Saturday, August 13, 2016

The ups and downs of a problem

One of the finest traits of great personalities is they seldom try to impose themselves on others. They end up oozing greatness without even realizing it. Some anecdotes concerning them will remind you about their easy way with an otherwise difficult life. They seek solutions to problems while slyly seeking more problems to solve. Come to think of it, they love problems more than solutions. If all the problems were solved, what's there to look forward to? And this commendable attitude is evident in the manner the greats pass on their legacy. One such incident i came across recently on the Internet is about Steve Jobs and how he had his way with the downsides. The story goes that a guy from Apple's design team walked up to him with a work-related problem. Jobs had a heart-to-heart with him without saying anything on the core topic. Yes, instead of focusing on the design-centric problem at hand, he decided to dig deeper into the problemer. In the process, the guy revealed the personal problems he was facing and Jobs advised him on how to tackle them. By doing so, he helped the young man unshackle himself from all the things that were stopping from finding the solution to a problem on his own. This story has a lot going for it given how a leader can act in any way s/he deems considerate but Jobs (in this particular instance) chooses to solute instead of problemate. I've heard how people started using the elevators in Apple's headquarter only after Jobs passed away. This was so because he was known for confronting random strangers inside the elevator and enquiring them about their vision for his company. Well, nobody wants surprise quizes and that too with someone as formidable as Jobs. So, they started taking the stairs—not to get fitter but to avoid finding the solution to a presented problem. Unlike Steve Jobs.

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