7.19.2011

4 Reasons Why the Rules Make You a Loser.

Ever wonder how you can do everything “right” and still succeed at failing?

It’s like the kosmos has a personal agenda of making sure whatever you do comes up a few degrees shy of awful.

And it’s not like you aren’t trying.

You’re following all the rules.

You’re reading all the right books and learning all the right skills and dancing to all the right business moves.

Heck, you’re so diligent you’ve got an MBA and can craft a SWOT analysis on your drive from the gas station to your office in the morning without spilling any coffee on your tie.

But somehow that doesn’t seem to translate into the outrageous success that you envisioned for yourself.

Right? It’s kind of frustrating, isn’t it?

After all, the rules were supposed to work .

That’s why you went to college in the first place — because that’s what the rules said you should be doing. And that’s why you got your MBA and joined a big company and bought a big house and leased a few cars that were way too expensive.

The rules lied to you.

You thought if you didn’t cause any waves and just followed the rules, you would be like the model on the Ralph Lauren advertisement — rich, sharply dressed, on a yacht someplace hot.

So why hasn’t that happened?

Why do you want more for yourself?

Because the rules you thought were leading you to success are actually the one thing standing in your way.

Here’s why:

Rules are made for idiots — High achievers don’t need rules. They need a mission. You don’t to remind kind people that whites and blacks (and any other color for that matter) deserve the same treatment. It’s the idiots that need the Supreme Court to draft up an official opinion before they change their thinking. And while that’s an extreme example, there are dozen of others close behind. Rules aren’t about vision; they’re the lowest common denominator — the minimum decorum necessary for interacting in society.
Rules are designed to make you mediocre. — It’s about the averages. Since a team is usually more effective than a sensational individual, the rules are meant to ensure that the group as a whole succeeds. And while more people succeeding is not a bad thing, the reality is that the success of a group pales in comparison to the strength and achievement made possible by the human spirit of an individual determined to make a difference.
Rules really only benefit the rule maker. – If you break the rules you get in trouble – that’s what we’re told. And sometimes it’s actually true. Regardless, the truth about rules is that they most often only benefit the person making the rules. That’s the definition of rules. That’s how they work. The only benefit you get is less negative social peer pressure — which isn’t altogether a great benefit any way you look at it.
Rules don’t translate into enviable rewards. — You might not get thrown in jail, but you probably won’t land in a penthouse either. When you look at the risks versus the rewards of following the rules, it quickly becomes clear that you have just about nothing to lose by breaking all the rules. Sure, there are risks that scare the “bejeebus” out of you. But even with that — if the rewards are great enough, you go for it. Most of the time, the rules just aren’t worth following.

The rules make you a loser.

And while that still might be a shock to your senses, it most certainly might be the reason that you aren’t as successful as we want to be.

Maybe today is the day you start breaking the rules.

p.s. I might not need to state the obvious here, but I will anyway. Being selfish, unkind, or hurtful to others is just not cool. In fact, it’s despicable behavior. Breaking the rules doesn’t mean you do it at the expense of others.

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http://www.salesdujour.com Gary S. Hart

The
selection of rules has changed. We have the new cookie cutter, be like everyone
else formulaic rules that have replaced the how to be unique, creative, and how
to be a good person rules.

Life
has been systematized with devices and software. GPS is great for traveling,
except when there is unexpected construction and traffic. People are living GPS
lives, getting stuck in traffic and incapable of getting around obstructions.
Systems don’t allow for that.
http://www.salesdujour.com Gary S. Hart

The selection of rules has changed. We have the new cookie cutter, be like everyone else formulaic rules that have replaced the how to be unique, creative, and how to be a good person rules.

Lifehas been systematized with devices and software. GPS is great for traveling, except when there is unexpected construction and traffic. People are living GPS lives, getting stuck in traffic and incapable of getting around obstructions. Systems don’t allow for that.
- http://www.DanWaldschmidt.com/ Dan Waldschmidt
  
  Gary,
  
  I think that’s because we’ve lost our internal compass. Since it’s easier to ask a tool or machine or someone else what we should do (and who we should be), we trade our destiny for a fast answer.
  
  And the road less traveled stays unmapped because the few who ventured there are now fewer and the underbrush a little more overgrown now.
  
  There is a certain sadness I feel when I think about the choices we make. How we trade our destiny for the kindnesses of superficial words. How we loan away our chance at greatness for the immediacy of acceptance.
  
