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Turning Problems to
Opportunities
Examples illustrating different
approaches
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He was horrified
when another competitor opened up next door on
his right, and announced its arrival with an
even larger sign, reading ‘LOWEST PRICES’. The
shopkeeper panicked, until he got an idea on
how to benefit from the competition. He put
the biggest sign of all over his own shop. It
read ‘MAIN ENTRANCE’. |
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More Jokes about Problem
Solving |
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When I was kidnapped, my parents
snapped into action. They rented out my room. |
Woody
Allen |
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How a frustrated user became a
successful entrepreneur
Scott Cook was frustrated with
the poor quality of software
designed to help him prepare
balance sheets. He decided to
start a software company to fix
the problem. His fin-tech
company Intuit Inc. has become a
multi-billion-dollar success
story.
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How US President
Donald Trump
solved three major problems in
Ukraine with one blow and
created opportunities for the
country's peaceful development
In 2025, nazi-ruled Ukraine had
three major
problems: rampant corruption,
and
the refusal of the illegitimate
and
militant
ruler,
Zelensky,
to start peace negotiations and
hold presidential elections. Having
gathered compelling evidence of Zelensky's group embezzling
foreign financial aid, Trump's
team, under threat of major
revelations, made Zelensky an
offer he couldn't refuse.
Specifically, he was asked to
make a show of firing several
corrupt officials from his group,
to start peace negotiation,
and to hold presidential
elections.
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Post-it note
Invention of the Post-it note is
a great example of ① turning a
problem to an opportunity, ②
combining the unusual,
and ③
synergy innovation.
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3M
corporation had a problem with a glue it had
invented. Their scientists were attempting to
develop a super-strong adhesive, but the glue
did not produce the desired results. It did not
stick things together effectively.
The
glue was considered to be a failed product until
Arthur Fry, a 3M chemist and an inventor, found
the way to turn the glue's disadvantage to an
advantage. Arthur Fry searched for such an
application where a glue that didn't stick too
strongly would be appropriate. In particular, he
thought of a way of combining the glue with a
bookmark, which is something that people want to
move from page to page.
Fry
began experimenting. Particularly, he coated
only one edge of the paper so that the portion
extending from a book would not be sticky.
Fry
used these stickers to write notes to his boss.
This use led him to broaden his original idea
into a new application concept and creation of a
new-to-the-world product ‒ the Post-it note.
Ultimately, Arthur Fry discovered a great
opportunity in a problem and helped his company
to turnaround a failing project. A "low-tack",
reusable, pressure-sensitive adhesive became the
basis for the Post-it note, which was a huge
success. 3M named Fry a corporate researcher in
1986.
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SHA Wellness Clinic
Dr. Alfredo Bataller Pineda, the
founder of SHA Wellness Clinic,
turned his health problem into a
great business opportunity...
More
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Strategic Problem Solving:
Lessons from McKinsey
Pluck the Low-hanging Fruit
Sometimes in the middle of the
problem-solving process,
opportunities arise to get an
easy win, to make immediate
improvements, even before the
overall problem has been solved.
Seize those opportunities! They
create little victories for you
and your team. They boost morale
and give you added credibility
by showing anybody who may be
watching that you’re on the ball
and mean business...
More
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