Henry David Thoreau put it this way, “Leaders are not obsessed with rules. Any fool can make a rule.” 

My freshman year of college involved a lot of “firsts.” It was the first time I had a stranger for a roommate. It was the first time I shared shower and bathroom facilities with 25 (or more) other guys. It was the first time I had the freedom to attend class across the campus or choose from a laundry list of non-productive extra-curricular activities.

It was also the first for encountering foreign rules. During Freshman Initiation, the dean of students articulated some very clear rules to us newbies.

"The male dormitory is off limits to female students," he said, "and the female dormitory is off limits to male students. Is that clear?" (It was 1970 and times have changed.)

He continued, "Any student caught violating this rule will be fined $10 [this, again, was 1970 and $10 was a lot of money] for the first time. Should you decide to violate the rule a second time, I will impose a $25 fine. A third violation will cost you $50 and a phone call to your parents."

That was enough to deter me from wanting to meander over to the girls’ dorm for a late-night rendezvous. However, one of our more “outgoing” classmates leaned over to me and posed this question: “I wonder how much it costs for a season pass?"

There will always be somebody who wants to play games with the rules. No matter how solid your policies are, there will always be an exception; someone to push the boundaries.

Many leaders love to produce rules to keep everyone from doing what only a few people are doing, and they plan to keep doing it regardless of the rules.

In strong cultures people will break the rules to do what's right for other people. In weak cultures, people break the rules to benefit themselves. 

The ultimate question becomes: Do I do what's right for the person I'm serving or protect my posterior by following the rules? Tough decision. . . unless I'm working in a high trust, empowering environment. In a fear-infested environment, I'll follow the rules, so I don't get in trouble. In a safe, trusting environment I know my actions are protected and supported.

Thank author and leadership expert John Maxwell for this thought provoker:

“Policies are many. Principles are few. Policies will change. Principles never do.” 

Let principles (values) guide your tough people decisions. They stand the test of time.

Never be bashful about using your principles to set a standard for people to attain and sustain.

Questions to Ponder:

Is my leadership style policy-driven or people-driven? Think again. Be honest.

Where have I used policies to decide because I didn’t want to make the tough “people” decision?

How can I more effectively use principles (values) to make “people” decisions?