Logic outside the box
by Miki SaxonThe following was sent to me by a colleague, Olessya Borneman, Marketing Manager at Russian outsourcer NTR Lab. Although she’s in Tomsk (Siberia) and I’m in Washington State (near Portland, OR) we’ve been working together and chatting for a couple of years.
We’ve unusual solutions for a number of our projects, and had some great discussions on what “out of the box” really means philosophically, as well as practically.
“Miki, This logic problem is a moral/ethical dilemma that was actually used as part of a job application by a company here.
Situation:
You are driving down the road in your car on a wild, stormy night, when you pass by a bus stop and you see three people waiting for the bus: An old lady who looks as if she is about to die. An old friend who once saved your life. The perfect partner you’ve been dreaming of.
Which one would you choose to offer a ride to, knowing that there could only be one passenger in your car?
Dilemma:
You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and thus you should save her first. Or you could take the old friend because he once saved your life, and this would be the perfect chance to pay him back. However, you may never be able to find your perfect mate again.
What creative solutions can you think of? Take a moment to think before continuing.
The candidate who was hired (out of 200 applicants) gave this answer. “I would give the car keys to my old friend and let him take the lady to the hospital. I would stay behind and wait for the bus with the partner of my dreams.”
Olessya ended with this comment, “Sometimes, we gain more if we are able to give up our stubborn thought limitations. Never forget to Think Outside of the Box.”
So true. I wrote my view of boxes last fall, it’s a good post, but the comments are even better!
March 27th, 2016 at 8:35 pm
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