Part I
An excerpt from…something else I wrote years ago.
I will explain the reason, and initiate the process, by reviewing some of my own experience as a human.
In my larval stage I was employed by several banks sequentially. I learned to maneuver one step upward in each of their hierarchies. With no degree and no mentors I had to learn from watching and understanding what was said, what was done, and the patterns that existed between them.
On occasion a significant person in the hierarchy needed me to hold up one or another end of a project. To enable me to do so, they would answer some questions and explain some things. I learned quickly to examine what they said closely, as they were explaining for their own benefit, not necessarily mine.
One of those hierarchically significant people, I'll call him George (because that was his name) explained to me the purpose of rules. Prior to the conversation I thought rules were intended as a guide, or to insure a rational environment. This gentleman, being a maker of rules as opposed to a follower of them, had a different perspective.
George explained to me that no one looks at what you do as long as nothing goes wrong, and even if they do check they still have no way of knowing what truly happened. All they know is what you recorded and if that's enough to explain the situation at hand, you don't have to say another word. No one can question your judgment…as long as you can document that you followed the rules…no matter how screwed the result. More, a set of rules or laws broad enough to govern a social situation as complex as a workplace will have a sufficient number of rules to insure you can find one to support any personnel decision you'd care to make. In other words, George said, rules are used, not necessarily followed, by people in decision making positions. This accorded with my observation that the main outward sign of power is that a person can decide a situation falls outside the rules and act independently of them.
George explained it very concisely: "Fuck the rules. They're only there to cover our asses. If I want to do it, I will."
