Rules: We Don’t Want Any Stinking Rules!

Why do we fight rules? We want everyone else to follow the rules. We will follow rules only when we like the rules. I don’t think I know anyone that follows all the rules. I have been told that there are too many rules so it is impossible to follow them all. Are there really too many rules? I don’t know.


If you think you are one of those people that follow all the rules are you sure? Have you tried to get away from following all the rules for taxes? (Before you answer that do you know all the tax laws?) How about all the traffic rules? It seems that if we’re not going at least 10 miles over the speed limit we’ll get run over. And if they get caught then they are mad at the officer. They won’t admit that they were wrong.

Air travel seems to draw people who don’t like to follow the rules. And they are angry if they are caught not following the rules. I feel sorry for the flight attendants because they are trying to ensure the safety of people who don’t want to listen to them. Do you know why you are supposed to have you feet clear of baggage? Trust me it is not because the flight attendant wants to hassle you.

Yet if something bad happens there is a cry for more rules, more oversight. For example everyone is irate over the BP oil disaster. They want the government to do something. Everyone wants more rules for the oil companies, even though it is in international waters. They don’t want any drilling in the ocean. Yet where will the oil come from? We can’t drill in Alaska. No one wants to be dependent on the middle-east so where is the oil going to come from. Of course no one thinks about how this is going to affect our fuel prices.

Organizations and teams are the same way. They need rules on a variety of issues; from when meetings will occur, attendance requirements, how meetings will run, how decisions will be made, etc. Yet it seems that there is an overriding culture in most organizations to not set rules. Why? Usually because it is thought that these rules are “common sense”.

Common sense, I love when someone brings up common sense. Common sense as defined by Wikipedia is “what people in common would agree on.” So it equates to the knowledge and experience which most people already have or should have. In most dictionaries it is defined as “good sense and sound judgment”. So how can it be common sense if the “people in common” haven’t discussed and agreed upon the issue? I believe it was Stephen Covey who said “common sense is not common practice.”

Your teams need common practices. You need to have rules that people will follow. And more importantly the teams need to discuss and understand the practices and rules and why they are important to follow. This will help you also build commitment to the work of the team.

Are your teams rules getting in the way? Or maybe you would like some examples. Contact Margie for a free meeting rules assessment or samples of team rules.