Don't forget No.2

Often we are preoccupied with getting it right. We are also occupied of doing the best and being number one. But when solving problems, we should choose the best solutions. And sometimes it's not the number one option.

While our top solution and best solution may be the most efficient, maybe the most technologically sound, but in reality, you have to match those attributes to the attributes that is involved in solving your problem. These are the attributes of the solution. As much as we want to find the solution and solve the problem, we also have be aware of what makes a good solution. These are the solution's attributes. 

Situation where this arises, is when the solution that we think is number one, the best and the right one, may not be agreeable to everybody or the stakeholders who have a vested interest in their solution. We should also take a look, as closely as we do the first one, the second solution. Note what are the attributes that make it a good solution. And what are the attributes that don't make it a good solution? Those that are less better than the number one option. 

Quite often problem solvers are enamored by the most complex or elegant solution. They forget that there are other factors to take into consideration. Like cost. Like time. 

Your number two solution may not be the most elegant, nor the fastest, but it could be the cheapest. It may take longer, but if it doesn't go over the threshold time limit, do a comparison of the final cost of generating the solution or executing the solution. Sometimes, a problem which doesn't 'have a solution' will suddenly find one the in the second best solution.

Getting over being upset

A normal reaction to a problem is obviously getting upset. Especially when things do not work as expected. Worse, when things are not there where as expected. I have mild autism. I get really upset when things i leave in a particular place, is moved by someone else. When I need them, they are not there. I am also as upset when I lose things, whether it's my fault or someone else's. I spend and expend my energy in looking for them. All my focus is aimed to find it, to return to normality.

A problem is an abnormality. Everybody knows that. It's not something that is supposed to happen. But what if it was. What if we change our attitude towards problems from making it an abnormal event but into a regular one or even an expected one. A regular event can be handled normally because it's a normal occurrence. It's not something expected but it is something that just happens. Like cars when we are crossing the road. We don't know if there are cars coming. But if it does, it just happens. And to a certain degree, it is expects. We are standing at the roadside, so card driving by is not a surprise. A cow falling from the sky is but cars driving past are not. A problem that occurs and expected is one that is planned for. We are prepared for it and when it happens, we know what to do. If we are not prepared for it, should we get upset. Think about who is getting upset and why. Consider this: We can choose to not be upset. We can choose to act like the problem is something expected. We act so even if we weren't prepared for it because we choose how to react. Don't get upset. Don't let other people get you upset. Admit there is a problem. Take first step. And go ahead an solve it.

Don't get angry, get it done

It is normal to feel angry when something bad happens or when something doesn't go your way. This is very natural and most do it with all the time. But in terms terms of productivity, this is time wasted. 

Ok, we have to release our emotions. Keep that to minimal. What is better is to focus on the outcome. What was it that we wanted to happen or avoid happening. The faster we switch to this mode, the more productively can be. In fact comma it is the way we can be more positive. We should focus on how to fix it, if it needs to be fixed. We should focus on preventing it from happening again, if it needs to be stop. By shifting our focus, we can be a better person. Instead of wallowing in our anger, we can make change to the world around us.

This is more so when solving problems. When there is a problem, a lot of people focus on the problem and not the solution. By focusing on the solution, we can become more patient, less agitated and more of a calm person. This is wonderful if you are having blood pressure issues.

So the next time something bad happens, and you start feeling angry, try and stop yourself. As soon as possible, start focusing on the solution, start solving the problem.

One way of beating problem solving fatigue

We have all been there. We solve problem after problem, yet the big goal seems no closer than before. We get tired, even tired of success. Because right after that success, the ugly head of another problem rears itself.

