ST JAMES, Jamaica— Renowned best-selling author, Paul Sloane, has suggested to stakeholders in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector think outside the box as a means of addressing problems that may arise in the industry.

“Reason like a criminal. How would a criminal approach this, how would you exploit it? Criminals can be very literal, very creative in their approach. I want you to think about things in a really creative way and one way to do that is to stop thinking about them from the point of view of your job title,” suggested Sloane.

Sloane, who is a recognised authority on innovation and creative speaking added, “Stop approaching your problems from the point of view of a doctor, approach it from the point of view of a car mechanic. Here is my challenge to you, don’t think like an outsource manager or a finance director or an operations director or logistics… whatever your job title is. You are thinking like your job title. I want you to think like an explorer, like a child, like an artist, like an entertainer, like a car mechanic.” 

“Here are my four rules for you today. Start with a vision for your team. A picture that is appealing, believable and challenging. Challenge every assumption. Question every dominant idea in your industry. Ask child-like questions, fundamental questions, basic questions, and deliberately displace yourself. Take it from that point of view. Tackle the problem from a different angle,” encouraged Sloane.

Sloane was the guest speaker at the third staging of Outsource 2 Jamaica conference – exhibition – career summit 2021 on Friday. The two day conference which is slated to come to an end on Saturday is being held virtually from a location in Montego Bay.

Sloane, who spoke on the topic, ‘Bringing the future into focus’, gave his suggestions as part of his advice on navigating a world filled with “volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity”.

Anthony Lewis