The benefits of being scrappy

One of the best things you can be called as an employee is “resourceful.” “Creative,” “smart” and “determined” are all great traits, but “resourceful” leaves the realm of the cerebral and implies a real ability to execute a plan.

Leadership and entrepreneurship writer Bill Murphy Jr. explains why resourceful people do so well.

• They ask for what they need. Asking for help isn’t a weakness, and spending time not asking for help will get you nowhere. Even if you don’t get to exactly the place you were envisioning, you’ll make a lot of connections and find other doors to open because of it.

• They have brainchildren, plural. These people aren’t pouring themselves into a single foolproof plan. They fully recognize even the best-laid plans don’t work out sometimes, which is why they have several plans stewing at once.

• No road map, no problem. They also realize there aren’t neat, observable solutions for everything. No office? Pull up a chair in the bars your clients are at and get your paperwork done like Jim Koch, the founder of Boston Beer Co.

• They apologize when and only when they should apologize. Using apologies sparingly forces you to shake out any timidity you’ve been clinging to. The riskiness of resourcefulness goes with the old adage “It’s easier to ask forgiveness than permission.” Apologize when you really do mess up, not if you get something right.    

• They pull people in for their own good. Furthering your agenda by enlisting help is great, but furthering your agenda and advancing people toward their own goals is even better.

— Adapted from “7 Things Really Resourceful People Do,” Bill Murphy Jr., Inc.