I have worked as a technology professional for over 23 years in the area of telecomunnications design, process control and crude oil and refined product quality assurance and measurement systems and design, installation, troubleshooting and testing. I have never had a technical problem that I could not resolve either by myself or with the help of a team.

However, ten of these 23 years were spent as a front line manager and people on the other hand have been a greater challenge.

Anyone with a profile of technical skills and abilities can provide solutuions to familiar technical challenges.

Having the motivation to apply what they know and research what they don't in providing a timely, innovative, effective value oriented solution is another issue.

You can't train people to be innovative or motivated. They need to have a curiosity to begin with and be motivated enough to attempt to find a solution.

The hard part, quite oftern is attempting to motivate human beings to believe to buy in that there is a problem and once they are aware and concur on what the problem is, that the problem is theirs and they are reponsible to ensure it is resolved.

I would hire the technical people with greater curiosity who demonstrate more curiosity in they day to day living every time over the highly educated mundane clock puncher every time!