The Liberty of Enabling Constraints

What Do Fanta, Warren Buffett, and Jaws Have In Common?

What do Fanta, Warren Buffett and Jaws have in common?

No, it's not related to the fact that Warren Buffett drinks five cokes per day and that Coca Cola is the company behind Fanta.

In the 1940s, because of the Second World War, there was a trade embargo with Germany. This meant that the German Coca Cola factories could no longer produce Coca Cola because resources were extremely limited. Without being able to produce Coca Cola at volume those factories would go belly up so they needed a new plan.

The German Coca Cola factories created a new product with leftover apple fibers, mash from cider presses, and whey, a cheese by-product. They basically used the leftovers of the leftovers of the leftovers. The resulting product was called Fanta and it became a smashing success (with high profit margins to boot!).

Warren Buffett intentionally keeps his calendar empty and has many days wit nothing on it. Bill Gates was extremely surprised when he saw the calendar of Warren Buffet and it taught him an important lesson: “You have to control your time. It’s not a proxy for seriousness that you fill every minute of your schedule.”

When Stephen Spielberg started filming Jaws, he relied on a mechanical shark for the movie the work. The problem was that the shark kept breaking down during filming. Because of the unreliable shark, Spielberg pivoted the movie and decided to not show the shark in the movie.

The absence of the mechanical shark resulted in Spielberg relying on Hitchcockian suspense. Viewers did not see the shark, but had to feel it was present. The scariest things are what we imagine and not necessarily what we see. Jaws was so scary, that people all over the world are scared of sharks.

So what do Fanta, Warren Buffett, and Jaws have in common?

They all work with enabling constraints.

What Is an Enabling Constraint?

An enabling constraint is a rule that limits actions and as a result stimulates and enables novelty and new ideas.

The Coca Cola Factory in Germany only had access to extremely limited resources and were forced to come up with a drink that could work in their current barren reality. Without this constraint, it’s highly unlikely that Fanta would have been invented.

Spielberg had to make Jaws work without the presence of a mechanical shark. If the shark had worked, it’s highly unlikely that Jaws would have been the monster blockbuster hit that it turned out to be.

Warren Buffett intentionally limits his calendar appointments, so he has free time to focus on the things that matter. Instead of letting others dictate his free time and limiting his time to think. Time can’t be bought, and that’s why he’s so extremely protective of it.

The next time you’re up against the wall in a situation where you face constraints, try to remember Fanta, Warren Buffett, or Jaws, and see if there is a way you can make the constraint work for you instead of against you.