You may be out of Schlitz but your boss isn't
"Where resources are plentiful, you will find very little creativity. Where resources are scarce, you will find an abundance of creativity." Andy Murray
"When you're out of Schlitz, you're out of beer," so stated the 1971 commercial from the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company. I came to know this phrase in the Army when we were planning military operations and we discovered the point where supplies or available troops ran out. "We're out of Schlitz!" I heard this phrase from subordinates when they reached their peak capacity or were short of resources - "boss, I'm out of Schlitz." Of course it was my job to know that before issuing orders otherwise I would be ordering the impossible. However, I had more in my toolbox than my subordinates. My boss did as well and I always kept this in mind.
In the airborne infantry Modified Table of Organization and Equipment or MTOE, a battalion commander has 12 infantry platoons at his disposal. As a brigade commander, I had 36. I could apply more to the problem than he could. He might be of the mindset that when he ran out of platoons, he was finished, but I could apply more resources.
In my small business I have more resources than my teammates. Out of vans? I'll rent one. Need another person for that job? I'll pull one from another team, jump in myself, or pull from our bench of temp employees.
The point here is to know what your boss can apply to the solution beyond what you have - to think and see things from their lens and their level. Be ready to present that in the options you provide him or her. "Boss, I can complete that project with the 6 people I have, but it will take three days to complete. I know you want this done quickly so if you could shift resources and offer me two additional people for this task, I can get it done in half the time," or "Boss, I suggest, given your intent, you apply the extra resources you reserve at your level to address this problem appropriately."
From the leader's position, we should make clear to our people that we have additional resources at our level to apply to missions and problems but that they should be judicious when asking for them. If we create an abundance of resources, we will create subordinates who won't problem solve or be resourceful when accomplishing complex tasks. We will squash creativity and problem solving ability.
You might be out of Schlitz but your boss is not.
Make it Personal!
Rob
Rob Campbell