How do some people navigate the world by being great problem-solvers?
Every exceptional person I have come across or read about has the ability to roll up their sleeves and dive their nose into chaos. This makes them great managers of problem-solving. This outlook is rooted in two things—being open-minded and being a good persuader.
The way they open their minds is to ask the right questions. This is essential for genuine curiosity. Asking questions allows them to learn anything. Questions allow for breaking mental traps, biases, and prejudices that are based on experiences.
They are not prisoners to their titles. They could take an easy path of arguing, but instead, they persuade. The student mentality allows them to face challenges around them instead of arguing with people. To be persuasive, they prefer a paintbrush over a sledgehammer. They boost their charisma if they are able to force influence on the majority of the group and help find a unified direction.
Observation, listening, asking questions, and persuasion are prerequisites for being a great problem-solver.
Where does this operating model come from?
It is rooted in their personal desire to find depth. What is depth? Depth is a space that denies an easy path for answers. They avoid reducing problems into flattened strokes until they understand all perspectives. They are okay grappling with nuances and contradictory truths found in depths. They do not lose their soul if they cannot quantify. Total quantification is only possible when they go deeper. They do not blink their eyes from discovering something new to find a meaningful path.
Being a conscious observer allows them to make new observations. They land a novel solution after digesting all perspectives. In the workplace, these people are referred to as charismatic coworkers. In school, such students are referred to as all-rounders. No matter the age, they all have one thing in common—they are curious about the problems they are surrounded by. This makes them both dangerous and charismatic.
Like a coral snake, it is dangerous but has nothing to prove. The milk snake, on the other hand, is not dangerous, so it has something to prove and copies the look of the coral snake to fake others out. These problem-solvers are similar in nature. They keep their minds open while asking a ton of questions. They are not in the business of dog and pony show. They react efficiently and optimally by being aware of their surroundings. It is how they achieve maximum mental versatility.
This is what separates them from milk snakes who pretend to be curious and value titles over depth.
The nature of life and business for conscious snakes is rooted in their curiosity and persuasion. They only have something healthy to add to their ecosystem instead of something to prove.