The skill of problem finding is a core element to successful sales, one that is highly linked to creativity. In Daniel Pink’s book, “To Sell is Human”, he discusses this correlation in the chapter on clarity. Pink retells a research experiment on art students at the Art Institute of Chicago. The scientist studied the art students’ approaches to a new project. He found that there were two main categories of approaching their tasks. One group chose objects to draw quickly and got to work “solving” the problem of creating a still life. The other spent more time choosing objects and therefore searched well for their “problem” or task. Their more careful selectivity ended up paying off when the judge panel generally preferred their art over that of the formal group. The researcher went on to find, years later, that these students were the most successful professional artists of their class. He concluded that “it is in fact the discovery and creation of problems rather that any superior knowledge, technical skill, or craftsmanship that often sets the creative person apart from others in his field.”. I find this highly relatable not only to everyday life but the career of sales. People that are geared and trained to seek out problems before solving them will tend to be more successful than their professional counterparts. This insight is also a very peaceful realization, as the success involved with problem finding tended to take more time but be immensely worth it. That is a good reminder for me to work towards improvement and academics slowly and care about doing things right more than doing them quickly.
BoweryJE22