I am a fan of Anthony Robbins. I am a fan because Anthony Robbins relentlessly pushes you to become better, to be successful and to achieve your goals. And he does so without being condescending and finding the best in everybody and everything. He may not get his facts right all the time but he understands that being a public figure with recorded audio and video, his mistakes stick around longer than most people. But that does not slow him down.
He taught me to think, "What is it I need to do achieve my goals" and "What needs to happen for me to achieve my goals and what can I do to make it happen". Now this temperament is also applicable to homicidal maniacs and sociopaths, so passing that through your moral code is a must. But in most cases, these ideas have helped me out when I run out of solutions or possible solutions.
The first idea is more of a wake up call. It is not so much asking you to do something, it is asking you to do anything instead of nothing. It is asking you to think up of something to do to in the pursuit of your objective. It is a call to action.
The second idea is more cerebral and goes towards thinking of what do to. It does not look only at the problem or you but also the environment. The driving idea is this: Success is possible when conditions of success is met. Once you figured that out, now what are you going to do about it. What are you going to do to change the environment so that success is possible. Changing the environment helps you focus on something than the problem directly and something that is possible to change.
Anthony Robbins is a smart man. He is even a smarter speaker. You should spend the time to listen to him.

Sometimes one of the best things to do when we are tired, is to stop and listen to someone who wants you to succeed.

Managing Relief and Problem Solving at the same time

When problems takes time to solve, we can provide relief to reduce it's effect while we are solving them. Providing relief mean managing resources. Resources that are used for providing relief are not going to be used to solve the problem. In fact, providing relief will sometimes delay when the problem will be solved. The balance between providing relief and solving the problem should be considered carefully.

If the problem is being solved by a team, the team could be split into two groups. One group focuses on providing relief and managing the relief effort. The other group will focus on solving the problem and executing the 5Steps. However, if we are the only one solving the problem, the resource to manage is our time. We must focus on each effort seperately by putting aside time for each. When solving the problem, use the 5Steps as a guide to provide direction or the next step in the process. Use it also to track your progress or where you are on the way to solve the problem. When switching to providing relief, the focus should be on reducing the effects of the problem. Understand the difference between providing relief and solving the problem. The relief does not solve the problem because it does not address the cause of the problem. Relief deals with the effects of a problem. This can be what the problem causes, how it is being felt or what it takes away from the people affected. It very easy to succumb to the temptation to solve the problem while providing relief. While we may gain insight into the problem while providing relief, the effort to solve the problem should be done separately. This way, the relief is not diluted or lessen nor the effort to solve the problem be side-tracked.
Providing relief and solving the problem happens over time. It is more so when there is only one person doing both. During this time establish communication between people who have common concerns. This can be between people who are solving the problem and the people providing relief. While providing relief, that may have better insight into the problem and can share that with the people who are solving the problem. However, they must provide this as information and understand that their suggestions are just that.

Providing Relief in the interim

Some problems takes time to solve. While we should always aim to solve problem, consider also what happens while it is being solved, especially when that problem affects people. To the people it affects, time is lost while we are solving the problem. While the problem is being solved, the problem continues to affect those people. We should consider providing relief while we are solving a problem. We can think of providing ways to lessen the effects of a problem.

When there is limited resources, we must make a decision whether to provide relief. Consider the effects that a problem has. Providing relief may take away resources that can be used to solve the problem. However, problems that don't have clear solutions may take a long time to solve. Relief should be provided when problems don't have a clear and immediate solution when it involves people.
Start by listing the issues that the problem causes. Look at how the problem affects people. Think of what does the problem takes away from these people. Then, identify the relief for each of the effects of the problem. Find a way to provide a replacement or assistance in place of what the problem takes away.
Sometimes, a problem can cause too many issues that not all of them can be addressed. A problem can take away too many things that we cannot find replacements for all of them. We should focus on finding relief for as many of them as possible. Providing relief for a majority of them is good use of resources. Remember, the problem is not solved yet and solving problems will need resources, too. When we do have to choose, we should triage the affects of the problem. A problems can cause issues with varying degrees. Consider this when choosing which of them to provide relief for. Set up criteria based on how critical the issue is, the number of the people that can be served by that relief effort and the limits of our own resources over time.

Get up and go face your problems

Solving problems can take it's toll. We can feel at times nothing is going our way. Every step seems a trudge uphill in a blizzard. Worse is when we feel lost. Lost because we can't seem to see an end to our problems. Lost because we have not taken that step to plan where we want to go. Sometimes we don't feel like planning our life because we can't see where we are going in life or at least see over the horizon.
There is a truth you have to know. Problems don't go away on their own and don't go away without a price.

