Remember when we were kids and they told us that we can become anyone that we want to be when we grow up?
And the idea presented us with so many possibilities that it would become difficult to begin pursuing one. It’s only when we brought it down to the level of subjects of our interest, whether science, commerce or humanities, that we could start chunking down to what we’d like to specialize in? Essentially, while it is important to develop choices, it is also equally important to be able to work under the constraints of those choices. Why? Because whenever there are limitations on a task, we try to abandon our usual approach. To come up with a solution to a problem, we are forced to step outside our comfort zone and get creative.
Overcoming constraints with acceptance and creativity!
While working as an educator, I got introduced to my new class. And in that batch, the teacher specifically mentioned to me about this boy named Aditya who was diagnosed to be having a smaller than typical brain-size. While family and friends had accepted that as a limitation, Aditya had underdeveloped speech, even after a couple of years of formal education. In that moment, I knew one thing for certain, more certain than his diagnosis. It was that, ‘this boy is going to learn just like other children in my class.’ While I didn’t accept the diagnosis as a constraint, may real constrain was paying attention to 50 other students while helping Aditya naturally develop core skills and capabilities.
My solution? Involving all the other 50 students as my allies in accelerating Aditya’s learning, as I knew from my training that children learn the easiest from their peers. The special educator, who typically looks after the special needs of kids with learning challenges, also became a significant ally in helping me devise the strategies to make him learn in the class. Knowing the role one’s ecosystem play in the overall learning and development and how kids like Aditya may fall prey to subtle bullying or hurtful jokes, I started installing the seeds of collaboration and teamwork in the entire class through storytelling. In fact, storytelling is one of the most natural and ancient forms of installing skills, values and shifting mindsets. Earlier, it was a job done by our grandparents.
‘Now, we have a scientifically-backed excellence installations technology to install fundamental capabilities and the right mindsets in people.’
Even my “story time” with the kids was no different. It beautifully created a feeling of belongingness and of being part of the same team amongst students. They took care of Aditya in completing his work and playing reading games with him in spare time. And he began to speak to fulfill the need to belong to his peers and communicate when he needed help. That is how five months went by when the school’s in-charge paid me a visit and was shocked to see Aditya reading like any other kid in the class. And then it dawned on me that indeed what this child has achieved is no less than magic.
Everyone has to face such constraints, even the ones who are the most accomplished in their field.
While filming Jaws, Steven Spielberg wanted to build a giant, realistic mechanical shark in order to shoot scenes of the scary beast attacking people. But his constraint was a financial one: the shark was too expensive, a limitation that forced him to be creative. That’s when he decided to shoot the scenes from the shark’s point of view, underwater, looking hungrily up at the oblivious swimmers. Guess what? Jaws ended up being far scarier. Furthermore, the effect of Spielberg’s POV technique became very popular in horror movies. In business, constraints emerge from the to time; when you have to finish a project, the money you have to invest, the people you need, the space you have. These limitations may either force you to give up or get creative, thereby unlocking your creative potential and optimum productivity. However, a more important question to ask is whether or not you have access to the right states of mind and core capabilities that will enable you to harness creativity from constraints? The unfortunate outbreak of COVID-19 has understandably been difficult for people across demographics. While we are faced with unprecedented health risks and financial anxieties, my proposal is that it is possible to navigate your way out of this labyrinth by accessing super creative and high- performing states of mind.
For instance, Swati, a training manager and a dear friend, would get irritated in doing all the chores under the lockdown, while taking care of her kids and devising newer ways to continue with her trainings. I helped her out with a simple and effective activity that would enable her to access a useful state of mind while administering to various responsibilities and chores, every day. And the effect of the work is so generative that now she is able to complete her chores faster and finds time to immerse in upgrading her product to be delivered online. Additionally, she has been able to take care of her health as well involving her kids and husband in the exercise and walking routines. The challenging situation, in fact, became an opportunity to Swati to make her family more closely-knit and start routines that she wanted to do for a long but seldom had the luxury of time.
So, when you encounter constraints the next time, do something that you have probably never considered before;
‘Embrace your Constraints’ and you’ll notice them pushing you to think differently. This will require you to consider what capabilities you need to develop, the essence of relationships you need to cultivate, what available choices you need to leverage to become ready to progress.