When it comes to “rules,” which of the following statements do you most agree with?

(a) Rules are rules…period.
(b) Rules are meant to be broken.
(c) It depends.
(d) All of the above.
(e) None of the above.

While there is no one “right” answer to the above question, the way you respond says a lot about you. The way you think and feel about rules in general will influence the decisions you make and the actions you take in different situations.

Let me tell you about two controversial, thought-provoking, and emotional incidents that occurred in the past week – both of which involved “following the rules” – and see what you think:

Incident #1

While playing softball in Central Park the other night, our manager noticed that one of the players on the other team was wearing baseball cleats with metal spikes which, according to league rules, are not allowed (as someone could potentially get hurt). The player claimed that he didn’t know about this rule, immediately apologized, and went back to the bench to change into his sneakers.

But not so fast! In the opinion of my team’s manager, this opposing player’s blatant and flagrant violation of league rules was too egregious to overlook or forgive. Ignorance of the law is no excuse. And what if he had spiked somebody and they got hurt? To our manager, there was no option but to go strictly by the book and demand that the umpire immediately throw him out of the game.

The fact that it was a minor and inadvertent oversight, that the player apologized for his mistake, that no one got hurt, that a number of the guys on our own team pleaded, “Forget about it, just let him change his shoes and play,” (and that we were already losing 10-2 in the 4th inning) all didn’t seem to matter. According to our manager, “Rules are rules.” No discussion. No debate. No warning. No second chances. One strike and you’re out.

Following the letter of the law, the umpire (sympathetically, apologetically, hesitantly, and incredulously) proceeded to inform the violator that he was sorry but, based on our manager’s demand, there was no choice but to ban him from the rest of the game.

Oh. And in case you were wondering, we went on to lose 20-2 as the angry opposing team, in the spirit of retribution, proceeded to pour it on and make us pay.

Incident #2

Someone posted the following question on a LinkedIn HR discussion group the other day: “I have a team member who is a good worker, but he does not report to the office on time. When I talk to him, he promises to be on time, but that does not last more than 2 or 3 days. Any suggestions?”

The responses came pouring in: “Write him up!”; “Dock his pay”; “Demote him!”; “Put it on his permanent record!”; “Give him a final warning!”; “Show him who’s boss!”; and “Don’t give him any more chances. Fire him immediately. This kind of insubordinate behavior simply cannot be tolerated! He’s got to be made an example of and taught to obey the rules!”

Yup, rules are rules. Or are they?

Let me start by saying that, yes, rules are important. Whether we call them policies, operating procedures, guiding principles, or ground rules, every organization needs to have processes and structure in place or else there would be chaos. Rules enable organizations to be organized. And they let the people within an organization (or a community or society) know what is allowed, and what is expected.

But, reflecting on the two incidents described above, my question is this: might there be times when “The Rules” should be overruled by common sense?

Now, just for clarification, and before instigating any kind of legal backlash, I’m talking about “rules,” not “laws” – which are a separate and more specific (though thematically related) issue. And I’m not talking about safety violations or ethical lapses. I’m talking about situations in which mindlessly and unquestioningly following certain edicts may not necessarily be the best or the right decision.

For example, in the softball incident, did the player on the other team “break the rules?” Yes, officially he did. But two key questions that should be asked are: (1) Was the rule violation intentional or accidental – and does that matter; and (2) how serious a rule violation was it, i.e., was any advantage received or any damage done as a result?

Keeping things in perspective, we’re not talking about a major league player caught taking steroids; we’re talking about a guy playing a fun league game in the park who was discovered to be wearing the wrong kind of shoes.

It was clear and obvious to everyone (including my manager and the umpire) that is was an accidental oversight, there was no intent to deceive, to defraud, or to reap any competitive advantage, and no harm of any kind was done. So, with that being the case, did the punishment (banishment from the game) fit the crime of wearing unsanctioned footwear or might it have been a tad excessive under the circumstances? Was my manager “wrong?” No. But was he “right”? I’ll let you play umpire and make that call.

