day 1015: Those Are The Rules

"Your laws are always right; help me to understand them so I may live." 

Work is managed more through rules than we would even imagine, that is until we sit down and read all the through the policy and procedure book. No wonder some of the most creative people find ways to not go to work for big companies so that they aren't subject to the myriad of rules and regulations. Of course there must be some set of rules in order for any organization to function and operate, but I have always been a believer that in the rule category, less is more. If we fill a book up with policies to try and cover every imaginable situation then we are surely penalizing those that don't need to be penalized and we are creating statutes for the exceptions and that doesn't bode well for a philosophy of trusting those around us. The companies that do it the best, in my mind, are those who manage from a place of values and principles first and rules second, and only when there is no other way around it they put a rule in place. The first time we encounter rules in our lives are as children and each of them are put there to set boundaries to keep us safe and out of harms way. As we grow older we want less boundaries and we search for independence and freedoms.

The same can be said for how we work. Within each of our jobs we want as much autonomy and freedom as possible and rules tend only to get in the way. But, they are a way of work life and unless we are in a position to influence how the rules are written, we just have to live within them. King David had the right attitude as it came to rules and laws. He said to God in Psalm 119:44; "Your laws are always right; help me to understand them so I may live." We may not always think that the rules and laws within our work are right, but seeking to understand so that we can live within them will help bring some sense to why and how to manage within them. Don't be a person who lets the rules get you down or cause your attitude to be affected because you don't like the ways things are managed. Do your best, to understand the "whys" behind the rules and then find your own way to work and live within them.

Reference: Psalm 119:144 (New Living Testament)

day 882: Living By the Rules

"Your laws are always right; help me to understand them so I may live." For every rule, there is someone who wants everyone to abide by it, someone who wants to change it, someone who doesn’t care whether it is there or not, and someone who just wants to break the rule.  Some people, like entrepreneurs are wired to look past the rules and then try and create new ones that best benefit their cause.  They start from a place of bringing about change, new, improved or different and then go from there.  If properly channeled this can be the secret of success and the drive that is needed to push through with a startup or new venture.  Staring down the barrel of conventional wisdom and not blinking is an admiral trait.  That said, this works best at the top of the organization with Founders/CEOs and is less effective the further spread into the organization this goes.  Sure, we talk a lot about “intrapreneurs”, but at the end of the day if everyone in the organization was about bucking the system, there wouldn’t be a system at all and that would translate to chaos and anarchy.  And, as we are mature enough to know those two characteristics cannot sustain a company.  So, let’s celebrate the entrepreneurs and the rule busters, but let’s also be sensible about it and be sure that all that we build is built on a foundation of the right values, principles and ethics. God gave us laws first and then underpinned those with a set of values that should be inarguable. Even those who don’t believe can’t argue that the lessons of Jesus are applicable to a better organization and life.  Those of us who believe know that they are so much more. The lessons of Jesus are the love that He gave to us and the example of how we are to live out that love for others to see, recognize and become believers themselves.  How do we do this?  We do it through following His rules and subordinating ourselves to Him.  There are some times in life where living by the rules is the best route to take.  Reference: Psalm 119:114 (New Living Testament)

day 396: 'Dem Be The Rules

Work is managed more through rules than we would even imagine, that is until we sit down and read all the through the policy and procedure book. No wonder some of the most creative people find ways to not go to work for big companies so that they aren't subject to the myriad of rules and regulations. Of course there must be some set of rules in order for any organization to function and operate, but I have always been a believer that in the rule category, less is more. If we fill a book up with policies to try and cover every imaginable situation then we are surely penalizing those that don't need to be penalized and we are creating statutes for the exceptions and that doesn't bode well for a philosophy of trusting those around us. The companies that do it the best, in my mind, are those who manage from a place of values and principles first and rules second, and only when there is no other way around it they put a rule in place. The first time we encounter rules in our lives are as children and each of them are put there to set boundaries to keep us safe and out of harms way. As we grow older we want less boundaries and we search for independence and freedoms. The same can be said for how we work. Within each of our jobs we want as much autonomy and freedom as possible and rules tend only to get in the way. But, they are a way of work life and unless we are in a position to influence how the rules are written, we just have to live within them. King David had the right attitude as it came to rules and laws. He said to God in Psalm 119:44; "Your laws are always right; help me to understand them so I may live." We may not always think that the rules and laws within our work are right, but seeking to understand so that we can live within them will help bring some sense to why and how to manage within them. Don't be a person who lets the rules get you down or cause your attitude to be affected because you don't like the ways things are managed. Do your best, to understand the "whys" behind the rules and then find your own way to work and live within them.

Reference: Psalm 119:144 (New Living Testament)