Resourcefulness

COUNCIL FOR THE RESTORATION OF FILIPINO VALUES

September 10, 2017
IN 1894, Dr. Jose Rizal was in exile in Dapitan, a remote town in Mindanao in 1800, where
he engineered a dam and waterworks with the help of his pupils. He built the waterworks
with limited finance, inadequate tools, and meager materials using stones, cast-off tiles,
bamboos pipes, and mortar from burnt coral and he succeeded in giving good water system
for Dapitan. Resourcefulness is “doing what we can with what we have, where we are,” says
Theodore Roosevelt. Also, it is the ability to generate the resources necessary to accomplish
a project.

The Filipinos embedded resourcefulness as we see it utilize in everyday life and various
circumstances: improvised boats out of recycled materials made for people to cross flooded
roads and ways; used cooking oils mixed with salt is used as light during brownouts; water
lilies that block the flow of water results in rising flood become source of livelihood and
materials for bags, baskets, furniture, slippers, and cheap organic fertilizer; and in difficult
situations Filipinos find ways to triumph over and thrive.

The article, "Resourcefulness - a Key to Success", shares a powerful story of Sam Walton, the
man behind Wal-Mart superstores, who reached status as the second-richest man in the
world because he employed resourcefulness. Growing up during the Great Depression,
Walton milked the family cow then bottled and sold the surplus. Later, he took control of
the retail sales market by selling merchandise people could afford. He was also among the
first to introduce a “profit sharing” plan for his employees, which greatly contributed to
Wal-Mart’s continuing success. Walton took what was already in existence, large retail
stores, and figured out a way to improve upon the concept and bring it to small towns
across America.

The Scriptures say, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much,
and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not
been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you
have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your
own?” (Luke 16:10-12). Consequently, God wants us to be good stewards of the resources
he entrusts us and find ways to maximize for our good and benefit of others. Unlike the man
who received the resources of one thousand coins but dug a hole in the ground and hid his
master’s money. He was called, “bad and lazy servant” and the money was taken away from
him and given to the good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:14-30). Hence, in all of your
God-given resources, “do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the places
you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can,” says
John Wesley.
Resourcefulness: The Ability to Find A Way
 JANUARY 31, 2010 by  ANTHONY IANNARINO
Resourcefulness is the ability to find a way to achieve your goal or to make one. This is
especially true when the goal is difficult to achieve and when little or no direction is given.
Resourcefulness is the ability to think creatively, to generate ideas, and to identify
alternatives. Resourcefulness is also imagination, the ability to visualize how something
could be achieved when there is nothing there but the vision.
To be resourceful takes self-discipline and an iron will. First, self-discipline enables the belief
that there is a way to achieve the outcome. Second, it takes an iron will to ignore the
naysayers, the devil’s advocates, and those who simply lack resourcefulness themselves and
so have no interest in seeing you succeed.
Resourcefulness in Sales
Great salespeople are resourceful. They use their resourcefulness to find ways into
prospects that others fail to uncover. Once inside, they work with their prospects to
generate ideas that create a vision of how a problem may be solved or a competitive
advantage might be gained—for them and for their prospect.
They find away to overcome obstacles to a deal that would otherwise be a roadblock. They
identify the resources within their own company, their prospect’s company, and within their
networks, and then they bring these resources to bear on the obstacles or challenges that
would otherwise prevent their success.
These salespeople bring their resourcefulness to bear on their own company’s challenges,
and they work with management to create the innovative solutions that win deals, grow
their sales, and move their company forward.
They imagine a way. Then they help create that way.
When Resourcefulness is Missing
When resourcefulness is missing, salespeople accept defeat. They believe that obstacles are
actually roadblocks that cannot be overcome. Even though they possess the ability to
imagine and to create, they don’t exercise their ability to do so. And without exercising their
resourcefulness, it atrophies.
As sales has become more and more competitive, and as the rules of business are
continually being rewritten to keep pace with the changing business climate, this lack of
resourcefulness is a liability to the salesperson—and their company.
The lack of imagination, the lack of creativity, and the lack of the ability to identify resources
that may move a deal forward results in losing deals that may have been won. Deals that
will be won by someone else, often someone more resourceful.
Conclusion
The role of the professional salespeople continues to change, and it continues to require
more critical thinking and creativity. In order to succeed in sales, professional salespeople
need to be resourceful, and they need to bring their creativity, their imagination, and their
ability to identify and manage resources to bear on their prospect and customer’s
challenges and opportunities.
Questions
How often do I accept a temporary setback—an obstacle—as a roadblock?
Do I exercise my imagination and creativity to find a way around or over these obstacles?
Do I use all of the resources available to me, including the resources within my own
company, my prospect and customer’s company, and my networks to find a way to succeed
when it isn’t apparent?
What issues and challenges should I be bringing my resourcefulness to now?
What would I do if I had to succeed?

