A Wondrous Constraint

Make constraints your canvas.   — Herbert Lui

Creativity loves constraints

For the last three decades I have been playing shinny hockey with the same core group of guys on Sunday nights.

When we first started we found the typical way of playing shinny hockey dissatisfying: you have an empty net and you had to keep reminding the players to keep the puck low to minimize injury. Then we changed the rules so that a goal only counted if you hit the post. That also proved unsatisfactory. Then someone came up with the idea of having a 2 x 6 feet board. They cut out three small squares, about six inches in length (one at either end of the posts and one in the middle), with just enough space for a puck to go through. The boards are attached to the posts by wires, which takes less than four minutes to set up (see photos below).

Presto. Pinball Super Sunday Shinny Hockey was born. I call it that because when you score it sounds and feels like a pinball. By restricting the limited space where you can score and keeping the puck low, we managed to make the game more challenging and minimize injury. Our game requires a different strategy with quick passes and shots that require more precision and finesse. To add to the challenge we play outdoors, and only recently have moved to indoor arenas.

Our set of rules, far from restricting us – has made our Sunday night hockey games more interesting. 

There have been countless studies that show how having constraints makes us more creative. One is a classic study done at the University of Amsterdam: Dealing with Obstacles Promotes Creative Thought.*  In the words of Marissa Mayer, former CEO of Yahoo!:  “Constraints shape and focus problems, and provide clear challenges to overcome as well as inspiration.”  

If only…

I have also experienced and witnessed this firsthand. Many first-time entrepreneurs tell me they could make their business work if only they had:

-more start-up money

-more access to the right client or

-more time

In many cases, that makes things worse. I’ve seen entrepreneurs spend money on a marketing campaign, and nothing to show for it. I’ve had entrepreneurs pitch to their ideal clients – only to lose the sale because of lack of preparation and inexperience. I have had potential entrepreneurs express, in complete frustration, that they don’t have any time only to tell me in the next sentence they were binge-watching a Netflix show the night before.

Dig deeper with ‘the box’ you’re given

The most successful entrepreneurs are those who are resourceful and adaptable with what they have in front of them. Instead of wishing for an ‘out-of-the-box’ solution, they dig deeper with ‘the box’ they’re given. Here are two examples of how that can play out.  

Ioana – the power of connecting

Ioana wanted to set up a childcare center** and attempted to talk to some other childcare center owners in her city, but they were unresponsive. I told her to call a childcare center owner in a different city (they would feel less of a competitive threat). She ended up connecting with an owner in a different part of the country who also became her mentor. In her own words, “That mentor probably saved me two years of learning on my own.” I believe this constraint forced her to stretch and reach out. It also had the added benefit of making her believe she could adapt to future challenges and constraints.    

Ammon – the power of testing

Ammon, owner of a protein shake business,** wanted to spend $15,000 on a social media marketing campaign. He had very little social media presence. My advice to him was to first start with what he had: organic social media and a consistent content media strategy. Then after three months do some ad testing on Google. Evaluate. Then come back to me.

After four months he came back. I asked, “Are you ready to spend $15,000? “Not quite,” was his response. “I learned a lot. I need to build up more momentum – but I have strengthened my offering because of this approach.”  

That’s not to say one shouldn’t spend money on marketing or seek start-up funds. However, it’s about knowing what stage you're at and maximizing the resources you do have (read my blog on Act Your Stage).

Build your resourcefulness muscle

Having regular wins from smaller constraints helps build your resourcefulness muscle and adaptability mindset.

We need boundaries to explore and push against. Almost all business growth comes from working within parameters. The gap between your ambition and your constraints is your creative tension. It’s something that all entrepreneurs learn to harness and leverage. For that to work, you need to believe that your constraints are the gateway to success.

Everything you have done to date has been the training ground for the next best step you’re about to take. Own the mountain (or plot of land) you are currently standing on.  

Our tendency to seek quick answers, not only plays havoc with our expectations but makes us feel we don’t have much within reach.  

It’s in hindsight we realize: that what we thought was restricting us was really a wondrous constraint.

*Source: Creativity and Innovation Management

 **The name and business have been changed for confidentiality.

Not easy to score!

Yours truly in the dark blue Leafs jersey (third from top right)