Most people spend much of their educational and working lives developing their technical skills. As their careers develop this core skill set is often extended by including the development of management, business and leadership skills in an ever-growing list of 'answers'.  However this approach misses an essential point.

In the knowledge economy the point of value creation is in overcoming challenges, resolving problems or exploiting opportunities.  This only happens when people collaborate in effective problems solving.  And that requires the effective leveraging of all that skill and knowledge.  Leaders need to know how to exercise their leadership function to support effective problem-solving, group members need to know how to effectively contribute and, especially, how to value differences of style and approach.  Diversity yields value ONLY when the conditions and process are right.

There has also been a huge growth in management tools, techniques and processes to help in the act of problem-solving.  Currently we estimate the number of such may be as high as 15,500.  Again, the use of tools helps, if the right ones are used in the right way at the right time.  However they to only provide part of the answer.

Innovation, improvement, economy, efficiency and effectiveness all arise from robust problem-solving and that requires people to be as conversant in the mindsets, skills and approaches as they need to be with their technical skills. 

Advanced Problem-Solving is the missing life-skill. 

Knowing how to navigate complexity well is as important in the board-room as on the shop-floor; it is needed in the playground, in handling disputes, and in addressing the greatest challenges society faces.  We would all benefit from learning how to do it better.

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