Gene Kranz, the steel-nerved flight director of the troubled Apollo 13 mission, is widely associated with the gritty epigram, “failure is not an option.” In fact, Kranz–a breathtakingly effective ...

A problem doesn't last a lifetime. But how you deal with it can make it linger for years without resolution. In my studies about the topic, I've identified that, in addition to everything that ...

After more than 24 years of coaching, I've noticed that teams and organizations still use traditional problem-solving techniques despite these being either obsolete or ineffective. For example, ...

Creating a start-up, or managing any business, is all about problem solving. Some people are good at it and some are not—independent of their IQs or academic credentials (there may even be an inverse ...

Problem-solving skills are at the top of everybody’s list of what makes for a great leader. The mindset is that if you can solve problems, you’re going to go far. But in reality, only people who solve ...

How would you describe your company’s problem-solving culture? I have asked any number of managers that question; as often as not, it’s received with a blank stare. Most managers haven’t thought about ...

If there are nine people in a room and every person shakes hands exactly once with each of the other people, how many handshakes will there be? How can you prove your answer is correct using a model ...

Many times have my columns here touched the topic of problem-solving. However, these discussions normally covered the topic at the organizational level. However this time around I have crafted this ...

"Even the +, −, =, and x signs we take for granted only came into widespread use in the 17th century. Which means that the earlier algebraists we know of … all had expressed their equations mostly in ...