Problem solving skills are highly sought after in both the academic and business worlds.

Institutions such as schools and universities teach them as a core part of many courses and structured training.

Leaders are expected to demonstrate good problem solving skills if they want to be taken seriously in the business world.

There are a number of stages to solving problems, including: identifying and structuring the problem; assembling potential solutions; making a decision on which solution to choose; and finally implementation and seeking feedback.

The stage that most stands out here is: making a decision on which solution to choose.

Despite carefully and systematically identifying, structuring, assembling, implementing and seeking feedback, the main element of this process is a human making a decision on which solution to choose.

And if a human is involved in making a decision, that decision will rarely be a purely teachable, logical one.

Humans are complex and often irrational creatures with potentially a multitude of opposing and contradictory emotions existing at the same time.

These will all have a subtle influence on the decision being made. And the person making that decision will probably not even be aware.

The logical mind can get trapped within itself and fail to see what may be staring it in the face.

Eventually the great problem solving leader will need to rely on something else, something more fundamental and less structured.

In the Zen tradition, the Koan is used to break through the logical mind and provide a short sharp slap to the student’s intuitive mind.

A Koan is a paradox to be meditated upon by the student in order to abandon dependence on reason alone.

An example often quoted is the “sound of one hand clapping”. Reason dictates that this is impossible and the Buddhist is forced to find another way to understand the meaning.

This is the beginning of intuition. Or, seeing a problem from a perspective outside of reason.

If we are to deal with some of the increasingly complex problems that the world is facing, we can’t rely entirely on reason and logic to solve them.

We  need to develop leaders that are able to access their intuition.

It can’t be taught. But it can be nurtured.

Put the kettle on.