I’ve been thinking about constraints lately. After several years of strong economics, our industry fundamentals are changing rapidly. When faced with a difficult challenge, I can easily get stuck in a binary way of thinking – either/or, black/white, win/lose. But to successfully navigate the challenges ahead, we need to broaden our approach to problem-solving and generate creative ways to tackle persistent problems.
I was forced to confront my binary thinking after my manager walked into my office several years ago and announced we would not be shipping products to a long-time loyal customer as previously agreed. I was gobsmacked. Yes, the price sucked and it was the end of a quarter, but a contract was a contract. Moreover, I had personally shaken hands with the customer on the deal and knew they had put a lot of eggs in our basket. Not delivering would hurt them badly, destroy the relationship, and damage my professional reputation. After clarifying, challenging, and finally pleading with my boss, he lost his cool and abruptly ended the discussion, making it clear we would not ship in the timeframe required.
I was angry. I could see only two choices – ship and violate a direct order or not ship and violate a contract. After racking my brain for several hours and raging at the walls, I went home. I told my wife if I couldn’t find a solution, I might need to resign. I didn’t sleep much that night. Thankfully, the next day, a few of us started chewing on the problem and brainstorming possible solutions. The first few hours of work were fruitless, so we put is aside for the day. The next day, however, someone threw out an idea. I don’t remember what it was but I remember thinking, “That’s crazy and can’t possibly work.” But it sparked a different inquiry – a different way of looking at the issue – which eventually led to an idea with real promise. The mood brightened, the energy picked up, and we began focusing on the new line of thinking. Within the hour, we had a rough concept we believed might work.
We ran the concept by our general counsel and finance teams. They liked it. We asked a few others on the sales team. They couldn’t find any fatal flaws, but their questions raised some issues we quickly ironed out. Finally, I took it to the boss. He smiled at me with satisfaction and said, “See, I knew you’d find a way.”
I struggled with the incident for a long time. I was upset my boss deliberately put me in a seemingly impossible position. But I had to acknowledge it wasn’t impossible because we obviously found one. More importantly, I had to admit I would not have spent the time analyzing, brainstorming, or diving deep unless he forced me – to the point of resignation – to do the hard work.
Is that what it takes to unlock deep creativity? Does it take external pressure to force creativity? Is necessity the only mother of invention?
The issue is more than academic. On the professional side, rising interest rates mean the era of cheap money is over. Capital will be constrained. Baby Boomers are retiring and shrinking the US labor force by 400,000 workers per year. Labor will be constrained. And supply constraints are easing, putting pressure back on margins. Thus, margins will be constrained.
Do we have to choose between capital and growth, budget and headcount, supply, and strong margins? A binary mindset would say yes. Safety versus profit. Service versus cost.
On the personal side, many of us struggle to balance work and family, and the crush between our friends, work, family, and our health. My boss’ needs versus my team’s needs vs my needs. How do we fight the short-term whirlwind versus long-term planning?
In my mind, the answer rests first with a mindset shift and second with practice. It is about bringing a mindset of creativity along with good old-fashioned, pissed-off grit and determination to have your cake and eat it, too.
Before going further, I want to be clear – not every problem has some nifty creative solution; sometimes hard choices must be made. Oprah Winfrey famously said, “You can have it all. Just not all at once.” The point is that it is worth more than a shot. More than just a little frustration-type shot. It is worth a little pissed-off, “I’ll show you #$@$@3&()(*!” type determination. It won’t be easy. It is dang hard. It will force you to dig deep, grab some co-workers, get creative, and think of new ways of doing things. And it likely starts with you saying “no” and setting a clear limit for yourself and for others.
A few personal possibilities to think about:
Set a time limit on how much you will work each week. Instead of choosing between reduced hours, doing fewer projects or lowering your work quality, challenge yourself to think about how you could limit work hours AND get the work done at a high level. If you need help, look to the many working mothers with young kids (and good working dads who share the load). When daycare charges you late fees by the minute, you get creative (and disciplined).
Commit to working out consistently. The science is clear – a magic pill exists. It’s called exercise. I used to skip my workout all the time. I’d bring the gym bag to the office but it mostly gathered dust as the daily whirlwind often overtook my plans for the gym. Then I had a heart attack. I sat in the hospital bed and saw the abject fear in my children’s worried eyes. Now my health is my top priority. I don’t set meetings before 8:00 AM and make sure I’m in bed by 9:30. But I’m committed to being a successful CEO as well, so I’ve had to approach this job differently. It’s not easy to change your stripes, but it’s made me a better leader.
Again, I’m not saying all binary thinking is bad. My point is simply that “either/or” thinking has real limits and may not be needed as often as we think. With creativity and some hard thinking over several days, there may be fewer actual tradeoffs. If you can do it — if we can do it — then when faced with external constraints or the world tells us no, we’re ready. We choose career AND family. Health AND work AND friends. We choose growth despite limited capital. Serving our customers despite tight labor. At first, it may seem impossible, almost maddening. And it may take throwing out the old rules. But moving from “either/or” to “and/both” is where the magic happens. I won’t say it will happen right away or every time, but it is worth reaching hard for.
