Humans invented Rules.
Rules were invented to make societies work.
Individuals’ actions are limited to enable the group to survive or thrive.
Don’t cause harm, don’t steal property, drive on the left. wash your hands before eating.
Order drives Progress.
Rules also make compliance & power easier to manage, but that’s another story…
One challenge for leaders is to use rules but not be reliant on them.
We’re not talking here about written rules.
The problem isn’t the rules we can see, it’s our attitude to right and wrong.
That attitude creates unwritten rules.
It labels things we accept as “right” and “wrong”.
It brands them.
Our attitude to right and wrong, good and bad is key to effective leadership.
Some leaders have an attitude that sets hard lines between “good” and “bad”.
Binary thinking.
Black and white, good and bad.
This makes decisions simpler.
X is right, Y is wrong. Simple to choose.
But are simpler decisions better?
“The problem with rules isn’t the ones we can see, it’s our attitude to right and wrong.…”
That X is right and Y is wrong maybe true in one situation.
Making that judgment permanent is tempting, because it saves us from thinking in detail about X and Y in different circumstances.
It helps us avoid pesky details.
When we permanently assign binary attributes, decisions are simple.
Do X, don’t do Y.
We’re also not leading any more.
We’re setting and following rules.
Of course we can’t analyze every decision, these unwritten rules help us navigate the world.
I don’t like certain food or drinks.
I like red shoes.
Brands thrive on unwritten rules in our heads.
But leaders can’t be brand ambassadors.
You have to challenge the simple answers.
Teams need to learn to decide & not just follow.
What rules do you set that make decisions simpler?
Do you prefer clear opinions on right & wrong?
Do you hold onto an opinion on a product, a situation, or people over time?
What things are you the Brand Ambassador for?
Do you encourage decisions to be made based on simple perceptions, or case by case?
Humans invented rules but leaders must be choosy when to follow them.