“One of the guiding thoughts about simple rules is that not only are they pretty short and action oriented by starting with a verb, but they are also generalizable and scalable so that they can help you in many different kinds of context in any situation, whether it’s a big or small decision to be made.”

Are you using simple rules in your work? Have you found ones that work particularly well for you and your team? Do you have questions about how simple rules can be applied in your organization?

Highlights

00:00:00
Introducing simple rules: how we use them, why we use them and how they might be different then values or goals.
00:04:49
Simple rules allow for cohesive action and serve as guidance for the individual and/or team.
00:07:46
Looking at the difference between simple rules and values or goals.
00:11:00
Simple rules are a reflection of the organizational culture.
00:14:08
Simple rules serve a different purpose then a checklist.
00:17:53
Do simple rules change over time? Simple rules tend to be the most stable because they reflect the organizational culture and it is the culture that needs changing before the simple rules.
00:21:40
Simple rules are also different from a company’s tagline or vision. There may be echoes of each in the simple rules, but they are not simple rules.
00:28:08
“In a world of hard trade-offs, [simple rules] are one of the few ways managers can increase alignment, adaptation, and coordination all at once.”

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