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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 1978
MR. TOPLEY SPEAKS ABOUT PROBLEM SOLVING
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THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, MR. KENNETH TOPLEY, TODAY SPOKE ABOUT HIS OWN EXPERIENCES IN PROBLEM SOLVING.
SPEAKING ON +GETTING THINGS DONE+ AT A LUNCHEON MEETING OF THE PO LEUNG KUK, HE SAID THE FIRST THING WAS TO IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM CORRECTLY,
+BE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM REALLY IS, THEN THINK COOLLY AND LOGICALLY, MR. TOPLEY SAID.
THE NEXT STEP WAS TO FIND THE RIGHT MAN FOR THE JOB. BUT FOR THAT YOU MUST FIRST IDENTIFY THE ESSENTIAL QUALITIES NEEDED TO DO THE JOB, BE IT THE ABILITY TO PERSUADE, THE CAPACITY TO ORGANISE OR WHATEVER.
ALSO. ONE MUST NOT MISLEAD ONESELF BY UNDUE ATTENTION TO IRRELEVANT OR LESS RELEVANT ASPECTS OF MAN AND JOB, CLOTHES PERHAPS OR A CHARMING MANNER, IN SOME CASES, HE SAID.
+A THIRD IS THAT IF YOU HAVE AN AWKWARD NUT TO CRACK, A REALLY HARD PROBLEM, THEN DEVOTE ENOUGH RESOURCES TO IT SO THAT YOU GIVE YOURSELF A GOOD CHANCE TO BEAT THE PROBLEM,+ MR. TOPLEY SAID.
ANOTHER POINT WAS THAT IF YOUR MAIN ORGANISATION COULD NOT BEAT A PROBLEM, YOU MIGHT NEED A TEMPORARY SUB-ORGANISATION TO TACKLE IT, HE ADDED.
TO ILLUSTRATE HIS POINTS, MR. TOPLEY RECALLED AN EPISODE WHEN HE WAS WITH THE FORMER RESETTLEMENT DEPARTMENT WHERE 30,000 TONS OF SCRAP METAL HAD TO BE REMOVED FROM A PIECE OF LAND REQUIRED FOR BUILDING A HOUSING ESTATE, AND HOW HE FOUND +THE RIGHT MAN+ TO DO THE JOB.
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