3 Things you should never do when you solve problems: What Vanilla Ice did wrong!
problem solving Add commentsThis all time classic “rap” song was a hit back in the day. I was listening to this song again and reflecting on it’s ability to infuse it’s way into my brain when suddenly the lyrics didn’t quite add up. Here are three things that I thought you should NEVER do when attempting to solve difficult problems.
If you have a problem yo I’ll solve it…
Most shrinks that a worth a dam will tell you that you can’t solve problems for other people if you want them to grow. As a lecturer I can tell you the answer… but what’s going to happen when you need to actually know it? You may remember me but I doubt you will remember the answer. So I would disagree with Ice on this point… you should never take on problems for other people soley. Don’t get me wrong I am not saying… bail out of the deal. I am saying… work with people collaboratively to solve problems. Facilitate!
I’m on a roll time to go solo…
In the opposite manner a difficult problem is best solve by a group of people. We have this sick notion in western society of the hero. The early pragmatists believed that you could best solve problems by working with people in a team situation. Collaborative endeavours and multiple views were the order of the day. Fast forward a hundred or so years and now we are trying to be our very best without thinking of how we can make use of many minds. It’s a sad state of affairs.
In WWII the war effort saw the greatest bringing together of disciplines. Social scientists working alongside mathematicians and so on. The concept of the mastermind group is amongst these great ideas. If I had actual friends I think I would like to have a group of problem solvers with different ideas. Sure, we would fight… but imagine the problems we would solve. It would be great! And yes, I think that economics rules the day at the moment… we need more perspectives!
Proof of concept lies in what works not what is said
Words words words! I hear this and that about running dope and a “borrowed” hook from Under Pressure by Queen… what Vanilla doesn’t do is show me. What we say in our problem solving efforts are largely just words… what actually works… now that’s where the money is. The problem with ideas is that they can be thought of as being in two forms… passive (not used) and active (used). When you take an idea and put it to work in an open environment there a many more variables than in the closed one of your mind. That’s why the results are always different that you thought… you didn’t know the variables!
In other words, ideas are only as good as their proof of concept. How well do they work? This is gutsy because when you put them to work you may have an idea, data, intuition, knowledge, facts and so on. You know that when you let them go… they are tested… much like how we stress test metal. Imagine if that expensive car you have was not tested. They just bolted bits and pieces on it and let it roll. What if they went for the cheapest materials? Stuff that works and improves things, proves the concept. That doesn’t mean however, that we have reached the end. We may not know the flaws for a couple of years yet!
The best thing I have heard (well one of the best) is that most people are rational. When you see somebody doing something… there’s a reason for it most of the time. Instead of judging you need to find out what works and why they did it. Then you will find the concepts at work in the situation. So in Vanilla’s case I have found a genuine concern in his ability to solve problems. He wants to do it on his own and he wants to solve your problems. Not only that but he talks too much and acts too little. In short, I hope you are not the same. I can’t say beyond conjecture why he thinks he can solve your problems… maybe he has access to metareality. For the rest of us I would against his problem solving advice.
Powered by MightyAdsense
Email to a friend
June 22nd, 2008 at 2:15 am
Most people are rational most of the time? I seriously doubt it!
Perhaps most people believe they are rational most of the time, but that’s a different story. You can check out my blog if you’re interested, but it boils down to this. People act according to their motives. Some of these may be subconscious, some may be conscious but, in point of fact, immaterial. Whatever their reasons, however poorly understood, people are likely to offer “rational” explanations. But these are, more often than not, stories automatically constructed to fit the perceived facts. Actions aren’t so much rational as rationalised!
June 22nd, 2008 at 8:59 am
It depends what you mean by rational. I think most people have a form of rationality, that is they are acting from a set of ideas they think are acceptable. So in that sense perhaps it’s better to say people are acting from a form of rationality that is able to be found by working backwards from action to motive. That said, I never said it would make sense!
Thanks Alan!