With a stoic expression on his face, Ken told us that when he has a problem, he thinks. We have the conversation on tape and we looked at it over and over. It sounds too simple. Here is a man who has worked on a big problem for nearly three decades and in working on it, he has encountered thousands of new problems.

He has two partners. That seems impossible too. Most founders can't get along with one partner, much less two.

Topic for Discussion: What do most people do when they are confronted with a problem?

Answer: Well, if we just step back and look at the lives people live, we guess that they don't face up to most problems. They accept the status quo, run from the difficult and if they do try to solve a problem, they often quit before they arrive at a solution.

Here's what we leaned from Ken.

• First, face the problem and acknowledge it.
• Second, stay calm, cool and collected.
• Third, take time to think.

You probably know the famous story of the founder of IBM, Thomas Watson. He must have believed in people more than they believed in themselves because when he noticed that his employees were not being as productive as he had hoped, he printed up signs for everyone. The sign simply said, THINK.

When faced with a problem then, try sitting and thinking. You may not need to call people or sign up for a class or read ten books or hire new people. You may be surprised what happens when you just think.

You think about it: What problem do you need to tackle now? How will you feel when this problem is solved?