Richard Branson attributes part of his success (which I define as being able to do what one wants despite the challenges in their way; not financial success) to his ability to see problems (mainly of potential customers) and provide relevant and timely solutions (to gain their business)
He has always felt while others write out lengthy proposals and present them in drab conference rooms to financial officers- he finds success in sketching out ideas on a napkin while conversing with someone over lunch. In other words, he's able to identify and provide solutions to real problems for real people. He also sees this as a function of his dyslexia- cut around the fluff and get to the center of it all with lots of fast thinking on his feet.
I see this ability in my daughter, too. I'm not saying she has what she needs to be an entrepreneur billionaire, I just notice she thinks well on her feet and focuses on solving problems rather than analyzing or ignoring them.
She is often the peacemaker among her peers. When spats break out, some times her peers think solutions are impossible and quit working to find one (run home) and let relationships fizzle out (avoid each other), but E is driven to find a win-win-win solution even if it takes a while.
And she's really good at simplifying problems, too.
For example, she was recently given a writing assignment. It told of a boy who was scared to go into the basement of his house. He described it as dark, scary, and full of weird noises he imagined as horrible things. The prompt went on (and on) to explore his possible emotions, imagination, and what the he should do/think to be able to conquer his fear and go into the basement. There were three blank pages to fill with writings of thoughts, strategies, and ideas for the boy.
My daughter read it all, thought for a few seconds, and wrote:
Turn on the light. Nothing scary is there. Go in the basement.
Problem solved. :-)
No comments:
Post a Comment