To everything, there is a system that makes things work. Within each system are things that can be improved upon so the system works better, faster, stronger and more effectively.
Nothing is more true about this than what you find in the business world. The “business systems” stem from those centered on the human aspects of the business to those that involve the electronic or digital systems and the role technology plays in business.
Systems make businesses work, from the flow of the patient experience in a doctor’s or dentist’s office to the customer acquisition system in a corporation or entrepreneurial business, which then leads to the customer service system and more systems.
Within each industry, there are systems and rules set in an effort to standardize a process, licensing requirements, and ethical conduct.
Some say systems were made to be broken. I don’t agree.
Systems were created to make the playing field within each industry and business easy to understand and operate.
Some say the rules within an industry or system were made to be broken. Again, I don’t agree with this blanket statement.
Here is why:
Rules can work for you. They can also work against you.
Some rules become outdated and ineffective over time and need to be revisited, reviewed and sometimes changed, so as not to impede upon or be disruptive to the system. They simply become ineffective.
When people say, “Rules were made to be broken,” what I believe they really mean is that the rules are no longer effective from their perspective and the rule either needs to be updated or a new rule needs to be created, so the ineffective one can be replaced. Outdated or ineffective rules can cause discord in a system, so there is a time to break the rules—with the best of intentions.
If everyone broke the rules because, in their personal opinion, the rules were made to be broken, we would wind up with chaos, and perhaps catastrophe, and no structure for consistency and congruency.
There is also a time to follow the rules and stay within the “boundaries” of the system. The rules were created to keep things consistent, congruent and credible in an industry. Rules are the backbone and structures that make the “system” work.
There is a natural balance to determining which rules should be followed and which ones should be “broken” and rebuilt or replaced.
Look at the systems all around you that operate in your daily life, whether they affect you directly or indirectly:
– the school system
– the eco-system
– the commerce/financial/taxation/banking systems
– the legal system
– and, of course, business systems
Success, progress and wisdom comes from knowing when to follow the rules and when to break them.
If you want to break the rules, then I encourage you to speak up and let others know your thoughts, opinions and beliefs about them so you can all work together to change the rules and make the system work better, faster, stronger and more effectively for everyone.
It’s true that renegades make change happen. It’s also true that there is a time to force change, and a time to collaborate so change occurs naturally as a result of humanity working together to make systems and our lives better.
“You have the right to remain fabulous! Always!”