If a problem goes away on it's own, there is a price you will have to bear. It is better you make the problem go away rather than pay that price because you don't know what that price will be. So take action. Take that first step.

One step at a time. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Go ahead and deal with your problems. Even if you don't know how to solve that problem now, one thing is certain. The road to that solution, whatever it is, begins with the first step. Don't worry about the second one. Take one step at a time. Put your focus on that next step. Then take it.
Don't forget to look up. Look up and see where you are going. Don't be surprised if you can start thinking about your direction. Don't be surprised to see more than one road ahead. Don't be afraid to decide. Taking that next step is a decision and you have been making the decision to take one more step all along the way. Make one more.
Don't be afraid to take a step back. If you took a wrong step, accept it, learn from it and move on. That is not a step back. It is a step away from certain failure. With each step you take you will find yourself be able to look up higher and higher. One day you will realize you can see the end of the road.
Take that one more step.

Framing The Problem to describe the Solution

A clear path is better is full of certainty  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

While Step 1 is about describing the problem, there will be time when we are not sure what the problem is. We are unable to describe the problem because the cause is not physically nearby or it is further up the chain. In short, we are only seeing the effects of it. This in itself is a small victory. It takes skill to separate the effects of a problem and the actual cause. Most people confuse the two and misdirect their efforts in solving the problem.
So in these cases, when describing the the problem, instead of describing the attributes of the problem, approach it from the end of the solution. We can frame the description of the problem in the form of attributes of the solution. So instead of just describing the problem and stopping because we think it is beyond what we can do, continue on and describe the solution and what do you expect from it. More importantly, describe what is it that you want to achieve from the solution.

A Regret List will help you avoid them

Once we've learn to accept that mistakes are inevitable, we can get on with the business of avoiding them. The sooner the better.
In fact, you can even do one better: Regret your mistakes even before you do them. This concept comes from a little known Asian proverb which translates roughly as "to regret before doing is wise,  to regret after is futile."
So how do you regret your mistakes before you do them?
This is an exercise that can be done as part of Step5 or even Step3 and Step4. It is best done in a group because it benefits from a deep pool of experience. There will be reservations when done within this setting as trust will be a core issue. Exercise your judgment on this. Doing it alone may require you to do some soul searching as well as analysis.
Begin by putting everybody into the mindset of having solved the problem. Restate the problem as in Step2 as having solved them and addressed the primary goals. Think happy thoughts. Then ask everyone of what they would have done differently or done better.  You can also start with statements like "I wish I hadn't forgot to...".  It may be awkward for some people but ask them to think of it like going through a list of things they would have normally done after closing the door of the apartment or house as they were leaving it.  This when we would try to think whether we forgot something or left something behind before we go too far.

Doing something bad: using Tabletop Excercise as a learning tool

We may come across the need to do something bad. Sometimes it helps to repeat our failed attempts at solving a problem. There are two likely reasons to do this. The first is to learn from our mistakes. If we can repeat safely what we did previously that didn't work, we can pinpoint what things didn't work or went wrong.
The second reason to do something we know doesn't work is to make notes on what did work and what has to be done in any solution that we choose. In another article, where I talked about how we need to learn something new when we want to do something new, I also pointed out that by finding a way to redo past processes, it becomes easier to execute a new process. Knowing what steps to repeat or things that have to be done because it affects other people, can ease us into a new process. How? It eliminates the concern that we missed something. We get to rid that feeling that we missed something.

The real problem is how can we repeat something that didn't work without making a bigger problem?

One way is use a tabletop exercise. Tabletop exercises is a favorite tool of emergency response services. First, it's cheaper than trying to replicate a full-blown catastrophe. Second, it provides a way for the leaders of organizations that have different functions and responsibilities to work together while still being responsible and in control of their own organizations.
Before we get ahead of ourselves, let's get the basics of a tabletop exercise right.
The tabletop exercise is run by a facilitator. In the context of problem solving, this is either us or the person who knows the problem. The role of the facilitator is run the exercise or scenario. We'll get to that in detail shortly. The players are other member your team or other people who are solving the problem together with you. The players will interact with each other and the facilitator as the facilitator brings the group of players through the scenarios of the problem.
It's also very useful to have an observer. This person or group is someone who is familiar with the situation or technology or mechanics of the problem but not necessarily part of your team or responsible to solve the problem. Their role is to provide an outside perspective. Observers take note of their concerns or questions but don't participate initially. Once the facilitator finishes with the scenario, the observers can ask questions and present their thoughts and ideas. The observer's role is not just to criticize but offer suggestions that the players may not have thought of during the exercise.

