Rules

My phone rang. The New Boss wanted to see me in his office.

I took a seat in front of his enormous oak desk.  Picking up a framed picture of a twenty-something woman, I said to my forty-something boss, “Your daughter’s very pretty.”

He said, “That’s my wife.” After an awkward pause, he added, “I had a few concerns about the Agency Quiz.” 

He directed me to the first question in a section of the handout.

1. Staff-friendly organizations have as few rules as necessary.  Which of the following best describes your employer:

      a) My company’s rules are all absolutely necessary.

      b) We have a few rules we don’t really need.

      c) Our policy manual is over 350 pages long, and growing.

      d) I’m surprised we don’t need a hall pass to use the restroom.

I said, “I want to make them think about the rules they follow.  A lot of burnout comes from following unnecessary rules. A lot of heartache springs from ignoring necessary ones. When I present this question, I also ask them about the rules they have for themselves.”

The New Boss didn’t look happy, but he said, “OK, let’s see how it’s received.”

I made myself a new rule; never assume you know who the people in the picture might be.

Today I will look at the rules I follow, especially the ones I’ve made for myself.

Burnout Training ©2018 by Ken Montrose

Burnout Training is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and anyone you might know is purely coincidental.

Other works by Ken Montrose are available at: www.greenbriartraining.com https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/