fandomhigh | Leadership, Thursday, Period 1, Class 7 (10/23/08)

"Today we're talking about problem solving," Nathan said. "As a leader, this is something you're going to have to do a lot. Step one may seem obvious, but it's something many leaders fail to do: accurately define the problem. Let's say someone comes up to you and says that they can't finish building a bridge because they ran out of money. Your people need that bridge built so you approve a higher budget. Does that solve the problem? What if the reason why the project was running out of money was because someone was stealing it? Or mismanaging the construction? Or because nobody researched to find out that you were building a bridge in the worst possible location?

"This is why the first step of problem solving is asking questions. What are the details of the problem? What's going on? Why is it happening? What do other people think about the situation?"

Nathan handed out cards with pictures on them. "Put together, all these cards tell a story. You each get one. You're not allowed to show anyone what your card is. Your assignment is to find out as much as you can about the story. Go around to your fellow students and ask them about their cards. What's on them? What's going on? Are their cards similar to yours? I'll give you a hint that they're numbered, so you may want to seek out those who have cards close to your number first, but that's not a requirement.

"Get as many details as you can. I'm here if you have any questions."

[ooc: OCD is up!]