12/31/2012–Pink hair and policies; one you can’t live with, and the other is a dangerous crutch.
A host came in with pink hair. We’re not that kind of place.
Being able to say “that kind of place” means a culture has been communicated and established among the staff. With a culture in place, there isn’t need for a written “policy” to use as a scapegoat when an employee behaves against the culture. It instead should be handled by telling the employee the result of her behavior. A policy does not do this, nor is it able to tailor its message to each person’s communication style and value set. Furthermore, policy statements are usually generalized and seemingly able to be interpreted. For example, the policy “no pink hair” doesn’t prohibit orange hair, so the statement becomes “no uncommon hair colors”. But if employees and managers have an established history of quality communication, I’m able to speak candidly with her, not having to walk on egg shells. I’ve given her hundreds of pieces of feedback before so this wouldn’t seem any different to her.
11/11/2017–Absolutely, this was a crucial lesson for anyone working in a policy-driven workplace. Policies do not build culture! Effective managers teach their staff the principles that policies mean to support. Not only does reliance on a policy sabotage these learning opportunities, it also deteriorates manager capability like a cast that, once the bone is healed, prevents optimal development of the limb.