Overcoming the fear of Change rationally

The only constant is change. Or so we remind ourselves so often. Why? Because like it or not, at one time or the other, we all have feared change. Change is the unknown and we have a tendency to fear what we do not know. In Step5, we deal with change itself. This is simply because the solution we choose to solve our problem will undoubtedly bring out change.
I've talked about before that in order to start changing, we must first accept change. Accepting change allows us to face change without the mental weights of thinking how to resist change and finding ways to keep the status quo. I've also mentioned that sometimes we should overcome fear of change by simply being impulsive.
But let's say we learned something new but are hesitant to apply what we learned. It's there but not put to use. Like a tool that we bought but still in the packaging. The reason for this hesitation is because it is a form of fear of change. Specifically, we are unsure whether that new thing we learned is better than we already know. We wonder whether it will produce better results that what we normally do.
One way to overcome this fear is to go over the previous unsuccessful attempt. By repeating steps we've taken before, we can be sure not to miss anything. Another way is to overcome it rationally. First, we rationalize how we got to this point. Either what we were doing before wasn't working or the results we were producing wasn't good enough. So that establishes that what we need to do is something else. It's likely that we had tried what we knew but even those efforts weren't successful. So, when we exhaust what we know, all that is left if to try something new.
Second, let's rationalize the change itself by ensuring that the change is not really a total change, that we are not changing for change's sake. In fact, the best change we can do is to build on our experiences. One of the main concerns about doing something new is failing to achieve what did work before. There are two ways we can make sure when we try something new, we achieve at least some success. First, we must know what success looks like. We need to list down what that something new must achieve. We must define the goals so that whatever new things we do, it's headed in the right direction.
Second, we must also list what needs to be done other than the main goals. Even though what we did before didn't work out, it probably still did some things that were necessary. Like reports that needed to be generated along the way or measurements that needed to be taken for quality purposes. Sometimes, our previous efforts did something that was required for something else to work or necessary for another group's success. By running through what we did before and taking note of the necessary steps or things we need to produce along the way, we are ensuring the change we are achieving by doing something new still hit key targets along the way.

Repeating mistakes to learn something new

Sometimes when dealing with problems, we find that we face the same problem again and again. If it is not the same, the problems are similar. And we do our best to solve it each time. It's worse if the same problem keeps recurring, even after we solved it a few times. If we do realize this, it's actually a good thing. We have noticed a pattern and realized that what we have been doing hasn't been working out. It's good because now we know for sure that we need to do something new to solve our problem.
Learning something new or learning to do something new usually comes at Step5. We have chosen a solution and that solution can be something totally new. Which is a good thing because we have established that if the problem keeps recurring and we keep on doing the same solution, that solution doesn't really solve the problem. So we have to deal not only with a new solution but learning to do something new. 
But how do we learn something new? I’m going to save that for another time. Why? Because the hardest thing to do is not learning something new but doing something new. If we think about it, we already have many things that we have learned but haven’t applied. We know so many things that we haven't tried out yet. So, we are going to first learn how to apply something we already learned. This is so that when we do learn something new, we can put it to work immediately.
Not just put it to work once. But adopt it as a new way of working. It’s much like learning English or any other language. You have to apply what you learn. Only then will we become better at it.

