Be High on Grace, but Protective of our Standards- balancing culture, rules, and standards
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Balancing Culture, Rules, and High Standards
I recently listened to an episode of Simon Sinek’s podcast, A Bit of Optimism, featuring former Lakers President Tim Harris. Two stories from their conversation to me illustrate the balance between maintaining high standards and avoiding an overly rigid, rules-based culture.
Story 1: The “Caught You Being a Laker” Program (35:40)
Lakers employees were given two special cards they could award to anyone they found “being a Laker.” For example, if an employee saw someone wearing a Lakers hat at the mall or shooting hoops in a team shirt, they could walk up and say, “Hi, I work for the Lakers. I caught you being a Laker, and I want to send you to a game.”
The program had only two strict rules:
- No cameras, no PR. It had to be authentic.
- You had to share the story at the next staff meeting.
Story 2: The Rigid Rule vs. Common Sense
Simon shared a frustrating travel story with Air Canda (39:03) that reminded me of an experience our family had on a Delta flight a few years ago.
We were flying from Traverse City to Detroit in freezing February weather. Because the jet bridge froze to the plane, our flight departed late. When we landed in Detroit, we sprinted to our connecting gate. The plane door was still wide open, but they had just announced the final call.
The gate attendant had a choice: let the five of us on, or turn us away. She chose the rules over the people and refused to let us board. As a result, we missed our flight, and Delta ultimately had to send us a check for $3,600.
The attendant was simply following rules set by corporate leaders layers above her. But systems aren’t designed for messy human variables. Sometimes, common sense has to take over.
How This Applies to Us
Finding this balance in our own organization is a difficult challenge. Our system works exceptionally well when our group members meet certain standards:
- Attendance: Maintaining an 85% attendance rate.
- Productive & Focused Face-to-Face meetings: Conducting 20+ intentional face-to-face meetings per year with members or guests.
- “Fill the board” by consistently logging referrals and revenue.
- Execution: Running high-quality, effective meetings.
The two stories from the podcast had me thinking. Often times the question that good groups struggle with the most is this is: Should we make an exception to these guidelines for a specific individual?
My answer on most occasions is “Yes, but it must be handled case-by-case.” Like the Delta gate agent, if we blindly enforce rules without human context, we alienate our best people and pay a heavy culture tax. If a high-performing member misses a target because of a life crisis, or a frozen jet-bridge equivalent, common sense must prevail. We are a network of human beings and we as human beings are messy, myself certainly included.
However, the path to a group’s failure is almost always paved with good intentions. The danger isn’t the single exception; it’s the precedent it sets. If empathy is extended without boundaries, a temporary exception quickly becomes the new standard.
To protect our culture, we have to look at the trajectory of the member. Are they a core contributor going through a rough patch, or are they consistently opting out of the culture? When we do grant an exception, it should be treated as a bridge to help a valued member get back on track—not a permanent lowering of the bar.
Our goal is to be high on grace, but protective of our standards.