  When it’s all done, we have left only the memories of what we could have been — what we might have been achieved.
  
  Dan
Tim Mushey

Great post Dan. If there is anything that I learned in school, was that everything that I was taught would work in theory. But when I got in to the business world, wow were things different! There were certainly rules in place with every sales role that I have had, but thinking on my feet and anticipating different scenarios has been a huge asset to me. My personal pet peeve has always been “that is always how things have been done here”. I agree with you 100%. If the rules don’t bring success, why follow them? Have a great day!
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/tim-mushey/8/428/305 Tim Mushey

Great post Dan. If there is anything that I learned in school, was that everything that I was taught would work in theory. But when I got in to the business world, wow were things different! There were certainly rules in place with every sales role that I have had, but thinking on my feet and anticipating different scenarios has been a huge asset to me. My personal pet peeve has always been “that is always how things have been done here”. I agree with you 100%. If the rules don’t bring success, why follow them? Have a great day!
- http://www.DanWaldschmidt.com/ Dan Waldschmidt
  
  Tim,
  
  Your feedback is “spot on”. What works in the classroom “brilliantly” rarely seems to glitter so brilliantly under the sunlight of real life.
  
  Great lesson to learn early on in business.
  
  Dan
  
  p.s. Have a great week…
  - http://www.linkedin.com/pub/tim-mushey/8/428/305 Tim Mushey
    
    Thanks Dan you too!
http://www.DanWaldschmidt.com/ Dan Waldschmidt

Gary,

I think that’s because we’ve lost our internal compass. Since it’s easier to ask a tool or machine or someone else what we should do (and who we should be), we trade our destiny for a fast answer.

And the road less traveled stays unmapped because the few who ventured there are now fewer and the underbrush a little more overgrown now.

There is a certain sadness I feel when I think about the choices we make. How we trade our destiny for the kindnesses of superficial words. How we loan away our chance at greatness for the immediacy of acceptance.

When it’s all done, we have left only the memories of what we could have been — what we might have been achieved.

Dan
http://www.DanWaldschmidt.com/ Dan Waldschmidt

Tim,

Your feedback is “spot on”. What works in the classroom “brilliantly” rarely seems to glitter so brilliantly under the sunlight of real life.

Great lesson to learn early on in business.

Dan

p.s. Have a great week…
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/tim-mushey/8/428/305 Tim Mushey

Thanks Dan you too!
http://adamoneill.net Adam

WOW what a motivating post. Reminds me I got to see my bank!
http://adamoneill.net Adam

WOW what a motivating post. Reminds me I got to see my bank!
- http://www.DanWaldschmidt.com/ Dan Waldschmidt
  
  Go crush it…
  
  Dan
http://www.DanWaldschmidt.com/ Dan Waldschmidt

Go crush it…

Dan
Darth Prophet

Loved it. I could give a few examples of how braking the rules helped me when I was young a dumb.
Heres one I was barely 18 working for one of the smallest Sears Stores in the country, I was hired for x-mas help but stuck around so they just gave me 3 3 hour shifts from 6 -9 a week. One of those night the dean of a local Vo tech school came in to buy a tool box set on a super sale, long story short he confined in me he never understood why Sears never competed for his students business, I told him I would be more then glad to do something for him, the following night he brought me the break down of what was require of the kids and when. I set about putting the best possible packages together for them when I discovered the Sear was actually 2 different companies there was Sears retail and Sear Catalog and because of the smallness of our store I could only get the sets built thru catalog,. After doing all the leg work on my own time I went to my manager and told he my plans that when he told me I couldn’t do it. I flat out ignored him and decided I was going to follow thru with the Votech and do the presentation before the new students, long story short in the 3 hours I spent at the Votech I sold $276,000 in tools all on Sear Credit card app’s that like double plus. No fear really took hold because the manager who as trying to get me to quit told I could do it and I had all these contracts doing it. I went to the Story manage who instantly hugged me and took it from there, shortly after my manager was retired my hours went thru the roof and I recieved the max pay raise as well many other things were brought my way to make extra money.
In the end even my store manager had to brake the rule to make it happen by ordering thru catalog the items once the arrived he canceled the orders he could then transferred the tools to store stock.

Break the rules and become a leader!
- http://www.DanWaldschmidt.com/ Dan Waldschmidt
  
  What a great story. I also worked for Sears in my late teens.
  