We can make doing something new easy to do by first doing what we did before. Do what we normally do before trying something new so that we can adopt new ways of working easier. To put it in another way, repeating our past actions or pattern can put us at ease before doing a new set of actions or new pattern of actions. That way, it'll be easier for us to transition to the new set of actions and pattern.
If we can't do what we normally do because it has permanent effects, like fixing a broken equipment, run through the steps that we normally do and predict the outcome. First be clear on the goal of our actions. List them clearly, separating the main goals versus the other things that are achieved along the way. Pretend to fix that broken equipment for example, and every step, note what would normally happen or things that we would normally observe. If it helps, work this out with another person. They may provide feedback to our planned actions. Plus, when we say what we are going to do, our brain processes the problem differently. Now we have a list of steps that we did before, what we expect to happen and what we would do along the way.
Then, go ahead and apply the lessons learned. Do that something new or apply the new thing we learned. We have the goals to achieve. Make sure at each step, we move closer to those goals. We also know what needs to be done along the way. Make sure those things are done, too. For example, when fixing the broken equipment, we need to inform another group of people that their equipment needs to be stopped at some point for us to continue fixing our equipment. Or take note of the reports that the old method generated and what the reports were used for. Then we can find where in our new set of actions, those same reports will be generated or whether we need to use them at all. In the end, we will know what we need to do for both the old and new ways. 

Breaking the cycle of a circular problem

I was asked recently about helping to solve a problem that was quite perplexing. It was difficult for this group of people to wrap their heads around it because the problem seemed to be going around and around. In their view, it was circular. Much like the chicken and the egg problem.
Let's say the problem deals with international advertising. They want to build a web advertising solution that is for non-English websites. But they are picky with which language to support and having problem convincing potential advertisers that enough "eye-balls" are out there for them to reach. Web sites in the local languages are reluctant to use the web advertising solution because they not enough advertisers and therefore revenue. This limits the places where the ads can be shown. Which them limits the number of "eye-balls" or the audience numbers. Not enough "eye-balls", not enough advertisers. Not enough advertisers, not enough participation from websites and not enough "eye-balls". And around and around it goes.
To begin solving something like this, the main strategy is to break the cycle. When people see a problem as being circular, they may actually be seeing something as a cycle or cyclic. Like with the chicken and the egg question, most people go through the cycle looking for a solution. It is no surprise they ended back where they started. Try taking a step back and look at the cycle. If the cycle can be broken, where it can be broken safely is where the solution lies or where the solution begins.

Saying "I have a problem"

Step1 is admitting that we have a problem. We must admit it not just to ourselves but to others who will be part of the solution. We also have to admit it to the people who are affected by the problem. But undoubtedly, the hardest person to admit that we have a problem to is ourselves.
The best way to do Step1 in the beginning is to just stand in front of a mirror and say, "I have a problem." Later when we grow stronger and more confident, we can pull up a friend and say, "I have a problem." Once we are strong enough, we can look at a problem and say to ourselves, "I have a problem" and convict ourselves to the next step, Step2.
Saying "I have a problem" is sometimes not enough. Sometimes, it can be boring. It can be repetitive. Once it becomes too repetitive, it can lose it's meaning. So to counter that, here are some alternative to "I have a problem" that you can use and take heart to.

This is an obstacle between me and my success

This is bad but I have been through worse

I need to get a hold on this problem and turn it around

This is a problem but I can fix it

This problem needs to be fixed now by me

Let's face it, this is bad and we can't avoid it anymore

I feel bad now but I'm gonna feel worse if I don't do something about it

Ideas Need to be Challenged

Coming out with ideas and solutions can be exciting. Especially if we have come out with great ideas that seem to solve our problem. We understand the problem because we defined it in Step2. From that, we have come out with a few good ideas in Step3. In fact, this can be an opportunity because we may have come out with something better than the original which failed or was creating problems. We may not only have found a solution to our problem, it may even improve on what we had before. We have come to the point where we now need to choose one of these ideas to do, Step4. And Step4 requires that ideas that came in Step3 be scrutinized and challenged. 
This can be hard, especially if we are working on our own. Each of the possible solutions we came up with is great and we can't see any other way to solve it. We need to choose one but sometime we become stuck. We don't or simple can't choose one of the possible solutions to do. This can stop our problem solving effort right in it's track. We know we have to choose but we like them all so much that it is hard let go any of them. 
This reminds me of something that happened to me in the late 90s. I was asked about what would be the next thing in PC desktop interfaces. We had just begun getting used to windows and the concept of Start button. I thought that because graphic cards with 3D were getting cheaper and starting to appear almost everywhere, the next step in PC desktop interfaces would take advantage of that. I proposed the future PC desktop environments would be in 3D. If Microsoft requires PCs to have 3D capabilities, PC makers would then make it a standard. This is good for them because it would make people to want new PCs. It happened once before with CD-ROM drives, so why not 3D graphic cards?

