How resourceful are you?

We can all be resourceful when we’re in a fix. Our success may vary, but when we see problems we tend to try and overcome them. People who bury their heads in the sand and do nothing when confronted with problems have usually made an active decision to do so – they could have tried something. Most of us do try.

But do we need to wait for a problem?

The modern, online, free-to-browse dictionaries define resourcefulness as the ability to overcome difficulties. This is how we tend to see it, but older definitions speak of resourcefulness as an ability to deal with new (not necessarily bad) situations and to make sound decisions.

Yes, resourceful business owners are able to deal with problems. For example, developing and nurturing a solid network is a vital part of the job. When a difficulty arises, a trusted network ensures you can reach out to the right individuals to help with that difficulty.

But what about positive new situations – could you reach out to people from that same network who might be able to make a good turn of events even better? Remember the broader definition of resourcefulness and that you can leverage a positive situation too.

Resourcefulness is about making good decisions with your resources. Take Human Resources as an example. Imagine you’ve taken on a new hire who excels at sales. That’s one good decision made, but what more could a resourceful leader do?

There might be a case for outsourcing some of this individual’s other work. Would the revenue they could generate by spending more time reaching out to new leads and closing sales outweigh the cost of this? If so, you’d be making a better use of your resource – making a positive situation even better.

Think about technology – do you adopt new tools and resources when they become available or only when you feel you’re lagging behind? Consider time management – do you track how efficient your days are and look to improve, or do wait until you feel overworked and struggling for time before you address your timetable?

We can all be incredibly resourceful when we’re up against it, but we needn’t reserve that talent for the bad times. Resourcefulness is about making good decisions in new situations. Each day is a new situation – what good decision could you make today?