More with Less — Resourcefulness (Pt. 3)
Resourcefulness is an essential skill that can help do more with less
Resourcefulness is an essential skill that can help do more with less
Key Takeaways
Resourcefulness is the ability to innovate in a changing environment with limited resources.
The most important part is to ask the right questions, and always look for better alternatives.
To improve this skill, you should always look for alternatives, be creative, and stay positive.
Overview
In the last two articles of the series “do more with less,” I wrote about reducing existing waste and optimizing the rest for impact. In this final piece, I will focus on a superior skill, a superpower, that will push your ability to do more with less — resourcefulness.
According to a survey from 2020 by the Project Management Institute, 67% of successful project managers rated resourcefulness as an essential skill to possess. In this post, I will cover resourcefulness, acquiring it, and using it to do more with less.
What is resourcefulness
A picture is worth a thousand words, so here is the best one I found for this topic -
And my written definition is the ability to innovate in a changing environment with limited resources.
Let’s take a look at some examples -
Two exhausted parents with one child bringing a newborn find creative ways to care for both children with the same resources.
A finance manager finds ways to shorten tedious tasks using automation, functions, and the magic of Excel.
A product team finds alternative ways to measure the success of its product using internal tools and without an analyst.
A designer and an engineer collaborate to bring a beautiful design without ever building a hide-fidelity prototype.
All of the above lies in the interaction of cost limitation, agility, and creative inspiration.
How to acquire it
Resourcefulness is a soft skill; like others, it requires changing the state of mind and daily habits.
To improve this muscle, I follow these three tips -
Always look for alternatives — problem-solving is a process with more than one possible solution. In each dilemma, always look for the option no one sees.
It is helpful to discuss dilemmas with other intelligent and creative people to achieve this.Be creative with your tools — your tools help you achieve your goals. Not the other way around. I had countless situations where Paint helped me solve a problem better than Figma, or a five-minute Excel sheet calculation saved one day of code writing.
Persevere and be positive — in times of layoffs, budget limitations, and stiff goals to achieve, it’s crucial to stay positive and seize the opportunity. Keep asking yourself — how can I solve this problem better? Who or what can help me?
Summary
Resourcefulness is an essential skill that can help do more with less by focusing on innovation in the changing-environment while considering constraints.
To improve this skill, you should always look for alternatives, be creative, and stay positive. It’s better said than done, so start by giving it a try.