My design was based on the concept that the desktop would exist in a 3D world. Application windows would "float" in the air above a horizon. By moving within the 3D world, you would move and zoom in and out of the windows. For example, if you are working on a spreadsheet and you want to see another document, you can "move backward". This would make the spreadsheet window smaller (because it's "further" away) and it's contents smaller but still visible. Now you can open a document at the "normal" size and cut and paste in between them as you would normally do.
A horizon on the bottom of the screen would create the idea of land. It would move according to your movements within the world. I thought that it would also have features like hills and bodies of water create the idea of unique places within the 3D world. These places could be used to group windows. For example, a horizon with a lake is where we could do graphics work while a horizon with a cityscape where I could put my spreadsheets windows.
So what's the point I'm trying to make here?

Apologies for Post Problems

I apologize for not posting sooner. I had a little accident with Blogger which wiped out a few posts. If you are interested, you can read about how Blogger ate my posts. This was the published post that was affected.

Identifying The Pressure

When dealing with problems, sometimes there will be stresses felt. Dealing with stress means dealing with it's main cause: pressure. Specifically, pressures that happen as we solve problems. To relieve stress, we can address the way we handle stress or the way we deal with the pressure.  We touched on dealing with pressure before. It is important to identify what or where that pressure is coming from early on during the process. More importantly, we need to know whether the pressure we are feeling is pressure of the problem or pressure solving the problem.  
It could be clear once we take a few minutes to think about it.

Basically, pressure caused by the problem are caused by the effects of the problem. Essentially, what the problem is doing or causes. This pressure is directly caused by the problem. For example, if something isn't working and it's causing delays in shipping, the pressures of finding a solution or workaround is "pressure of the problem". There is one way to tackle this. Identify what specifically is causing the pressure, whether they are making things worse or whether they can be ignored. If they can be ignored safely, do so because solving the problem will make them go away anyway. If ignoring the pressure makes the problem worse, you may need help in minimizing the overall effect as way to help reduce the pressure. If you can't solve the problem right now, at least reduce the problem effects and the pressure it creates. Some help may be needed  to do this while you are solving the problem itself. 
Pressure can also be caused by the effort to solve a problem. This is usually about dealing with the constraints. These are limits that possible solutions have to fit within. It is also about resource management. What are the resources we need to solve the problem? Given unlimited time and other resources, all problems are solvable. It is when there are limits to these resources that make problem solving a challenge. And there will always be limits.
There are two possible approaches.

Getting the Right Answer Needs the Right Question Part 2

Continued fromGetting the Right Answer Needs the Right Question... Part 1.

On the other end of the scale is under-thinking or not thinking about the question at all. Under-thinking will also give us the wrong question. The tendency is to not think at all and ask the questions we normally ask. We ask these questions not because of any specific reason. We ask them on autopilot and we have an expectation of the answer. Sometimes, it is a force of habit. We are just used to using these questions in that particular situation. This short-hand can be useful as a starting point but again the same principle applies, think whether will the question being asked give us the answer we need. We need to think about the question, the answers it may give and whether those answers are the ones we are looking for.

Using the questions that are normally used or automatically asked have a tendency to yield roughly the same answer. If the answers given haven't provided us with a good solution, perhaps it's time to ask different questions. There are several techniques that we can use as a starting point to re-approach a question

• Change the focus of the question. If the question is general, make it more specific. If the question is more specific, make the question more general. For example, rather than asking what we tool we need, refocus on the more general goal of the purpose of the tool. Ask how can we do the job better or how can we do the job without the tool. If the question focused on the more general goal of achieving success, refocus on how to reach specific goals that define the success. 
• Change the context. If the question is narrow, make the new question cover a wider area and areas that are noramlly off-limits to the question. Rather than trying to solve just that one part of the problem, ask the questions that will solve several pieces at the same time. Sometimes, the solution or at least a part of it, lies with other people. Another method is to remove information or change perspective of the question. Instead of asking how the task is supposed to executed, ask how should the task be executed.
• Flip it / work backwards. Normally, we define the solution criteria and ask what would yield them or what would fit. Try reversing the process and look at the possibilities available and how each of them would fit as a solution. Rather than trying to come out with something new or something ideal, use the options available to us at that time and situation. The options can be evaluated individually and in combination. This is very useful when there is little time and few resources. By doing it this way, we can be open to other solutions that we normally wouldn't be thinking about.

