Rules are made to be broken

You have all heard the phrase, "rules are made to be broken." Of course, the phrase makes compliance professionals cringe! The bottom line, though, is that it is very difficult to count on rules and procedures alone to govern behavior. If we want to insure that people do the right thing, we need to inculcate a strong set of values throughout the organization. We need people to understand the criteria they ought to use to make key decisions. We need to establish a framework that guides decision making, because we will never anticipate all situations, and we can never design "perfect" rules.

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Defining Your Company's "Critical Behaviors"

Many companies outline a set of values by which they wish to operate, and they define the financial goals they wish to achieve.   Senior leaders often spend time describing those values and goals at various company events.  Company newsletters, posters, and wallet cards list the organizational values too.  However, many firms do not take the extra step to define clearly the individual and team behaviors necessary to live those values AND for the firm to achieve financial success.  Great companies take great care to outline the crucial behaviors required for success on both fronts (financial and values).   Moreover, they connect those behaviors to the personal development plans and merit assessments of each employee.  Goals-Values-Behaviors: Every firm should make sure they have addressed each leg of the stool.  

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