Articles for category: Initiative

Now is the Time to Learn

There has never been a more important time to always be learning. I don’t know if there ever will (maybe when we get transporters). Each day, come out with something new – it doesn’t have to generate mass revenue and hockey stick growth in a day. It might not even pay off today. But in the next month, three months, or six, it will pay off. Now is the time to learn, schedule it, make it part of your daily cadence.

Throwing Solutions at a Problem

It has never been easier than it is now to throw multiple solutions at a problem. Solutions you can validate, attempt, and see what they do. That’s what you are up against now: systems that throw solutions at problems, not ideas, not blue-sky thinking, not options, but the actual solutions. You probably can’t throw multiple solutions at any one problem, but you can come prepared, ready to work, ready to put together a solid list. You can throw your will, design, purpose, and value at the problem. Harder to measure, but easier to see in the end.

AI Doesn’t Do Half the Job

AI does all the job. Does it do it the right way? Debatable. But they always go all in on a task, without fail, right or wrong. Sometimes you have to go all in.  You can’t analyze and theorize forever; you can’t always stick your foot in the water. You have to do the whole job.

Research, Analysis and Dissemination

Want to look good at working on a problem? Research – Identify the issue, what are the different “things” that could be causing the problem, dig deep into what they are, don’t scratch the surface. Analysis – Look at your research, what applies, what doesn’t, what is feasible, what isn’t, what could work, and what can’t.  Come up with a solution that fixes the problem and explains why. Desseminate – Complex solutions don’t always have simple answers. Being able to disseminate to an end user, another team member, or your manager is a skill beyond value when you can translate

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

In University, I took a critical thinking course with a slant towards Psychology.  Others took critical thinking courses with a slant towards Philosophy. I’m sure there are other options out there. Regardless, they were two (separate) books, you had to pore through.  They weren’t easy reads, and they made you question many things. But they taught me how to approach problems, how to break things down, how to make the complex simplified. In the age of AI, getting to the root of a user’s problem is the most valuable resource you have.  Anyone can go type into AI and get