Book Review of Brain Rules: Making Our Brains Work Better without an Upgrade

I was always fascinated in how the brain works. When first helping others start to use computers in their daily life, the first explanation that I gave was that the CPU was the "brains" of the computer. The analogy worked for a while. Even as users questioned as to how the computer worked, there were other parallels related to the brain or it's concepts. There was the memory, the input (our senses) and the output (our reactions and communication). However, it was an accepted fact that although the computer is faster, the human brain is much more complex and capable than the computer's brain.
Computer engineers also looked to the brain for inspiration. They introduced concepts like short term and long term memory. They were able to make computers think less accurately through fuzzy logic. And they made computers smaller and faster. But they still realized that they were far away from being able to recreate how the brain works.
When I realized my son has a mild learning disability, I became even more interested in understanding how the brain works. Not only, was I interested because I wanted to know more. I now wanted to know what I can do with that knowledge.
Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School does not try to explain in detail how the brain works. It's main purpose is to bring the science of the understanding of the brain back to the people who own one. Dr. John Medina tries to make that knowledge useful for the rest of us. While the realm of understanding the brain is dominated by scientists, there is no reason why we can't benefit from that understanding. Rather than just focusing on finally understanding how exactly the brain works, scientists should also try to help normal people use the knowledge the scientists already have so far to make their lives better. Better still, use that knowledge to make other people's lives better.

Begin managing change by accepting change

Achieving optimal organizational management requires strong leadership. Strong leadership may achieve initial success but a strong management can sustain that level of success and meet oncoming challenges and a changing business environment. One of the most important skills for management is managing change. But in many organizations, there is a fear of change. And the fear is often subtle as well as deep seated.
I once worked at an office overlooking a major road into the city. It became a habit of everybody in the office to take a quick look out the window at the road. It was a force of habit. People would do that whether they were going anywhere out of the office or not. Sometimes they would pause for a few seconds. Perhaps to look down and feel smug upon the sorry souls in the almost perpetual traffic jam.

One day, a colleague looking out the window made a comment that the road was extraordinarily clear. I looked and noticed traffic was flowing smoothly for once. There were even brief periods where there was no cars on the road. His tone was of concern and he asked me what was up. I shrugged, said that I didn't know and moved on. The next day, the road was jam-packed again. We were walking together when he made the comment. He said, with a sense of relief, that road were back to normal.

I don't think he was wishing ill on the drivers that morning who had to wait to get in or out of the city. He was only expressing a sentiment we all have: we prefer things to be the way they are. When things are they way we expect them to be, we call it normal. It doesn't matter what that 'normal' is. In other words, he was wary of change. The concern was not on how a smoother traffic flow would affect the city. He wasn't at all thinking about how it's effect on the sanity of the us living and working there. His concern was simply aimed the change.

This is a very normal reaction. We are concerned of uncertainty. Change brings uncertainty. So it's in all of us to be suspicious of change. We have a natural tendency towards order, even if we differ on what order actually means to each of us. We like things to be in a certain way. Even when some people like disorder and prefer things to change, it would bother them when things stop changing and chaos changes into order. Change, whether good or bad, is always suspicious.

In Step4, as we are choosing the best solution to solve our problem, be careful of arguments against change. This is more so if we are working with others to solve our problem or if it is a common problem that we are trying to solve together. Look into whether arguments against a possible solution are based on the fear of change. While not all change is good, arguments based on the fear of change may not have any basis other than that fear itself. Sometimes, we don't like to do something because it will cause change or upset something else. We dislike it so much that we can't see the benefit that change brings. In fact, when we try to find reasons why we don't like a possible solution, we may not find any other reason other then the fact we dislike of the change that it brings.