Scarcity thinking often finds its way into business. It is not just found in the personal realm. Having worked with non-profits for almost 30 years, I have seen this mindset emerge frequently.

How scarcity manifests in business is in spending money. I can’t tell you how many times I was asked as a corporate and non-profit leader to cut items out of the budget, especially if the department was a cost center.

In the training world, it could be cutting people or cutting programs. In the non-profit world, it could be cutting programs and services to the members. There is always this sense of lack, and it gets to a point where there is nothing left to cut and it is still not enough.

The experience was like the body Shutting down; eventually it is core processes that stop working and death of the organization is the result.When the company was tightening its belt, I learned that having a prosperity mindset meant being creative. I did look at where we could be more efficient, but that was not all. I wanted to explore where we could increase revenue.

For non-profits this was events, paid advertising, increasing the number of members, etc. I was not a fan of increasing rates as that usually had a negative effect on the membership. I created initiatives that were benefits the members wanted.When asked to cut a dollar amount from my corporate budget, I looked at two aspects:

1. What is the cost of a seat in our workshops and from that how many attendees do I cut and

2. Could I be creative with the employee salaries?

What was interesting with this is that if departments wanted more butts in seats, they paid for the privilege because they were revenue centers. They could actually sponsor an entire workshop just for their people. The revenue centers realized the value of the training as we could show direct income increases and could compare it with the expense per participant. It was a huge success and win-win for my department and the company as a whole.

If you ask people about the economy, those with a scarcity mindset will tell you all the things that are wrong with it and how it is in the tank for them. With a prosperity mindset,it is all about thinking outside the box and seeing the possibilities.

For what type of company do you work – one in scarcity thinking and always shrinking the organization or one in abundant thinking and looking for new and creative ways to expand?

Something else I have learned as a business woman is to ask for what you want. If you loved what you just read, this content is not for free. As a form of payment, I am asking you simply to comment or share this on Facebook or tweet about it on Twitter.

Linda Patten, MBA, BSN, RN has over 30 years of experience leading women to success in building and achieving their dreams. She turns networking marketing women from product sellers to leaders of highly functioning teams. To learn more about her innovative programs, click on Contact Us.