My approach to solving difficult problems

 Last year, 2019, our university students were anxious because of the intermittent supply of electricity and WIFI connectivity. Through their student representative body, they had made several attempts to 

get their grievances heard and addressed by the authorities. The authorities did not have ready answers as they felt  that the situation was a national crisis and beyond them but lacked the courage to address the students. 

The students began to demonstrate and disrupt lectures. It occurred that on this day, I was offering an important lecture and some rowdy students came to my class and demanded, ' why the lectures were ongoing, yet it was time to show the administration that it had failed' so they said. 

I was caught in a dilemma. Whilst I understood their plight, honestly, I was not aware of the planned demonstration. At the same time I felt it was the right of my class to receive undisturbed lectures. There was chaos.

I took the initiative, boldly and calmly I approached the rowdy students and persuaded them to be calm. They refused to listen. I then separately approached the ring leaders, made it clear that 

violence was not beneficial to anyone at all, everyone was equally being affected by the lack of electricity, as such no one had a right to infringe on another person's freedoms. Dialogue was the 

answer. Their anger began to subside. They then called off the disruptive demonstration. The management were impressed by my conduct and I told them not to overlook student grievances. The 

next  week the management met student representatives and there was a dialogue. I realised that a holistic approach was necessary to deal with difficult problems  and it is attentive to multiple

factors and relations. This demands  initiative, open mindedness, effective communication, analytical thinking, creativity, perseverance, commitment and teamwork.