Do you hate constraints? When your business encounters a problem, or a crisis, do you get frustrated and start thinking about all the things you have to sacrifice to achieve your goal? Trust me, you should love those moments. They’re the ones that truly make your business innovate and excel.

The truth is, being resource constrained can help your organization grow faster. Constraint is actually an accelerant to growth! Creativity flows from limited resources. The times when people are stuck in a box are exactly the times when they learn to think outside one. Restrictive limits help people learn to use resources wisely. Constraints force you to rethink through how you’re going to allocate time, talent, and input.

You might have a constraint, for example, where your biggest client calls with an outrageous demand, and you only have 2 weeks to complete the project instead of 6 months. Another constraint might be that your team doesn’t have enough funding to finish the task. These difficulties force you and your teams to be innovative, because anything else will lead to defeat. ​

Constraints force you to look for new ways of management and resource allocation, or learn new skills in order to create a positive outcome. The tighter the focus, the greater the opportunity. When you’re constrained, focusing on your organization’s Vital Few becomes even more critical. Stick to your core values, your primary value propositions – those can help keep your strategy alive when you’re in a tight box of constraint.