Comments on: Making And Breaking The Rules

By: Hunter Nuttall

Hunter Nuttall — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 22:12:54 +0000

@ Kathy, while I wasn’t thinking about this from the perspective of parents, I can see how it’s a good idea to tell kids “why.” Make the pills easier to swallow!

By: Kathy | Virtual Impax

Kathy | Virtual Impax — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 00:01:11 +0000

Hunter – I too LOVED this post and I’m with Vered on the whole view from the mom’s side as well. I got in the habit of explaining the “why” behind the rules when my kids were little and it’s a GREAT practice now that they’re all in their teens.

It’s been my experience that dids and co-workers all appreciate knowing the “why” behind any rule you decide to enforce. Sometimes, when I worked for others – the only reason “why” I could give was “because the boss wants it this way”. Those were the hardest pills to to get ANYONE to swallow.

I love how you point out that many of these “useless” rules are merely ways for employers to avoid doing what they need to do – directly manage their employee’s performance.

Kathy | Virtual Impax´s last blog post..Cash4Gold and the Ensuing Social Media Firestorm

By: Hunter Nuttall

Hunter Nuttall — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 05:59:56 +0000

@ Hayden, sometimes I’ve followed a rule, only to later find out that I was the only one doing it, and that it didn’t really matter. I wish I had known that up front!

@ Vered, I didn’t know I was dispensing parenting advice! But that makes sense – kids would probably like to hear a better reason than “because I said so.”

By: Vered - MomGrind

Vered - MomGrind — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 22:01:13 +0000

“Instead of treating people like children and saying �You�re going to do this because I said so” – good parents treat their kids like intelligent human being and do exactly what you said: they make sure their rules do more good than harm, and explain to the kids why they are necessary.

Loved this article.

By: Hayden Tompkins

Hayden Tompkins — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 21:23:45 +0000

My old law firm had the same policy: ask before installing anything. It turned out that in the two years I worked there, I was almost the only person who ever asked before installing stuff. (Like the FireFox browser.)

You wouldn’t believe how often the downloads screwed up the system. (Especially since the system consisted of disparate pieces cobbled together…mostly to accommodate the attorney’s love of the latest Blackberry apps. But I digress.)

Great article, Hunter.

Hayden Tompkins´s last blog post..What�s Your Vision for 2009?