Absolutes build discipline.

They create clarity.

They set the standard.

But here’s the problem…

Absolutes leave no room for exceptions.

And sometimes, exceptions are necessary.

Now be careful.

Exceptions don’t just bend the rules…

they start rewriting them.

One turns into two.

Two turns into “we always do it this way.”

And before you know it, discipline is gone.

Not overnight.

Not with a bang.

Slow. Quiet. Sneaky.

Then one day you wake up and think,

“What the heck happened?”

Here’s the truth about leadership…

You can run with both absolutes and exceptions.

But only if you know what you’re doing.

Grant the exception.

Then go right back to the standard.

That’s leadership.

The problem?

Most leaders can’t pull that off.

They live in one world or the other—

Rigid… or reckless.

And at the wrong time,

both will hurt you just the same.

— That’s all I’m gonna say, Tommy Gibbs