What constraints constrain you?

Naming constraints helps a leader lead around and through them.

THINK ON IT: What constraints constrain you?

Every business has constraints — things that prevents it from achieving objectives.

Constraints limit our options. That's actually a good thing, lest we could never make a choice about the direction of our business (or our personal lives, for that matter).

Yet, we often lead our businesses without a conscious awareness of what our constraints might be. That’s not a good thing: far too often those hidden constraints keep us from really examining the strategic options for our business. Frankly, when organizations are in trouble, that's the reason "new blood" is often brought in to revive them. They don't carry the same constraints as the current management team. 

A constraint can be anything — financial, skills, time, other resources — and just as importantly, internal fears and fatigue. Even past failures can create constraints in our thinking, and consequently in our leadership. 

That's why today's question is especially challenging. One that requires you to tap into your internal dialogue to answer. 

You'll have to imagine what might be possible were it not for _______. 

When you begin to name your constraints, it can spark your thinking about fresh ways to approach your business. 

So, while today's question may feel a little like blood-letting, you'll see it's better to give a little now than needing to pay for entirely new blood later.

“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty." — Winston Churchill

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