In a culture that prizes "expert status" and constant certainty, the act of admitting we don’t have all the answers feels radical. However, if we want to be the leaders, partners, and friends we aspire to be, we...
The New Year usually arrives with a frantic energy. We are told to "grind," to "level up," and to fill every white square on our January calendars with productive output. But if you want to be a better problem solver in 2026,...
by Dan Buckmaster Dan Buckmaster doesn’t just believe in creative problem solving—he lives it. An engineer by training and an entrepreneur by spirit, Dan is currently Sr. Manager of Research and Development at ACV Auctions, an online vehicle marketplace...
I was 27 and, I felt like a failure. I was working as a nanny in Hartford, CT, without a degree. College? I’d failed out twice. I’d neatly filed away the idea that higher education wasn't for me, settling into what felt like a...
The Necessity of Partnership: Choosing Growth Over Retreat In times of uncertainty, it is human nature to contract. When budgets tighten or the global landscape feels challenging, the instinct is to retreat into deficit thinking—to...
Five weeks out from my Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) knee surgery, I am already three months ahead of where the medical team expected me to be. Progress feels great—strong, hopeful. But on the first day of physical therapy, I...
You’re Already Using Creative Problem Solving (CPS) Every Day — And That’s the Magic We use Creative Problem Solving (CPS) every day — at work, at home, in our communities. You’ve likely brainstormed ideas, weighed options, and...
We live in a world that invests billions in crisis management — after things fall apart. But what if we invested that energy in preventing crises in the first place? That’s what Creative Problem Solving (CPS) is all about. It’s...
This summer, I tore my right ACL. After six weeks of physical therapy, I was ready for surgery — which took place just last week. As the anesthesiologist and surgical team prepared me for the operation, a nurse...
By Mary Ellen Vicksta Way back in 1992, I spied a brochure for CPSI in our library at work. A few people from my department were interested. I had a lot going on at the time, so I didn’t register right away. In fact, I didn’t register until the afternoon before CPSI...