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As Long as There Are Humans, There Will be Problems 

Today’s vast bodies of knowledge, available at our fingertips, along with stunning new technologies give us greater-than-ever potential to solve our problems; personal, commercial and societal. Humans aren’t perfect and as long as humans are in the mix, things won’t work right, things will break, products and services will be lack-luster.  No matter what happens with new technology and greater knowledge, there will always be problems.  We need people that are better at recognizing problems as opportunities and finding creative solutions for them. 

Whether we know it or not, we’re all in the business of solving problems.  In our work lives, whether we’re working for others of working for our customers, we’re supposed to be solving problems.  In our personal and student lives, there are problems too.  Better problem-solving skills make us better in our professional lives and happier in our personal lives.  As we become better problem solvers, we become better decision makers, realizing that the successful outcome of our lives depends on our choices, not our circumstances.  The psychologists call this special kind of self-confidence “self-efficacy” and increased self-efficacy is the primary objective of Fab Lab ICC and the Successful Entrepreneur Program at ICC. 

Successful entrepreneurs—the ones that have identified problems, found creative solutions and offer those solutions to customers—have this special kind of problem-solving ability and outlook on life.  We could all benefit from looking at the world and the problems of the world the way entrepreneurs do.  Studying entrepreneurs has been a challenge.  Ask them to explain how they think, they can’t, let alone write it down.  Most know they think differently, but even realize they have a better way of looking at things.  Indeed, many have felt isolated as their differences in thinking have not fit in with society’s thinking. 

We found a method a few years ago that makes studying successful entrepreneurs not only possible, but interesting, inspiring and fun.  Best of all, it doesn’t require reading any long, dull text books or writing research papers.  “Entrepreneurial Mindset”, a class different than any you’ve ever taken or contemplated, will begin at Fab Lab ICC on August 17, from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm and continue on Wednesday evenings through Thanksgiving.  This class is facilitated, not “taught” and will be co-facilitated by me and Shelley Paasch, an independent affiliate of Network Kansas.  Contact me at jcorrell@indycc.edu for more information.  

A small group, 12 – 15 people will embark on a study of successful entrepreneurs by listening to them talk about how they approach life.  The class will be made up of both non-traditional community members and traditional college students.  The method will be by interviewing our own local and area successful entrepreneurs in class and watching video interviews of successful entrepreneurs from all over the United States.  In the end, participants will come away, inspired to become a better problem-solver with tools to identify, test and refine their solutions to the problems they need to solve.  Most past participants say it changed the way they think; several have said it’s changed their lives. 

Jim Correll is the director of Fab Lab ICC at the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship on the campus of Independence Community College. He can be reached at (620) 252-5349 or by email at jcorrell@indycc.edu. Archive columns and podcasts at www.fablabicc.org. 


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