Engineering Diplomacy
Where to Put the X and How to Find the 18th Camel
What if solving a multi-million-dollar engineering problem required just a chalk mark? Or if an ancient dispute over 17 camels was resolved by a mysterious 18th camel? These aren’t just stories—they’re actionable insights for tackling the toughest challenges of our time.
These tales reveal two timeless principles: Find the X: Pinpoint the core issue where focused effort makes the biggest impact. Discover the 18th Camel: Reframe the problem to unlock unexpected solutions.
Together, they form the foundation of Engineering Diplomacy, a framework that blends technical precision with creative problem-solving to address today’s complex challenges—from resource scarcity to sustainability to human insecurity.
Clue 1: The X That Fixed an Engineering Problem
In the early 20th century, Engineer Charles Steinmetz was called to rescue General Electric from a financial catastrophe. Their electrical generators continued to fail, and no one could figure out why. Steinmetz arrived, spent some time listening, observing, and analyzing, then casually marked an X on the generator with chalk. “Replace these wires,” he instructed.
The fix worked. GE was saved, but Steinmetz’s $1,000 bill (equivalent to $40,000 today) left them stunned. When asked to send the itemized bill, he replied:
$1 for the chalk mark.
$999 for knowing where to put the X.
But identifying the X is just one side of the coin. Some problems demand more than technical precision—they call for creative reframing. Meet the mysterious 18th camel.
Clue 2: The Mysterious 18th Camel
Centuries ago, three brothers in a Middle Eastern village faced an inheritance puzzle: dividing 17 camels such that the eldest received half of them, the middle child received a third, and the youngest received a ninth. They then met a wise lady who lent them a camel, bringing the total to 18. Suddenly, the math worked: 9 for the eldest, 6 for the second, 2 for the youngest—and 1 camel left to return to the woman. The inheritance puzzle was solved without sacrificing a single camel.
The lesson? When solutions seem impossible, reframing the problem—or introducing a new perspective—can unlock unexpected answers. But why stop at anecdotes? Let’s apply these principles to real-world challenges.
Engineering Diplomacy in Action
These stories offer two essential principles for tackling complex problems. Pinpointing the X means diving deep to identify the core issue—the leverage point where effort makes the most difference. Finding the 18th camel means stepping back to see the problem from a new angle, bringing in fresh perspectives or unconventional tools.
By blending technical rigor (Steinmetz’s chalk mark) with rethinking about the problem (wise woman’s 18th camel), Engineering Diplomacy unlocks actionable solutions to seemingly impossible problems. Real-world challenges demand both approaches.
What if I told you that efforts to bring clean water to Bangladesh—hailed as a global success—not once, but twice, turned into failures? It’s a tale of what happens when well-meaning solutions ignore the complexity of the systems, they aim to fix without fully appreciating what and where is the X and how to discover the options that are not easily visible.
By adopting the mindset of an Engineer-Diplomat, you can tackle problems that feel insurmountable—and maybe even uncover your own “18th camel.”
Looking Ahead...
So, what’s your X? What’s the 18th camel for your toughest challenge?
Join us next week as we dive into how what looks like success can sometimes mask deeper failures—and why adapting an Engineer-Diplomat’s mindset is the key to addressing complex societal problems.
Sources, Notes, and Links
Engineer Steinmetz, https://edisontechcenter.org/CharlesProteusSteinmetz.html
Where to Put X -Vest Speech: https://news.mit.edu/1999/vestspeech
Looking for the 18th Camel: https://blog.waterdiplomacy.org/2014/02/hydropolitics-of-the-nile-and-the-18th-camel/