I was looking at an employee board today. Don’t’ ask me why. It was there. I was there. Anyway…I noticed a sheet stapled to the far left corner that contained a list of guidelines or expectations for each employee on staff at the organization. Most of the guidelines were very good. They fit with what I would assume is the DNA of the company based on its line of business. Two of the guidelines, however, jumped out at me:

Number 1 – “Leave your personal life at home.” – This is ludicrous. People are more than who they are at work. They have personal lives. The two are bound to mix. Are you asking Sue, who just lost her mother after a 2-year battle with cancer, to show up all smiles and giggles and act like nothing is wrong? I understand the thought here is to avoid letting problems affect customer relations. BUT…a great leader knows he must lead the WHOLE person. A great leader helps those he leads to find balance between work and personal affairs because he cares about the people he leads and he knows that only when when the WHOLE person is healthy will the team be healthy.

Number 2 – “Worry about what you’re doing and not what anyone else is doing.” Hello? T-E-A-M. Again, I understand the concept they are shooting for…don’t complain about everybody else. But, all this guideline does is create an environment where you have a bunch of people doing their job in proximity to each other. A great leader builds a great TEAM where each member of the team has a passion to do their very best to help everyone else do their very best. That kind of team knows that it can only truly win when every member wins.

I can’t fault this particular organization for having these guidelines. I’ve seen them in multiple locations and have even worked under them before. All I’m saying, is we have to be careful that our expectations build the team and not limit it.