I’ve always thought that the phrase ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ as linear. We run out of stuff and then we come up with something new. I guess I’ve been reading too much Dan Pink or Malcolm Gladwell or Seth Godin. I just can’t take things at face value any more and find myself questioning all of my long held beliefs.
I’ve come to a huge new realization. To paraphrase Gordon Gecko “scarcity is good.” (Sorry couldn’t find another g-word to keep the rhythm.) Rarely is there greatness to be found in an abundance of resource. Perhaps it’s a little masochistic but I’ve really started to enjoy situation that, at first, seem to be underfunded. Perhaps the Mother of Invention is more of a requirement than a natural order of things.
Exhibit A – Hollywood
I’ve been around a lot longer than some and not nearly as long as others. My point of reference is the late Seventies early Eighties. I have very fond memories of ET, Star Wars and sneaking out of my bedroom really late at night to watch an overly edited version of Jaws on TV. I still believe that Spielberg and Lucas did their best work when they had the least amount of money. The same holds for many directors. Opening up the studios bank doors has never been a recipe for success.
Exhibit B – Sport
If you don’t know the story of Billy Beane and the Oakland A’s Goog… you know what to do. When Jim McMahon and Chicago Bears won the Superbowl in 1985 they were one of the lowest paid teams in the league. This doesn’t just apply at the team level. Michael Oher’s story has been retold in the movie Blind Side. Pele, one of the greatest soccer players of all time, grew up with every excuse to fail. From the favela’s of San Paulo he grew an iron will and learned the value of perseverance.
Exhibit C – Business
Insert your favorite garage start up story here. Mine is California Closets. I worked for the Bevans family in Calgary thirty years ago and they taught me lessons then that still benefit me today. California Closets was started by Neil Balter, an 18 year old college student. He had no other intention than to make his dorm more organized and functional. Word spread and before long school was getting the way of business. In 1985 he went international and opened in British Columbia, Canada. A few years later Lance and Becky Bevans started a franchise in Calgary – yes – out of their garage. By the time I started working for them they were in a little shop in an industrial strip mall. About the same time my brother started working for another family run business. This one was a little different. Grandma had money to invest. He took me for the grand tour starting with a ride in his company car – a red Camaro. A beautiful office with moldings, big conference room with big table and plush chairs. Wonderful executive offices. 20,000 square feet of production space…. with two little old ladies in one corner making the samples that he would use to sell from. Six months later he was dropping off the Camaro back at the dealership and looking for a new job.
The Moral of the Story
The next time you are working on a project that you think could be so much better if only you had a little more of this or of that – STOP. Stop and ask yourself if the problem isn’t too little resource but too much. Is your lack of invention caused by no necessity? Sink a ship or two and make the island smaller. It may make all the difference in the world.
The Blue Collar Executive 