Don’t Tell Me It Can’t Be Done — Tell Me How We Can Do It!

By Rich Davidson, Senior Vice President 

In every industry, every team, and every project, there comes a moment when someone says, “That can’t be done.” It’s a phrase that halts momentum, stifles creativity, and quietly reinforces the status quo. But what if we flipped the script? 

What if instead of shutting down possibility, we asked: “What would it take to make this work?” 

Reframing the Impossible  

The difference between “can’t” and “how” is mindset. “Can’t” is a wall. “How” is a door. When we shift from limitation to exploration, we unlock new paths forward — even if they’re messy, unconventional, or untested. 

An example of where we put this into practice: We secured $20 million in construction financing for a new grocery store, overcoming tough lease and timing challenges that initially felt hardly possible to achieve. However, by considering all the options and then creatively using a floating rate loan and a forward swap, we locked in favorable terms in spite of zoning and environmental complexities. 

This “impossible-to-possible” mind shift isn’t about blind optimism. It’s about constructive realism: acknowledging constraints while refusing to be defined by them. 

Leaders Who Ask “How” 

Great leaders don’t demand perfection — they demand progress. They ask questions like: 

• What resources would we need?
• Who else has solved a similar problem?
• What’s the smallest version of this we could test?

Progress did indeed occur in this transaction story: Faced with a client seeking a fixed-rate loan in a rising rate market, we looked at the market and our options and then tapped strong lender connections to arrange a $31 million, 7-year fixed-rate construction-to-permanent loan for a large spec industrial project, removing interest rate risk through the lease-up period and beyond. 

Planning questions like the above don’t guarantee success. But they guarantee movement. And movement is where innovation lives. 

Culture of Possibility 

In teams I’ve lead or worked with, I’ve seen firsthand how a “how” culture transforms dynamics: 

• Junior employees feel empowered to speak up.
• Risk becomes a shared responsibility, not a personal liability.
• Failure becomes a learning tool, not a career-ending event.

This collaboration practice can achieve great results, across the spectrum of stakeholders. For example, to maximize proceeds and interest-only terms for a $18M self-storage deal, our collaborative team generated bank competition and leveraged relationships to secure a 10-year loan—fixed for 5 years and offering 7 years of interest only—delivering a tailored solution outside typical CMBS options. 

When people know their ideas won’t be dismissed outright, they bring their best thinking to the table. 

From Theory to Action 

If you want to build a “how” culture, start with these: 

• Ban the phrase “we’ve always done it this way.”
• Celebrate attempts, not just outcomes.
• Reward curiosity as much as competence.

And most importantly: when someone brings you a wild idea, resist the urge to say “that won’t work.” Instead, ask: “What would need to be true for this to work? 

Final Thoughts 

Progress doesn’t come from certainty. It comes from courage. So next time you hear “it can’t be done,” smile — because that’s your cue to lead.