  It’s sad to see a legendary brand become irrelevant over the years.
  
  Dan
Darth Prophet

Loved it. I could give a few examples of how braking the rules helped me when I was young a dumb.
Heres one I was barely 18 working for one of the smallest Sears Stores in the country, I was hired for x-mas help but stuck around so they just gave me 3 3 hour shifts from 6 -9 a week. One of those night the dean of a local Vo tech school came in to buy a tool box set on a super sale, long story short he confined in me he never understood why Sears never competed for his students business, I told him I would be more then glad to do something for him, the following night he brought me the break down of what was require of the kids and when. I set about putting the best possible packages together for them when I discovered the Sear was actually 2 different companies there was Sears retail and Sear Catalog and because of the smallness of our store I could only get the sets built thru catalog,. After doing all the leg work on my own time I went to my manager and told he my plans that when he told me I couldn’t do it. I flat out ignored him and decided I was going to follow thru with the Votech and do the presentation before the new students, long story short in the 3 hours I spent at the Votech I sold $276,000 in tools all on Sear Credit card app’s that like double plus. No fear really took hold because the manager who as trying to get me to quit told I could do it and I had all these contracts doing it. I went to the Story manage who instantly hugged me and took it from there, shortly after my manager was retired my hours went thru the roof and I recieved the max pay raise as well many other things were brought my way to make extra money.
In the end even my store manager had to brake the rule to make it happen by ordering thru catalog the items once the arrived he canceled the orders he could then transferred the tools to store stock.

Break the rules and become a leader!
http://www.DanWaldschmidt.com/ Dan Waldschmidt

What a great story. I also worked for Sears in my late teens.

It’s sad to see a legendary brand become irrelevant over the years.

Dan
http://twitter.com/Jon_Wilburn Jon Wilburn

I couldn’t agree more. It seems that every area of our lives could be mapped out for us … because of rules. I have failed and often, because there has always seemed to be a better way. I will continue to fail until one day that failure looks a little like success :)

It’s NOT easy though.

Jon
- http://www.DanWaldschmidt.com/ Dan Waldschmidt
  
  There is something to be said for failing your way to success.
  
  When a reporter asked, “How did it feel to fail 1,000 times?” Edison replied, “I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.”
  
  Check back tomorrow for a very special article that I am writing about this idea of success and the only decision that you ever need to make in business…
  
  Dan
http://www.DanWaldschmidt.com/ Dan Waldschmidt

There is something to be said for failing your way to success.

When a reporter asked, “How did it feel to fail 1,000 times?” Edison replied, “I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.”

Check back tomorrow for a very special article that I am writing about this idea of success and the only decision that you ever need to make in business…

Dan
Jon Wilburn

I couldn’t agree more. It seems that every area of our lives could be mapped out for us … because of rules. I have failed and often, because there has always seemed to be a better way. I will continue to fail until one day that failure looks a little like success :)

It’s NOT easy though.

Jon
Nathanielmoors

Dan,
I enjoyed your post. I also think you are spot on with this article. You know me(college), and my love for rules. Because I have taken a different road, I make a quarter plus a year . I saw the rules and also thought they were there to protect the ignorant. I have followed what I thought was best for me and my family, and I have no regrets.
Nathanielmoors

Dan,
I enjoyed your post. I also think you are spot on with this article. You know me(college), and my love for rules. Because I have taken a different road, I make a quarter plus a year . I saw the rules and also thought they were there to protect the ignorant. I have followed what I thought was best for me and my family, and I have no regrets.
- http://www.DanWaldschmidt.com/ Dan Waldschmidt
  
  It takes a strong determination and a clear mind to lead yourself — in spite of the pressures around you to conform. And it can take time to be amazing. But it leads to “no regrets”.
  
  Brilliant example.
  
