I needTo every boss, it sometimes seems like there is a line outside their door of people wanting resources: “I need this. I need that.” What is rarely part of the conversation, at least initially, is “And if given those resources, I will deliver “X” results by “Y” date. In other words, what solutions will you deliver if given these resources?

All resources come with a cost. Given limited resources (a reality for most of us), for every “yes” there is a corresponding “no” somewhere else. A boss, in essence, is an investor of resources. She owes a fiduciary duty to the organization, to the stakeholders, to society as a whole to utilize the resources entrusted to her care wisely. To properly, efficiently, effectively allocate resources a benefit must be estimated. A cost/benefit ratio must be calculated. Obviously, this often entails massive amounts of professional judgement yet even though it is often more art than science, it must be done as part of the decision process.

The wise team member knows that the best way to get resources is to commit to achieving commensurate outcomes, to creating sufficient desired results. Yes, it takes courage, competence, and confidence to make such commitments but such is the makings of leaders, the essence of the “right stuff.”