............Not sure what made me think of this but it is a story that my business partner John and I love to tell people. As we interact with other business owners and leaders we often are asked how we have made a business partnership work so well and for so long. We tell everyone that one of the reasons it continues to work is that while we agree on the vision and goals of the company we think differently in our approach to things. This difference creates discussion and evaluation of ideas and normally leads to a better solution. A great example of this occurred several years ago. The business was growing very, very fast and that meant we were adding people and positions continuously. Everything was moving very fast and when that happens it is easy to feel that you are losing control. Lunch schedules and timing, scheduled hours, vacations, illnesses, who and how the phone gets answered, and on and on and on and on.
John come in my office one day, actually I think we may have still been sharing an office and that can test a partnership. Like the time I put my lunch trash in his trash can. I love tuna fish sandwiches and I had one for lunch every day for a week. John cannot stand tuna fish and complained every day about the odor when I was eating. So when I finished my sandwich one day I put the wrapper in his trash can which was under his desk just to drive him nuts. He smelled that tuna all day and couldn't figure out why. Anyway, John says it is time for an Employee Manual. Well that makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck. I do not like Employee Manuals for a number of reasons that I might write about at a later time. John volunteers to pull a draft together and have me review. A few days later John hands me an inch thick draft of our Employee Manual. Without even looking through it I take a piece of paper and write "Employee Manual" at the top and then write "Do the Right Thing". I tell John that this is my draft of the manual. I realized this wasn't going to fly just by the look on his face. I took John's draft home and brought it back with about 1/2 the pages crossed out and some changes. John made the changes and gave it back to me for another round. I eliminated 1/2 of those pages and John announced "that's it, this is our manual!"
The point of all this is that you need both. There are some rules and regulations in business and in life that need to be documented and followed. However, there are also unwritten rules of behavior and just good manners that people are responsible to follow. Just do the right thing!
John come in my office one day, actually I think we may have still been sharing an office and that can test a partnership. Like the time I put my lunch trash in his trash can. I love tuna fish sandwiches and I had one for lunch every day for a week. John cannot stand tuna fish and complained every day about the odor when I was eating. So when I finished my sandwich one day I put the wrapper in his trash can which was under his desk just to drive him nuts. He smelled that tuna all day and couldn't figure out why. Anyway, John says it is time for an Employee Manual. Well that makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck. I do not like Employee Manuals for a number of reasons that I might write about at a later time. John volunteers to pull a draft together and have me review. A few days later John hands me an inch thick draft of our Employee Manual. Without even looking through it I take a piece of paper and write "Employee Manual" at the top and then write "Do the Right Thing". I tell John that this is my draft of the manual. I realized this wasn't going to fly just by the look on his face. I took John's draft home and brought it back with about 1/2 the pages crossed out and some changes. John made the changes and gave it back to me for another round. I eliminated 1/2 of those pages and John announced "that's it, this is our manual!"
The point of all this is that you need both. There are some rules and regulations in business and in life that need to be documented and followed. However, there are also unwritten rules of behavior and just good manners that people are responsible to follow. Just do the right thing!