Setting Rules

Now you’re a manager and you have some power. Now you’ll show them. You’ll set up The Rule.

Of course we all know The Rule is reasonable and will be an improvement. You do it because you believe it’ll help, not just to show you have the power.

You announce The Rule to all interested parties and that day you go to bed with great feeling. You did something. Everything will be better now.

Then Mr. Reality comes to kick you in the ass. No one cares about The Rule. Everyone works exactly the same as before. Don’t they see it would all be better if they obeyed?

Most likely they don’t. At least not all of them. Not everyone will be convinced by your words, they expect to see results. And they won’t see results unless they start to obey The Rule. We have a deadlock here.

The thing you need to do is to check regularly how people deal with The Rule. Remind them they should do what they are asked for. Tell them once again why The Rule was invited. Hopefully after several iterations everyone will treat it as a natural part of their workplace and you’ll no longer need to think about that.

Tagged as: change in organization, team management