The Step Beyond "Teaching Someone To Fish"

You’ve probably heard the expression “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime." It’s a really important distinction that makes a benefit more sustainable. Giving someone a fish creates dependency… Teaching them to fish makes them independent.

But the success of this expression depends on one final thing: They need to have the resources to fish. It does them no good if they don’t have a fishing pole, or if they live far from water. We think that education is the answer, and it’s a huge step forward, but what’s most meaningful is capability. Education is meant to enable more effective action.

Going the extra mile to support someone involves a bit of a constraint analysis. After they’re educated, what’s the next thing that’s going to get in the way? What’s the first problem they’re going to experience when it comes time to do something with what they’ve learned? Many people miss the way ideas interface with reality. Something could be great in theory but takes on a whole new complexion in practice.

The way constraint theory works is that once one problem is addressed, the next one emerges. It’s not that you’re ever completely devoid of constraints… A new one becomes the bottleneck. A system will also expand to its first constraint. 

That’s what I’m trying to get at in the example of teaching someone to fish. The previous constraint was that they didn’t have the knowledge. Some education fixed that, so now what pops up? Ultimately this is all about getting this person some fish to eat, so based on where they are, what’s the next thing to figure out?

Constraint theory works not only for achieving a result for the first time but also optimizing a result. The present level of output of anything, whether it’s nothing or something is limited by the present constraint. So if you want to increase, streamline, or maximize a certain result, the best way to do that is by addressing the step in the process that’s holding it back. It’s like having poor water pressure coming out of a hose… Each kink you fix increases the water pressure.

So if you genuinely want to help someone, or help yourself, this is what’s required. Don’t give them a fish, teach them to fish and then help them overcome the next limiting factor. Life is a matter of problem solving, and the more proficient you are at knowing which problem to focus on and solving it, the faster things will accelerate.

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