And in the second example (good performer comes in late, with 90% of the HR mob demanding immediate and severe punishment), there are again two questions that come to mind: (1) What is the context; and (2) What are the specific details?

What jumped out at me and really pushed me over the edge was that everyone’s calling for this guy’s head without having ANY of the information!

From what we know, has this employee been guilty of breaking the rule of “everyone should get to work ‘on time’?” Apparently so. But do we know anything else? No, absolutely nothing!

What type of job are we talking about? Is he a salaried or hourly worker? What exactly does “on time” mean anyway? Is he expected to get there at 9:00am and is showing up at 9:05am, or is it 10:05am? Is he “late” once a week or every single day? How long has this been going on? Two weeks, two months, two years? And what is the reason for, and the impact of, his lateness?

Most importantly, before reporting him to HR and putting him on a disciplinary plan (remember, he has been described as a “good worker”), has the employee’s manager actually sat down and spoken to him one-on-one and heart-to-heart to find out what is going on with him – asking and listening, discussing expectations, making him aware of the business impact of the lateness (e.g., on customers, team members, the organization, and on the manager himself), and exploring possible solutions?

Years ago when I worked for one of the TV networks out in L.A., I was a high performer who had always gotten to work on time — until I hit a week of major car problems that resulted in my being about 30-45 minutes late three days in a row. How did my tyrannical boss address this issue? By saying (and I quote): “I don’t know what the hell is going on with you lately, but I’m sick of your marching in here late. If you can’t start getting here on time, you better start looking for another job.” Wow. So, you can see why I may be a little sensitive and overly empathetic when it comes to this particular example.

But the bottom line is that I was really amazed, and incredibly disappointed, to see how many of the LinkedIn discussion responses were about “policy, policy, policy.” Sad to say, but that’s one of the problems with the HR mentality in many companies, and why so many people (sorry to have to say it) hate HR.

As an honorary HR person who works in the learning and development field, I have seen too many Human Resources professionals who have lost sight of the fact that what we do is supposed to be all about engaging PEOPLE and helping them maximize their performance, productivity and potential – and not simply about setting and enforcing THE RULES, and focusing primarily on policies, processes, and procedures.

The first initial of “HR” stands for “Human,” and we need to deal with people more humanely. The root of the word “policy” is the same as that of “police,” so if HR people want to be viewed as something more than just the company police, perhaps companies need to rethink how we view, deal with, and find a gentle balance between the Rules and our People. Sometimes we need to go by the book; other times we need to go by “common sense.” But, unfortunately, as the saying goes, common sense is not always common practice.

And from a management and leadership perspective, this classic saying by legendary management guru Peter Drucker comes to mind: “Management is about doing things right, leadership is about doing the right thing.”

So when it comes to “The Rules” and the Drucker quote, perhaps we need fewer bureaucrats who rule “by the book,” and more people acting as leaders who are willing to make the tough but fair — and right — call, even if it results in some bending of the rules.

For me, as you may have guessed by now, my answer to the initial question about rules is: “it depends.” And among the multiple things that it may depend on, one of the main things is intent and the ability to wisely distinguish between “the spirit of the rule” and “the letter of the law.”

So the big question is: do “The Rules” rule, or do YOU?

*Two book recommendations on re-thinking “the rules”:

First Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently
(by Marcus Buckingham)

The Art of Non-Conformity: Set Your Own Rules, Live the Life You Want, and Change the World
(by Chris Guillebeau)

I am proud to report that I am now officially a "thought leader"!

Please see my guest post on leadership expert Mike Figliuolo's excellent thoughtLEADERS blog.

(Mike is the author of one of my new favorite leadership books, "One Piece of Paper.")

Today’s guest post is by Todd Cherches, the CEO of BigBlueGumball.

