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Three Idiots crossing the valley

Valley crossing task is where three persons should cross a valley. Here there is a constraint that the valley should be crossed only by using a pole and not by jumping across the valley or walking on the pole placed on the two edges. The width of the valley is more than a foot and less than two feet. The following figure shows the method to be used in crossing the valley. As the task seems to be adventurous, there needs to be lot of planning like the roles that each person will take, the training that is required both mentally and physically. Consider the three persons crossing the valley as A, B, C

The various steps involved in this process are

         Step 1:  A, B and C are safe.                            

Step 2:  A is half safe; B and C are safe                          

Step 3:  A is unsafe; B and C are safe                          

Step 4:  A and B are half safe; C is safe                 

Step 5:  B is unsafe; A and C are safe                                        

Step 6:  B and C are half safe; A is safe                   

Step 7: C is unsafe; B and A are safe                                                        

Step 8: C is half safe; A and B are safe                     

     Step 9: A, B, C are safe          
The key ingredients to cross the valley are the following:                                                                                                  

Leadership:

A leader is a person who takes risk whenever it is necessary. So  A has to be the leader who crosses the valley first. 'A' should be a person who motivates the team.

Team Work:

Crossing the valley requires lot of planning. Planning in turn requires team work. Had crossing of valley been done individually it would have taken longer than the normal duration. But when people work in a team, strengths and ideas of each and every individual contribute to the overall outcome. Moreover, timing that is required in crossing the valley comes out of coordination among the team members.

The other method of crossing the valley that I suggest is done on an individual basis. The pole can be used in the same way as a pole vaulter uses. Though superficially it may seem like an individual effort, it still requires team work as there should be sharing of knowledge and each one should train one another.