Rules Should be Tools & Guides - Not Used as Walls or Fences

"Rules are for the obedience of the inexperienced and the guidance of wise men."

Rules are originally created to structure thought and behavior. They are intended to replace a lack of knowledge with a guide to the "right" thing to do.

Some rules are "hard," other rules are "soft."

For example, in Boston, there is a law forbidding the use of tomatoes in New England Clam Chowder. I strongly suspect that the no tomatoes rule is a "soft" rule.

Following rules is essential for resolving routine issues and ensuring the smooth running of your organization. On the other hand, rules can exist long after the situation that they were introduced to control has ceased to exist. In such situations, rules can inhibit behaviors that could be productive in future situations. (The water damage restoration field is certainly an example of this, when the subject of pad removal and "top down drying" arises.)

Observing the residents of New York City walk the streets of Manhattan is an interesting example of "soft" rules and how people use rules as tools. New York City has a "no-jaywalking" law. Only on rare occasions it is enforced. Most pedestrians in New York City ignore the law because it no longer fits their current environment. The operational unofficial rule is "don't obstruct traffic", and "don't get hit by a vehicle." If you are a first-time visitor to New York City, the softness of the jaywalking rule may appear to create chaos; yet more people move from one place to another efficiently in New York City than in any other city in the country. The pedestrian accident rate for midtown Manhattan is not significantly different than other major cities that strictly enforce their "no jaywalking" laws.

Now contrast the New York City "soft" rule experience with the "hard" rule that "the pedestrian always has the right-of-way" which is actively enacted by pedestrians in California. Many people in California respond to this rule by freely walking across any street at any time, with barely a glance in either direction. The "pedestrian right-of-way" rule exists throughout the United States, but it is tempered in places like New York City by an unofficial rule to "keep both pedestrian and auto traffic moving." Can you imagine the challenge for New York City cabbies in Los Angeles?

In small cleaning service businesses like ours, a number of rules are best viewed as guidelines, or "soft" rules. The purpose of a rule is to provide us with an opportunity to learn from the knowledge and experience of those who created the rule. Acting against a rule is a personal experiment that must be based on personal experience and good judgment.

LOOK AT THE FIELD OF UPHOLSTERY CLEANING FOR AN EXAMPLE: The "Rule" for "S" rated fabrics is to dry clean only, (and for the inexperienced technician that is absolutely a hard rule.) However, the trained professional can produce a superior job quite safely with a moisture based system.

LOOK AT THE LOOSE RUG CLEANING CATEGORY FOR ANOTHER EXAMPLE: The "Rule" for "dry-clean only" Orientals or specialty rugs is to clean with a dry powder compound, (again a "hard" rule for the inexperienced.) However, once again, the trained professional can consistently produce a superior job with a moisture based system. On the other hand we do have some "hard" rules in our industry that are all too frequently "softened" for reasons of expediency in the area of safety, waste water disposal and even in following the carpet cleaning standards when it comes to pre-vacuuming.

We deviate from a rule by trying something different with an expectation of what could go well and what could go wrong. The guidance provided by the rule may be valuable and serve to direct our behavior in a manner that is safer or more effective - if so, we have learned something. Alternatively, a rule followed without thought is not a learning experience; it is obedience; and a rule ignored without thought is also not a learning experience - it is simply disobedience.

HERE IS A FINAL THOUGHT STIMULATOR FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION: Is it the role of a true professional to make sensible exceptions to general rules? When and how much we deviate from a rule must be actively considered. Keep in mind that rebelliously breaking rules is no better that blindly following them.