My recent “Adventures Without the Internet” over the past week and a half led me to many reflections. One of the things I have been thinking about is resourcefulness, inspired by my unflappable and extraordinarily capable and creative website designer. This is one of the qualities of an exceptional leader. In virtually every leadership situation I have encountered, there are times of trial and circumstance that require the leader to go beyond the norm to find creative solutions. When circumstances present you with an unexpected challenge, being resourceful is your best ally. One of my readers sent this story about a friend of his in the Napa Valley. It is an excellent example of resourcefulness.

Food for Thought ~

“During the annual grape crush an essential piece of crushing equipment failed at a St. Helena Gallo wine cooperative. A friend of mine quickly realized that he had numerous small co-op member grape growers whose livelihoods might hinge on the profits from their annual grape deliveries. What did my friend do? He located a piece of replacement equipment, contracted with a helicopter service, had the equipment delivered to the co-op, and the grape crush continued on apace.”
He concludes:
“In my opinion, economic catastrophe can often be avoided, even without any contingency planning, if businesses are resourceful when needed.”

Question of the day ~

On the theory that a leader can never be too resourceful, how might you strengthen your “resourcefulness muscles?”