Front - AZ Teambuilding sro

FREEdOm THROUGH lImITS
what they can do as opposed to what they can’t!”
The challenge of course is that we can never list enough of the things
they can do. No matter how long the list of ‘can do-s’ someone will
want to add one, and then we have to take some more time to decide if
that one is okay. So, far from being a constraint, a boundary provides
ultimate empowerment. We no longer are called upon to micromanage
or second guess, and our folks no longer have to manipulate us to get
what they want. The boundary provides the security necessary for folks
to take risks, try new things and improve performance without fear of
a “gotcha.” If they come up with something new or experience the unforeseen,
they simply address it within the boundary.
BoUndarieS are not rUleS
In pushing back it is also important not to equate boundaries with rules.
Boundaries are very different from rules. A rule attempts to control behavior,
but you can never anticipate enough behaviors to have enough
rules. In fact, if you have ever raised children or managed a workforce
you know this to be true. No matter how detailed the personnel manual
someone will always come up with a question or a behavior you did not
anticipate. Whole HR departments are engaged every day in developing
if/then scenarios that are obsolete almost as soon as they are published.
Additionally, no matter how even handed you think the rules are, someone
will most certainly complain, often justifiably, that it is “not fair.”
In my work as a CEO in multiple organizations with 24 hour responsibilities
and multiple lines of business, I never saw a personnel manual
I liked. What was fair for a professional police officer or highly-trained
firefighter was almost never fair for my talented office workers or a
skilled electric lineman or the erstwhile college intern. There never
could be enough rules and interpretations of the rules, no matter how
many employee committees were utilized or grievances filed or court
rulings issued. On the other hand, principles and values could almost
always be agreed upon across the multiple lines of business, and with
these firmly in hand, appropriate boundaries established. Flexibility
within the boundaries empowered employees to use their best judgment
and skills to provide world-class service in all areas.
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