Engineering entrepreneurs: how to turn obstacles into opportunities

As Einstein said, “behind every difficulty lies an opportunity”. Engineering entrepreneurs, yours is yours!

In the course of their work, engineering entrepreneurs face a lot of obstacles and challenges. Fortunately, most of the time, it is in the nature of the engineer to try to solve the problems!

However, some technical or administrative problems may seem overwhelming. It is in these problems that we can find opportunities to innovate, and ultimately to have a lasting impact on the market. This is explained in four points in an article published on the site Entrepreneur.

Visualize the end, and deduce the solution

We often tend to work out our various tasks to achieve a final goal. However, in case of obstacles, the site Entrepreneur suggests a reverse approach: sometimes it is better to visualize your objective to find the means to get through an ordeal.

To illustrate its point, the article uses the example of a company in which there was a rivalry between managers and service technicians that cost too much money. So the CEO of the company summoned the union leader and convinced him that all employees, regardless of their area of ​​expertise, should be united in preserving the company. This common point allowed them to create measures allowing a lasting collaboration, thus saving the fate of the company.

An obstacle may require a full reset

In this same company, the CEO realized that certain people within the negotiating team were an obstacle to the overall advancement of the company. So he completely disbanded and recreated the team in question, which shocked all the employees but also allowed a new starting point. In the end, it was a winning decision for the company. Sometimes it is better to start from scratch to be a winner in the long run …

See things from a different perspective

A reset of certain groups and / or procedures within the company allows everyone to approach problems from a new point of view and to arrive at more or less major innovations. Facing an obstacle is often (and paradoxically) the ideal moment to redefine certain approaches and thus innovate in working methods.

Act on what you can control

It is sometimes possible to make concessions without upsetting the balance of a company, which makes it possible to satisfy employees and thus make them more efficient. Finally, it is a question of showing a little listening, and a dose of creativity …