Here’s a practice for creating a culture where people cooperate to develop solutions on the ground. In following with the theme of leader-as-host, smart rules are an alternative to adding more structures and procedures to an already complex environment.
Smart rules are the set of simple yet powerful principles that define the approach to the work done by and within your organization. It is a service model based on your core values. The way to create your smart rules is to describe what everyone is expected to do to demonstrate each core value in the context of work of the organization.
Excellent examples of “smart rules” are those portrayed in Patrick Lencioni’s business fable, Getting Naked. (A “must read” for any organization providing ongoing, relationship-based services!) The consulting firm in the fable held high the values of trust, loyalty, humility, selflessness, and transparency. Their smart rules were:
- Always consult instead of sell – every sales situation is an opportunity to begin to demonstrate value
- Give away the business – giving advice and service before entering an agreement shows you’re more focused on the relationship than your short-term revenue
- Tell the kind truth – delivering a difficult message puts serving the client’s need before protecting your own business
- Enter the danger – step into uncomfortable situations; acknowledge the “elephant in the room”
- Ask dumb questions – they’re usually the ones others are afraid to ask
- Make dumb suggestions – don’t hold back, some of them are good
- Celebrate your mistakes – call them out and take responsibility for them
- Take a bullet for the client – humble yourself and take the burden of the client in a difficult situation
- Make everything about the client – focus is on understanding, honoring, and supporting the client
- Honor the client’s work – an active interest and appreciation for the importance of the clients business; if you can’t, don’t take the work
- Do the dirty work – take on whatever the client need you to do
- Admit your weaknesses and limitations – we all have them; don’t cover them up
If you don’t have smart rules yet, have the leaders of your organization facilitate stakeholder focus groups to brainstorm what your organization’s core values look like in action. This activity alone is powerful in helping everyone find the meaning and possibilities in their work. As always, for every culture maker, the practice must be modeled and taught from the top down to be sustained as a shared assumption. Have fun!
