers??Probably, only those who do not agree with a specific solution and its outcome. Those which may cause them some personal displeasure, discomfort and perhaps - loss. Otherwise, everybody loves a winner and problem solvers are generally considered winners. This is largely due to the benefits they yield for others when they "get it right".

We have been conditioned to love problem solvers from the times of Archimedes (mathematics) to those of Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Eli Musk (Technical innovation). For the record, there have been many other "great ones" between these “bookends” such as Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Jonas Salk, Madame Curie.?And the list goes on.

And, if real life problem solvers are not enough, the arts have given us plenty of fictitious ones to fawn over. We have been impressed by super sleuths from Sherlock Holmes to Inspector Poirot and Sci fi icons from Captain James T. Kirk to Tony Stark. That is, when he is outside of his “Iron Man” suit.

What is it about problem solvers that appeal to us so much that we are so often in awe of them??It’s quite simple.?Our world has no shortage of problems to solve, many of which require solutions that most of us are incapable of coming up with. ?Some of these problems are HUGE and take special types of people to solve them.

Consider these... How can we prevent or end wars among superpowers??Which drugs and treatments will prevent and cure terminal illnesses like Cancer, Alzheimer's and ALS? ?What needs to be done to save our planet from the effects of climate change??

All of the above are hard questions currently challenging some of the greatest minds of our time. Even those kids who graduated college at fourteen! All these complex problems remain unresolved even after decades of sophisticated trial and error. Eventually, someone finds an answer, which makes life better for all of us. We bow to them, because we know what it took to succeed.

We Are All Problem Solvers Without the Hype

While the “giants” seem to get the most credit, "Average Joes" like you and me are confronted with problems we need to solve every day at home, school, or work.?Maybe not all the problems we face are of the same magnitude as those previously mentioned, but they certainly are important enough to our families, employers, and customers. ?And, when we solve them, we become heroes in our own right.

There have been many books and films made about the great problem solvers of the world and from those we have learned that there are many unique approaches to problem solving. ?The preferred style is usually tied to the personality type of the individual. ?There are pluses and minuses with each.

Adventurers?tend to “wing it” more often, preferring to take greater risks. They choose to rely mostly on gut reactions when choosing which path(s) to take to achieving desired results. These individuals also tend to be overly optimistic and believe that things will usually work out well for them. ?The problem is – they often fail to take matters seriously enough to effectively analyze and factor in all the critical variables. This often results in poor decision making.

Detectives?embrace data and follow it wherever it may lead. In fact, they may over-rely on data and fail to collaborate with others, who can provide important insights that may help them reach better decisions.

Listeners?spend more time listening to others than thinking on their own, when balance is needed. Rarely do they contribute their own opinions or express their own viewpoints, which may be at odds with others. Challenging the opinions and views of others may present additional alternatives to consider and choose from.

Thinkers?take on far too much input and far too many opinions, which may scatter their brains and create too much confusion about which direction(s) to ultimately take.

Visionaries?are so creative that they may overlook the obvious in favor of cheesy options that are over the top and glitzy.

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Here is the bottom line about problem solving. It is an inexact science that requires inexact expectations based on exact facts, exact input, and exact conclusions. In other words, knowing you have done your best to make for a practical decision within a reasonable time frame is probably enough.?

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The Author

My Recent Interview on “Engineering Success”

Marc LeVine is a graduate of Syracuse (NY) University with a degree in Industrial Psychology, Marc is currently Talent Acquisitions and Learning and Development Lead at Thermo Systems. He is the recipient of the Excellence in Talent Acquisitions Award from HR Awards in 2021.

Marc's prior employment includes senior Human Resources and Staffing Industry management roles with Edgewood Properties in Piscataway, NJ, Brickforce Staffing in Edison, NJ, InfoPro Inc. in Woodbridge NJ and Plainsboro, NJ and Harvard Industries in Farmingdale, NJ, a former Fortune 500 company. He also served as Director of Human Resources for New Jersey Press, the parent company of the Asbury Park Press, Home News and Tribune and WKXW-NJ101.5. Earlier in his career, Marc served as Director of Career Services and Placement at Union Technical Institute in Eatontown and Neptune, NJ. In addition, Marc owned and operated Integrity Consulting Associates, a New Jersey based Human Resources and Social Media Marketing firm for 11 years. Marc also served as Council President in his hometown of Freehold Borough, NJ