The Art of Rule Breaking and Why You Need it on Your Team
I used to think that companies wanted the straight laced, clean pressed, follow the rules type of knowledge worker, but I’m starting to think otherwise.
Being in the assessment industry, I see the whole gamut of behavior styles professionals exhibit. On our DISC assessments, one of the four styles is dedicated to how people respond to rules and procedures set by others. If you scored high in this area you were considered a rule keeper, but oddly enough scoring low in this area didn’t mean you were an AWFUL “rule breaker”.
Despite your first thought of rule breakers as vandalizers, class clowns, and cheaters, looking closer you’ll see that rule breakers are more often the independent, self-willed, out of the box thinkers.
Having that “rule breaker” on your team may be just what you need, and here’s why.
1. Standing Out From Your Competition
The great rule keepers in my mind are accountants and tax lawyers, which also happen to be the great boredom creators. You ask someone what’s the difference between Firm A and Firm B and you’ll be hard pressed to get an answer.
Having the rule breakers on your team can give you a creative competitive advantage. You don’t even have to go further than your local Walmart to see a living breathing example.
Sam Walton’s first retail general store was just like any other. Same products, same prices, same locations. However, when his lease ran up, he decided to do things a bit differently.
He opened Walton’s Five and Dime in a different city and took a new approach to the “general store” business model. Instead of negotiating better deals from suppliers and pocketing the difference, Sam decided to pass the savings on to his customers.
His “rule breaking” model paid off tremendously as the profits came in even higher amounts through pulling in more customers.
We all have times where we do something because that’s the way it’s always been done. Maybe you can do it better, by breaking a few rules?
2. Innovate Your Products and Services
Rule breakers are known for their inventions, entrepreneurship, and ideas. Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard (something a rule keeper would never do) to pursue building Microsoft. Donald Trump’s blunt, mean, and straight to the point conversation style may be seen as rude by others, but it has helped him become a self made billionaire.
However, Steve Jobs is probably the most innovative rule breaker of today. iTunes came out when music piracy was rampant. The iPod launched after dozens of other MP3 players were already available. The App Store held developers to high standards and released only to Apple supported devices. All these innovations went against the rules, yet Jobs found a way to do amazing things despite what “rules” were telling him.
3. Make Yourself Endearing
Nothing is more endearing than puppies in my humble opinion. A few weeks ago I went looking for a dog and met a whole pack of 14 lab puppies. What puppy do you pick? You pick the one that stands out, does something different, the one that picks coming over to you rather than sticking with his loyal brothers and sisters.
Businesses can do the same thing.
Zappos understands the art of rule breaking in the way they do customer service. What makes Zappos so endearing to their customers is how they break the rules for them.
Zappos customer service reps don’t have scripts, call time constraints, upsell requirements, or supervisor approvals. Their guide is to use their best judgment and sometimes that means rules get in the way.
When is it Okay to Break the Rules
A team needs to have it’s share of balance and too much rule breaking can be worse than complete obedience to the norms.
What are your thoughts?
image courtesy of Mr_Stein