Here’s Todd…

There’s an old maxim about not answering a question with a question, so I’m not gonna do that. I’m gonna answer a question with TEN questions!

And the question is: How can you become a more “self-aware” leader?

As one of the keys to being an effective leader is self-awareness, here are 10 powerful, thought-provoking, and challenging questions you need to think about – and be ready, willing and able to answer – if you truly want to be a more reflective – and effective – leader:

*To read the full post, please click here for Part 1, and here for Part 2 !

With all the thousands of business books out there on the shelves to choose from, my NYU students, clients, and others often ask me, “If I were to read only ONE business book to help me be more effective, what should it be?”

To me, the answer is clear and simple: “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by the late Dr. Stephen R. Covey who just passed away this week.

In short, the 7 Habits are:

1. Be proactive: Don’t wait for things to happen; take action to MAKE them happen;

2. Begin with the end in mind: Start with a preconceived vision and goal;

3. Put first things first: Prioritize and plan;

4. Think “win-win”: Strive for a mutually beneficial relationships and outcomes;

5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood: Listen to, empathize with, and focus on others;   

6. Synergize: Work collaboratively to leverage the power of joint contributions;

7. Sharpen the saw: Recharge & refresh.

While the first six are pretty much self-explanatory (although far easier said than done!), the last benefits from some explication:

Long story, short… Two guys are out in the forest chopping wood from dawn til dusk. One of them goes non-stop for hours without a break, assuming that’s the best way to maximize his output. But as is turns out, at the end of the day, the other guy – the one who kept stopping and disappearing many times throughout the day – ends up being the one with the far bigger wood pile.  “How can that be!” the first guy asks, “Where did you keep going?” To which the other replies, “To sharpen my saw!”

So the message of Habit 7 is that while we literally need to be sure to keep our tools sharp, metaphorically it reminds us that we need to both mentally and physically make the time and take the time to recharge and refresh.

Covey later added an additional habit, in his book, “The 8^th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness” in which he encouraged people to “Find your voice and inspire others to find theirs.”

Unfortunately (as my brother Steve pointed out), with his passing there will, alas, be no “9^th Habit.”

In the spirit of full disclosure, one thing about his work that must be noted is that Covey did not originate all of the ideas that he espoused; however, he did popularize them, reaching a global audience the size of which few business authors in history, other than Dale Carnegie, have ever achieved.

I guess it could be said that Stephen Covey was the Dale Carnegie of his generation.

In closing, one identifying feature that both Carnegie and Covey have in common is that while much of their work, and many of their principles, have sometimes been minimized by elitists as being “nothing more than just plain common sense,” I think we’ve all seen, as the saying goes, that common sense is not always common practice.

So towards that end, Stephen R. Covey led the way in helping us all to maximize our performance, productivity, and potential.

It’s all about the Little Pink Spoon.

One of my all-time favorite summertime pleasures is going to Baskin-Robbins and trying out a few new flavors with those little pink spoons of theirs. Ninety percent of the time I just end up getting Rocky Road, but I always enjoy tasting a few other flavors before ordering my cone.

Why is Baskin-Robbins so willing to give away their product for free? It’s obvious: they hope that by giving us a free taste, we’ll end up buying a cup or a cone or a pint or a gallon. So they gladly give away millions of little pink spoonfuls in order to make many millions of dollars more in return. It’s the same reason movies show trailers, cosmetics companies offer samples, and car dealers offer test drives: people want to try before they buy.

So, how do you bring the Little Pink Spoon Principle into play in your job search? By giving a prospective employer a “free sample” of what you have to offer, you’ll dramatically improve your chances of success. Here are three ways to do it …

[Click HERE to read the rest of the post on the Hired Guns site]

Since being exposed ten years ago to the work of futurist Joel Barker (“Paradigms: The Business of Discovering the Future”- 1992) his concept of “paradigms” has become the lens through which I view the world.