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There is not a more useful or important trait to possess than resourcefulness in the pursuit
of success. Resourcefulness is a mindset, and is especially relevant when the goals you have
set are difficult to achieve or you cannot envision a clear path to get to where you desire to
go. With a resourcefulness mindset you are driven to find a way. An attitude of
resourcefulness inspires out-of-the-box thinking, the generation of new ideas, and the
ability to visualize all the possible ways to achieve what you desire. Resourcefulness turns
you into a scrappy, inventive and enterprising entrepreneur. It places you a cut above the
rest.
1. Open minded.
As an open-minded entrepreneur you must be passionate about breaking boundaries and
redefining what is and is not possible. You must possess the unique talents necessary to
leverage and fulfill the immediate goals set out in front of you, and remain open when
considering new ideas and differing thoughts from your own. Open-mindedness is critical
when taking the actions that will lead you towards success.
In being open-minded you find value in all kinds of different people, events and
circumstances. You demonstrate a willingness to embrace an array of possibilities,
opportunities, thoughts, views, suggestions and experiences outside of your normal
repertoire. You push yourself to do what others believe to be impossible. This is how you
attain success while the less resourceful give up on their dreams. Stretch out of your
comfort zone and expand your thinking. As you stretch yourself you discover things which
greatly improve your business, and ideas which help you bypass current obstacles standing
in your way.
2. Self-assured.
Believe you are capable of handling any problem placed in front of you. You must
wholeheartedly hold the belief that you are competent and adequate enough to achieve
what you desire. This belief is the first step you take in getting things done. When you are
self-assured you like and trust yourself. You know your value, appreciate your talents, work
ethic and your ability to consistently follow through on your every word, deed and action.
Hold the mindset that workable solutions exist for every problem. Visualize yourself being
successful every day. When facing difficulties picture yourself overcoming them. Imagine
accomplishing your goals and celebrating your successes. Openly accept compliments and
know that you deserve them. Keep a daily log of your successes. Write down your
achievements each day and soon you will fill the pages and develop a clear scope on how far
you have come and how much success you have had. This will go a long way in helping you
realize that you have earned the right to be confident in yourself and your abilities.
Related: Keeping a Daily Journal Can Give You Tremendous Power
3. Imaginative.
Resourcefulness is having the mindset to look at what’s in front of you and to optimize what
you have to work with. Being imaginative is not always about creating something new, but
also, with a little ingenuity making old things work better. Reach far into the depths of your
mind and come up with outlandish possibilities as well as practical ones. Allow your mind to
wander. Never stop your creative process, as you may talk yourself out of great idea.
Creative thoughts quickly move you from one idea to another and to another. One of those
ideas may bear the fruits of a genius idea or solution.
Related: Want to Reach Your Goals? Adopt and Embrace the Hustle Mentality.
4. Proactive.
There is no such thing a procrastination in the mindset of those who are resourceful. To be
successful you cannot put your dreams on hold and wait for the right resources or people to
show up. There is no waiting. Get out there and create your own resources and networks.
When you are resourceful you do not allow outside circumstances determine when or how
you take action, or you will always settle for less.
When opportunities present themselves do not overthink or talk yourself out of them. Get
in the game. Avoid being a passive observer. Participate actively and always be deeply
involved. Take initiative to be a part of creating and finding solutions. Engage with and
influence the people, events, circumstance and knowledge which come your way. It is when
you are actively engaged in your business that you have the most significant impact on
everything you touch.
Related: Entrepreneurs Don't Overthink Things. They Make a Decision and Go With It.
5. Persistent.
 To be resourceful you can never give up. If you stop trying before a problem is solved then
you haven’t accomplished anything. If you don’t succeed at first, get up and try again. Try a
dozen things a hundred different ways if that is what it takes, but don’t give up the fight
simply because obstacles present themselves on your path. Trust that every “No” puts you
that much closer the “Yes” you are looking for.
Let anxiety and frustration motivate you. Get in touch with how deeply you want to succeed
and make a difference. These motivators largely determine what you accomplish. Discipline
yourself to keep going when you want to quit. Any sought after goal worthy of your effort
will place challenges in your way. If you practice persistence and make it your habit to
discipline yourself to get done what needs to get done, you are guaranteed to reach your
goal. Gregariously go after what you want. Never see a setback as a failure, view it as
practice. Practice makes perfect. Use fear and frustration to push you over the finish line of
what you are seeking.
6. Hopeful.
Possessing a resourceful mindset requires you stay positive. There is a solution to every
problem, even if that means a change in direction. Train yourself to see the positive benefits
in every situation. As you cultivate a positive outlook you will see it is easier to come up with
solutions. Fear and frustration block innovation.
When frustrated, remind yourself of all the times in the past you dealt with a crisis or
difficult situation and the stories of victory and success that resulted from those hardships.
Allow these memories to keep you hopeful in your present situation. Each time you are
successful through hardship you grow into a stronger, wiser person. Your experiences teach
you things you can now pass onto others when in need of support and encouragement.
To develop a resourceful mindset be willing to constantly improve yourself. Be open to
learning new things and do all you can to keep current with what is happening within your
industry. Even if your business becomes more successful your learning must continue
because learning provides enrichment to your life. Know and embrace what your personal
strengths and weaknesses are and learn how to control and overcome them. You cannot
manage every situation you encounter effectively if you do not have the ability to harness
your fears and/or weaknesses. Therefore, read as many books as you can, consistently
educate yourself and put what you learn into full blown action. Become the person who
finds the loopholes, who is scrappy and innovative. When you practice resourcefulness, you
raise the bar and success is a guarantee.

