Creative Problem Solving: A Critical Leadership Skill That May be Missing From Your Resume
New book teaches job seekers how to develop the Creative Problem Solving skills that employers favor.
March 09, 2011
Job seekers who can demonstrate creative problem solving and leadership skills are highly favored by employers. In the fast-paced world of the 21st century, where a company's growth and survival in this new economy depend on its ability to innovate and implement new ideas and processes, job seekers cannot rely solely on a good academic record. They must prove that they possess critical 21st century skills such as leadership, critical thinking and creative problem solving in order to land a good job. A soon-to-be-released book entitled Off to China With a Canoe and a Shovel, aims to help job seekers develop the creative problem solving skills that employers are looking for. The book is authored by Hazel-Ann La Fortune, educator, writer and life coach.According to La Fortune, "Arthur VanGundy once said, "We need to refocus our attention toward thinking skills and the creative problem solving process if we want to see innovation in the 21st century." This is so true. Employers want workers who can find solutions to problems and who can think creatively. As such, the onus is on the job seeker to develop these leadership traits and make them a part of their skill set. My book will help them do just that."
The book uses simple stories to illustrate important creative problem solving concepts. One such concept is 'Challenge Your Assumptions'. "Sometimes our beliefs or unchallenged ideas about an issue may actually prevent us from finding a solution," La Fortune says. "Let me use an analogy to illustrate my point: we may automatically assume that a shovel can only be used for digging. As such we would not even consider using the shovel for anything but digging a hole. In reality, however, a shovel has numerous uses, which we would never discover until we let go of our restricting idea of what a shovel does."
Other principles of creative problem solving discussed in the book include:
• How to ask the right questions to get the right answer; and
• Use what you have.
"Off to China With a Canoe and a Shovel is a book for these times. If you're looking for a job, this is the right tool to help you spruce up your resume with the critical skills employers are looking for," says La Fortune.
For further information about the book, and to download a sample chapter, go to http://canoeandshovel.com or call Hazel-Ann at (868)330-2668.