When is a hanky not a hanky?

The Guinea worm is a water-borne parasite that used to blight the lives of people 3.5 million living in Africa, Asia and the Middle East people every year.  It leads to people incubating a metre long worm inside their body, which then heads towards the skin, and eventually emerges in a blister.  This process takes a year and is very painful.  As can be seen from the cycle illustrated on the left, the adult, when mature makes for the skin of limbs that will be in the water, that is the legs of the men and the arms of the women.  It surfaces through a painful blister and releases its larvae into the water where they infect the cyclops, which is in turn taken into the next person when they drink… Which is where the hanky comes in, which they use to filter their water. 

The Carter Foundation is now close to eradicating this illness, by, amongst other things, by providing these clothes and encouraging people with blisters to avoid the water.. 

This is a fabulous example not only of practical low-tech problem solving but also seeing potential in something beyond its stated purpose.  Too often we don’t see things (or people) as they are but as we are used to seeing them and that prevents us seeing new potential in them.  A good leader will see something in people that others haven’t and give them a chance to express and develop the talent they have.

Next time you have a problem, try to look beyond and ask “How could this person/object help me resolve this dilemma?”

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 6th, 2013 at 07:34 and is filed under Hints, Tips & Techniques, Leadership, Personal Change. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.