  Dan
Michaelmccormack7

Dan, I dont always comment. I worked in a small clothing store whilst in University. Owner was ex-Sears. He was a tough and demanding boss and we had our differences. He fired me 4 times because I insisted on treating our customers and our employees properly. He re-hired me the following morning on the first 3 occasions. I extracted a few concessions each time.
He made me store manager each summer. He made me assistant buyer. The fourth time he tried to rehire me I declined. We remain friends to this day. I learned much from him regarding retail and customer relations. In fact I learned more from him than any boss Ive had since. At my wedding he said HE learned more from me than anybody he ever met. There is a 20 year age gap and I was stunned when he said that as I simply didnt understand what he could possibly have learned from a greenhorn. He told me I was the most consistently integral person he had met. Self belief and unwavering adherence to a code of conduct which is underpinned by the simple tenet: Treat others as you like to be treated. I am Irish and I like the following example of Irish persistence and breaking of ENGLISH rules.9 FAMOUS IRISHMENThe Young Irish Disorders of 1848
IRISH HISTORYIn the young Irish disorders, in Ireland in 1848, the following nine men were captured, tried and convicted of treason against Her Majesty, the Queen, and were sentenced to death: John Mitchell, Morris Leyne, Pat Donahue, Thomas McGee, Charles Duffy, Thomas Meagher, Richard O’Gorman, Terrance McManus, and Michael Ireland.Before passing sentence, the judge asked if there was anything that anyone wished to say. Meagher, speaking for all, said, “My Lord, this is our first offense, but not our last. If you wish to be easy with us, this once we promise, on our word as gentlemen to try to do better next time. And next time–sure we won’t be fools to get caught.” Thereupon, the indignant judge sentenced them all to be hanged by the neck until dead, and drawn and quartered.Passionate protest from all the world forced Queen Victoria to commute the sentence to transportation and exile for life to the remote, barren wilds of Australia.In 1874, word reached an astounded Queen Victoria that the Sir Charles Duffy who had been elected Prime Minister of Australia, was the same Charles Duffy who had been transported into exile there 25 years before. On the Queen’s demand, the records of the rest of the transported Irishmen were revealed and this is what was discovered:The Queen’s Record of the Rest of the Transported Irishmen:Thomas Francis Meagher: Govenor of Montana
Terrance McManus: Brigadier General, U.S. Army.
Patrick Donahue:Brigadier General, U.S. Army.
Morris Leyne: Attorney General of Australia, in which office…
Michael Ireland succeeded him as Attorney General of Australia.
Richard O’Gorman: Governor General of Newfoundland.
Thomas D’Archy McGee: Member of Parliament, Montreal, Minister of Agriculture and President of Council Dominion of Canada.
John Mitchell: Prominent New York Politician. This man was father of John Purroy Mitchell, Mayor of New York at the outbreak of world war I.The moral of the story? You can’t Keep a good Irishman down.IRISH BLESSING”May those that love us, love usAnd those that don’t love usMay God turn their heartsAnd if He doesn’t turn their heartsMay He turn their anklesSo we’ll know them bytheir limping.”
http://www.DanWaldschmidt.com/ Dan Waldschmidt

It takes a strong determination and a clear mind to lead yourself — in spite of the pressures around you to conform. And it can take time to be amazing. But it leads to “no regrets”.

Brilliant example.

Dan
RD

Your last “P.S.” comment is the most important one of the bunch.

Personally, I’ve been fortunate that I haven’t had too many people tell me I couldn’t do something. And yet, I also haven’t had a ton of amazing opportunities present themselves that I was too scared to tackle. That goes for most people.

You put yourself out there, work your butt off, have a positive attitude and hope to hell an interesting opportunity comes your way that you have a passion for. Occasionally, it will. Often it won’t.

Luck, fate, chance, genes, upbringing, right schools, right mentor, right timing, being exposed to the right philosophies, and hard work are ALL factors.

But there’s really only ONE rule: “Think about how your actions may negatively affect other people’s lives, and don’t be a jerk.” That’s it. The rest are just suggestions. And suggestions are easy enough to ignore and battle through to achieve some success.
RD

Your last “P.S.” comment is the most important one of the bunch.

Personally, I’ve been fortunate that I haven’t had too many people tell me I couldn’t do something. And yet, I also haven’t had a ton of amazing opportunities present themselves that I was too scared to tackle. That goes for most people.

You put yourself out there, work your butt off, have a positive attitude and hope to hell an interesting opportunity comes your way that you have a passion for. Occasionally, it will. Often it won’t.

Luck, fate, chance, genes, upbringing, right schools, right mentor, right timing, being exposed to the right philosophies, and hard work are ALL factors.

But there’s really only ONE rule: “Think about how your actions may negatively affect other people’s lives, and don’t be a jerk.” That’s it. The rest are just suggestions. And suggestions are easy enough to ignore and battle through to achieve some success.
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