Pushing Boundaries

As we get older, we may disguise it a bit better, but the truth is, people will still test the boundaries.  Maybe we see if we can take a shortcut in how we do things or we challenge what someone says.  It may take various forms, but the truth is it is human nature to want to push the boundaries at some level.

The same applies in business.  There are rules, procedures, processes and standards we apply to ensure that the business stays on course and continues to improve.  However, human nature being what it is, people will start to take short cuts or ease off on the procedures, processes or requirements.  People will also challenge the rules to see if they apply in various circumstances, or if they still apply under different leadership, etc.

The important point for leaders to understand is that; it is human nature for people to act like this and not to get annoyed and upset by this behaviour. 

It is also the leaders role to remind people what the rules are and what they stand for.  This is not in a confrontational manner, but rather to remind people what is expected and how they need to behave.  People will generally respond to this way if done in an inclusive manner and not in a dictatorial way.  People want to know how they are doing and where they stand.

However, there is another aspect of this that we need to remember in our role as leaders.  Having our rules, procedures and processes challenged is a good thing.  When they are challenged, it makes us think about them and gives us the opportunity to ask ourselves if these rules or procedures still apply.

Many rules, processes and procedures were very valid when they were designed but circumstances have overtaken them and now they are not the most effective way of doing things.  So as leaders we need to welcome the challenges that give us the opportunity to re-consider the value of what we are doing and either expose the rule, process or procedure as no longer the best way, or strengthen it, confirming the right way.

There is a time to defend and then a time to be open to challenges.  At a time when business is under pressure and the market is so competitive, leaders need to be open to such challenges, and involving people in identifying what works today, which will contribute to the future of the business, and not hold it back, as ‘we have always done it this way!’.