Amazon analytics recommended to me a book titled “Mathematical mindsets. Unleashing the students’ potential through creative math”, based on my interest in the subject according to my purchase history. This book is a gem. I recommend you find a copy and read. You get insights to be open-minded. There are several methods to solve a math problem if you are open to learning. And no wonder math underpins all creative minds as it powers one’s brains with logic. We are taught that to solve the problem, first know the principle. That way, you can find so many more ways of…
Towards teamwork amid physical distancing
Times have changed. We now live in pandemic times. It started as Coronavirus, evolved into a pandemic, and now a keep a mask on your face virus. Now more than ever, people are the real asset that can make a break a company in times like these. Not finance. Not technology. Not lots of machinery. The most powerful tool that transforms organizations is people working as a team. The ability to have all people in their respective departments rowing the canoe in the same direction is the key differentiator between a successful organization and a mediocre one. Teamwork is…
Are you innovative or creative? Which is which?
A story is told that at the height of the space program, both Soviet and American Astronauts faced a big challenge. How to take notes when in space which has no gravity rendering the normal pens fail to work since the ink cannot flow. You can try to test it now with any pen in your hands. Try to place a paper on the wall, at a position higher than your head. Lift a pen and try to write on that paper overhead. At first, the ink will write. However, after two minutes, it will stop writing with consistency. That…
Think away from the box. Not outside the box.
When you think ‘outside the box’ your view is limited by the box (A). Move away from the box. You will gain a better perspective. Your ‘box’ will reduce as you move away from the box. When faced with a challenge, try to think ‘away’ from the challenge not ‘outside’ the challenge. When you think away from the challenge, you gain wider perspectives. You think about bigger challenges and of course more strategic solutions. Think away from the box. Think big. Copyright Mustapha B Mugisa, 2020. All rights reserved
Subcontractors: The consultant’s nightmare
If you want to lose your head, accept a project that you cannot competently deliver internally. Welcome to the challenging world of associate consultants or subcontractors or independent contracts. In the engineering world, it is common to partner and wins a big project with many associates. Many times, the risk of project completion is shared evenly among the partners and the client is aware of the arrangement. The story is different with associate consultants. I learned early on that you cannot win in the consulting business by only accepting projects for which you have internal capabilities to deliver. We are…
Context + perspective equals critical thinking
If you lack context(background data about the issue) and perspective (present conditions and new developments) you don’t have the authority to comment or judge. From 1975 to 1986, Uganda was at war. Lots of internal wars and civil instabilities. There are few mothers with birth certificates. Many people ‘estimated their birth dates.’ More information emerges as to grow. And so dates change. And folks who indeed wrote exams themselves and never cheated got average marks owing to the lack of reading materials in many schools and the poor quality of teachers at the time, and over the years. Access to…