[August 04, 2014] One of the basic tenets of being a leader is to obey the law and follow rules. These are either established for moral reasons or more commonly for convenience and safety. This past weekend a well-known politician in Washington DC had a health problem that may have caused him to drive on the wrong side of the road.1 Fortunately, no one was seriously injured. Most of us can sympathize with the health issue and it may have contributed to driving improperly but having expired tags and no insurance is … wrong.
The leadership lesson is simple, obey the law and follow the rules. Everyone else has to do so and so should leaders. Those who chose to be exempt from established law and rules are setting themselves up for failure. We do see this in some “privileged” persons who think that rules do not apply to them because they are, in some way, special. However, leadership means doing the right thing.
If a law or rule is not right, then it should be changed. While the process to change is not simple or easy, the time and effort should be taken to do so. Otherwise, more and more will ignore it. Some leaders have the power to change rules, although that is unlikely for a law. When this is the case, the leader should not make a change without input from others. This keeps people informed and prevents unnecessary surprises and disruptions.
Leaders obey the law and follow the rules. Any leader thinking they do not have to do this is in for a rude awakening when people are critical of them. Oh, rules are everywhere so make yourself knowledgeable and follow them even if they are meaningless to you, they will be important to someone.
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[1] http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/aug/3/marion-barry-hospitalized-after-head-collision-dc/