RESOURCEFULNESS IN THE WORKPLACE: CHARACTERISTICS OF A RESOURCEFUL

ENTREPRENEUR
by Molly McGrath | May 3, 2018 | Leadership, Personal Growth | 0 comments
To be successful, an entrepreneur must embody a wide range of characteristics: self-belief,
discipline, dedication, hard work, confidence, willingness, and so on. But there is perhaps
nothing quite as useful as resourcefulness in the workplace when it comes to achieving
professional goals. Being resourceful at work—especially when you’ve set lofty goals—
means adopting not a “can-do” but a “will-do-at-any-cost” attitude, and being willing to
think way outside the box in order get the job done.
Like all business skills, the characteristics of a resourceful person can always stand to be
fine-tuned. Here are six ways to hone your resourcefulness and become the kind of
entrepreneur who can leverage whatever is at your disposal:
1. Be open-minded. In any situation, consider a breadth of possibilities, and find value in
people, circumstances and events. Moving outside of your comfort zone and breaking a few
boundaries will help you redefine the reality of your situation and transcend obstacles.
2. Have confidence in yourself. Henry Ford famously quoted, “Whether you think you can
or you can’t, you’re right.” And he was right! Self-assurance is the gateway to success. To
develop confidence and prove that you’ve earned the right to be self-assured, run a daily log
of your successes. Over time, it will become quite clear that you are a rock star!
3. Think creatively. Being resourceful in the workplace requires ingenuity and imagination—
find new ways to leverage the same assets, or allow an idea that seems outlandish to evolve
into something truly genius.
4. Take action now, not later. One of the most important characteristics of a resourceful
person—especially an entrepreneur—is proactivity. Never put your success on hold until the
ideal resources become available. Act now, and never settle for less.
5. Never, never, never give up. Some say that success is getting up one more time than you
have fallen. Resourceful leaders don’t let failure or frustration stop them; rather, they
become more motivated to succeed in the wake of a setback. Every failure is one step closer
to success. Don’t quit before the miracle happens.
6. See the glass as half full. Even if the glass really only has a sip left in it. Resourcefulness in
the workplace benefits dramatically from adopting an optimistic outlook. Positivity keeps
your mind open to new possibilities and encourages even the most skilled leaders to
continue learning.
In the modern business landscape, executive, leaders and entrepreneurs are accustomed to
having everything they need, readily available at their fingertips. There’s an app for that,
right? But as new challenges arise—and they undoubtedly will—the resourceful person will
rise above the rest, using a seamless blend of ingenuity, common sense and good
judgement to overcome obstacles and realize success.

Resources Vs Resourcefulness
When accomplishing your goals, you need resources.
But how often have you heard people use a lack of resources as an excuse for not achieving
their goals? Then again, how many stories have you heard of people achieving amazing
things where they started with little or no resources.
The distinction is the difference between resources vs resourcefulness.
Resources vs resourcefulness
A RESOURCE is something you can use to achieve a goal.
There are typically three issues you will come up against when using resources to achieve
goals:
1. Not maximizing the resource;
2. Not realizing there is a resource available to you; and
3. Needing resources, you currently don’t have.
When you find yourself struggling to achieve a goal it is more often than not because of one
or more of these issues. This is where resourcefulness comes into play.
RESOURCEFULNESS is the ability to find quick and clever ways to overcome difficulties.
Being a resourceful person includes characteristics like creativity, determination, passion,
curiosity and resolve.
In a nutshell… ‘being resourceful is your ability to solve or overcome your resource issues to
achieve your goal.’