Absolutes are a powerful tool toward creating a disciplined organization.
The downside of absolutes is it chokes off the potential to have an acceptable exception.
Exceptions break the rule of discipline. Exceptions soon become the norm.
When exceptions become the norm chaos breaks out. The type of chaos I’m referencing isn’t actually like a bomb going off. This chaos is slow and gradual, often not recognized, and then – whamo – there it is, its ugly face screaming at you, “What the heck happened?”
Now here’s the real deal for those of you looking to become better leaders. You can have absolutes and exceptions in the same house. They can actually hang out with each other once in a blue moon.
True leaders can use them both and chaos will never show its ugly face. Granting an exception and going back to absolutes is very doable. The problem with leadership is that very few leaders have the skill to make effective use of them both.
Most people in leadership positions are stuck with one or the other.
At any given moment one is just as bad as the other. That’s all I’m gonna say, Tommy Gibbs