The larger an entity gets – whether it is a privately held firm, a multi-national corporation, a charity, or a governmental agency – the greater the number of rules and procedures its employees are subject to and, in many cases, they must document that they follow these rules and procedures.

Why is this? Seth Godin makes the case that it is precisely because of size – if one employs too many people to know individually, one cannot trust them. And, if one cannot trust one’s employees to do their jobs the right way, one institutes rules to ensure that they do so.

But it is also a great way to ensure that your team cares less about what they are supposed to be doing in their jobs, and that they start blindly checking off boxes.

“I’m just doing my job” is antithetical to “There’s a problem – I will fix it.” Reactive, versus proactive.

Which sort of job would you prefer – one where you clock your time and check that you’ve documented your compliance with the rules, or one in which you are empowered to act and solve problems as they arise?

Which sort of employee would you prefer – one who is content to “just do their job,” or one who proactively addresses issues when the see them?

Which sort of company would you want to hire – one that knows and trusts their team’s abilities, or one that doesn’t?

And, which sort of company do you think delivers better results?

Please click here to email me directly – I would love to know your thoughts.

Until next Wednesday –

Peace,