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Supply-Side Ethics

Supply-Side Ethics (S-SE)

“Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is.”

— Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea

What is Supply-Side Ethics?

Supply-Side Ethics (S-SE) is a way of approaching life, work, and problem-solving with two guiding questions:

  1. What have I got?
  2. What can I do with it?

This contrasts sharply with Demand-Side Ethics (DSE), which asks:

  1. What do I want?
  2. How can I get it?

S-SE begins with available resources, current constraints, and immediate possibilities, focusing on agency and creativity, rather than lack or desire.

Why S-SE?

The Problem with Demand-Side Ethics (DSE)

  • DSE encourages chasing idealized outcomes: “I want to write a bestselling novel,” or “I want to make a million dollars.”
  • These are outcome goals—distant, desire-driven, and less actionable.

The Power of Output Goals

S-SE emphasizes output goals—concrete, repeatable actions within your control:

  • Write 500 words today.
  • Do 25 push-ups.
  • Make 3 sales calls.

Output goals focus on effort and resourcefulness over wishful thinking.

S-SE Across Different Contexts

🛠️ Entrepreneurship: Effectuation Theory

  • Start with your current resources: skills, networks, knowledge.
  • Effectuation’s Bird in Hand Principle echoes S-SE: Focus on what’s controllable, not hypothetical outcomes.

Example Prompt: What product or service can I build with my current network and skills?

📊 Management: Asset-Based Thinking

  • An Asset-Based Approach asks: What strengths do we already possess?
  • Focus on building from strengths rather than solving deficits.

Example Prompt: What underutilized strengths does our team have right now?

🩺 Health & Wellness: Salutogenesis

  • Focus on building from health assets, rather than fixing deficits.
  • Ask: What health-supporting resources do I already have?

Example Prompt: What small action can I take today to improve my health?

💡 Self-Improvement: Resilience & Adaptability

  • What can I make progress on today, given my current circumstances?
  • What resources do I have that I might be overlooking?

Practical Prompts for S-SE Thinking

For Individuals:

  • What resources (time, skills, network, energy) do I have right now?
  • What small output goal can I commit to today?
  • What strengths am I bringing to today’s challenges?

For Teams:

  • What existing strengths does our team have?
  • What can we build or achieve with our current resources?
  • Where are we focusing on deficits instead of assets?

For Career Decisions:

  • Am I framing my career in terms of actionable output goals or distant outcome goals?
  • What strengths or assets can I highlight in my professional journey?

Connections to Other Ideas

  • : Self-governance and focusing on internal agency.
  • Gainfully Misemployed: Thriving in unconventional professional spaces.
  • Identities at Work: Exploring identity through actionable strengths.

A Final Thought

S-SE isn’t about ignoring ambition or long-term goals—it’s about starting from where you are, with what you have, right now.

See: