When the U.S. government recently shut down, I wasn’t thinking about politics.
I was thinking about ripple effects.
Budgets stalled. Projects delayed. Families waiting on checks.
For leaders, this moment is a microcosm of what happens in business when resources suddenly disappear.
You’re asked to do more with less.
And most people panic.
But here’s the truth: resources aren’t what really drive performance.
Resourcefulness does.
And to understand why people freeze or complain when resources are cut, you have to know what those resources represent.
In my work with sales leaders, I’ve found they typically signal three things:
Safety, Status, and Shortcuts.
1. Safety: ‘If I don’t have this, I’m exposed.’
Money, tools, and perks act like a protective blanket.
A bonus reassures: “I’m valued.”
A CRM tool whispers: “I’m equipped.”
Free lunches or stipends signal: “I’m cared for here.”
When these vanish, people feel unsafe. Not physically, but psychologically.
They fear:
“If the company isn’t looking after me in small ways, will they protect me in big ways?”
“If I don’t have the right gear, maybe I’ll fail.”
👉 The reframe for leaders: Safety doesn’t come from budget. It comes from clarity.
No list? Focus on a tighter Ideal Customer Profile.
No event spend? Deepen conversations with existing customers.
Constraints strip away the noise and force clarity.
2. Status: ‘Without this, I’m less important.’
Resources also act as ego markers.
Headcount size = influence.
Travel budget = prestige.
Big perks = recognition.
When they disappear, leaders often feel diminished: ‘If my team isn’t growing, maybe my role is shrinking. If the perks are gone, maybe I’m not seen as successful.’
👉 The reframe for leaders: Status isn’t in your budget. It’s in your results and your influence.
Recognition doesn’t have to be an all-inclusive trip to Hawaii. It can be as simple as:
Highlighting a rep’s ingenuity at a team meeting.
Giving a high-performer authority to run a QBR.
Elevating stories of creative wins, not just quota numbers.
When you strip away the external symbols, what’s left is true influence.
3. Shortcuts: ‘Now I’ll actually have to figure this out.’
Perhaps the most overlooked reason leaders complain when resources disappear is that they’ve lost their shortcuts.
Need more pipeline? Buy a list.
Don’t want to coach? Hire a trainer.
Falling behind? Add headcount.
Resources are often quick fixes. When they vanish, leaders feel naked. They have to invent. They have to be creative. They have to coach.
👉 The reframe for leaders: Shortcuts don’t build resilience. Ingenuity does.
No prospecting budget? Turn your team into digital detectives.
No external trainer? Create an internal masterclass rotation.
No marketing dollars? Partner with your network and leverage ‘Who Not How.’
It won’t be as neat as buying a solution. But it will build muscles you’ll keep long after the budget returns.
My Blue Plastic Bag Lesson
On my Camino walk in Spain, my shoes got soaked through. No shop. No backup plan. Just blisters.
So I found a village, stuffed my shoes with newspaper, pulled plastic bread bags over my feet, tied them around my ankles, and walked like that for four days.
It wasn’t glamorous. But it worked.
And it taught me the same lesson I teach leaders today: resourcefulness isn’t about finding the perfect tool. It’s about inventing a way forward with what you have.
The Transformation
People can hand you HOWs all day long. They’ll sit in a drawer, forgotten.
But when you learn how to create your own HOWs, three things shift:
You stop relying on safety signs and build clarity instead.
You stop chasing status symbols and build real influence.
You stop looking for shortcuts and build ingenuity.
That’s the moment you multiply results no matter what’s missing.
Because when resources run dry, resourcefulness is what turns leaders into multipliers.
👉 Want the full podcast version of this message? Watch on YouTube
And check out the first few seconds to watch resourcefulness in action - my Improv teacher would be very proud!
Join me here next week as we lead with another in the series of The Sales Leader of Influence.
Continue to make a difference and…
Lead with soul. Lead with spirit. Lead with spine.
Cheers,
Bernadette