What is a “paradigm?” Defined in great detail by Thomas S. Kuhn fifty years ago in his classic 1962 book, “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions,” a paradigm is basically the set of assumptions, or the vision of reality, through which each of us perceives the world.  

Building on Kuhn’s work, Barker picked up the ball and ran with it to popularize the concept of paradigms beyond the scientific realm to apply it to the world beyond…and, more specifically, to the world of business.

The biggest misconception about paradigms and "paradigm shifts" (i.e., the change to a new paradigm) is that ANY change is a paradigm shift. But that's a common misunderstanding and misapplication of the term. Switching from Coke to Pepsi is not a paradigm shift. The societal switch from tap water to bottled water is. Why? The first is just a change in brand choice. The second is a fundamental change in thinking, leading to a whole new way of behaving.  

Growing up, when you wanted a drink of water you simply turned on the tap and filled up your glass, or stopped for a sip at a public water fountain. (I don’t recall anyone lugging around their own water bottle back in the day…do you?) Water was ubiquitous, unlimited, and free. And it still is. 

And yet, today, we overwhelmingly choose to go with the non-free option. Consumers and businesses spend billions of dollars a year on bottled water – Poland Springs, Sparkletts, Evian, Fiji, Dasani, Aquafina, etc. – even though that free and unlimited tap water supply is just a few feet away…and even though (as John Stossel confirmed in his classic 20/20 report) there is no real difference between the quality of tap water and bottled water in most modern U.S. cities. 

So over the years we, as a society, have simply chosen to pay for something that is readily available and free. For good or bad, that’s a simple example of a paradigm shift.

We live in a world of constant change and continuously shifting paradigms large and small, even if very few paradigm shifts compare in size, scope, and impact to the scientific revolutions driven by people like Einstein, Darwin, and Copernicus ("Hey, you guys -- check it out...the Earth revolves around the Sun -- not the other way around!").

Among the biggest paradigm shifts of the last 10 years have been the transitions from analog to digital, and from wired to wireless. These revolutionary technological changes have led to major sociological and behavioral modifications that impact our everyday lives – from the way we live and work, to the ways we entertain ourselves and engage with others.

So, what would you say is the biggest paradigm shift currently going on today?

To me, the answer can be summed up in what I call “The 4 ‘Any’s”: Anyone, Anything, Anytime, Anywhere.

As a result of the aforementioned paradigm shifts to digital and wireless, it is now possible for Anyone who has access to this technology (regardless of age, education, or geography), to gain access to virtually Anything (information, advice, entertainment, services, or products originating anywhere in the world), at Any time (24 hours a day, 365 days a year), from Anywhere in the world (wherever they are).

Looking at it in terms of the six classic questions – Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How: A person (who) needs something (what) at any time (when), regardless of location of that person or the thing needed (where), for any reason (why) can use a wireless, mobile, electronic device (e.g., a smartphone or tablet) to immediately fulfill that need (how).

The ability to do any of the following things:  look up information in a matter of seconds; tweet about an experience in real-time while it is happening – from where it is happening; deposit a check into a bank account simply by taking a photo of it; order with one click a product you just heard about; email or tweet a comment to the CEO of a company half-way across the world…and get a response just a few minutes later; watch any movie or tv show on a whim…on a phone – has changed virtually everything, practically overnight.

And that's just a small sampling of the individual benefits. Beyond that is the ability to mobilize the masses: from fun and ridiculous “flash mob” dances in local shopping malls and large-scale pillow fights in Times Square, to the far more serious protests and social movements that can pop up instantaneously across the country and around the world.

That's the power of people plus wireless technology plus social media in action.

Marshall McLuhan’s 1962 conception of the “Global Village” is no longer just a metaphor. It is real and growing truer by the day. 

As paradigm shifts continue to come along faster and faster, it’s Anyone’s guess how much smaller our Global Village will get, and what might be coming next.