Rule Breaking  Before you obey one more rule, one you would prefer not to obey, consider what a rule is.

First, set aside those rules that have become laws. The rule-breaking we have in mind has to do with customs and culture, habits and history, ignorance and arrogance.

Consider the draftsman/artists, those who could manipulate line, form and color into the illusion of living, breathing flesh: Albrecht Durer, Vermeer, Rembrandt, Wyeth and Picasso. Yes, Picasso, who painted the female portrait with three breasts and two noses, was equal to his brethren in his ability to render nature realistically.

Picasso chose to break with tradition when he transformed a bicycle seat and handlebars into a sculpture of a bull’s head. Once he understood and mastered the rules of rendering life’s reflection, he no longer felt confined by those rules. His goal became to express the essential nature of the bull using only those elements needed to define its character. He broke rules to increase understanding and to focus attention on content rather than appearance.

In today’s world, the rules that define the concept of best business practices have developed to a point where agreement has replaced invention, and real growth has become subjective. The organizations that dogmatically follow rules become isolated communities of dependency because they can listen only to those that agree with them. Time, money and energy are continuously invested in an attempt to recreate past successes at the cost of future innovation.

However, innovative Japanese corporations have stopped the practice of hiring only Asians for senior management responsibilities, just as many distinguished colleges and universities have stopped the practice of hiring their own graduates as teachers. Both have done this so that they might expose themselves and their institutions to ideas and concepts stimulated by experiences different from their own.

More and more enlightened businesses are choosing to listen to those advisors and consultancies who have demonstrated a record of success even when their successes are with totally different industries. They have also discovered that while a shared history may be beneficial, familiarity is no substitute for innovation and a diversity of experiences is the reason to hire experts.

Like Picasso’s bicycle-parts bull, what should be judged is the ability to bring disparate elements together that create clarity and understanding to better accomplish essential goals. Growth will occur when once reasonable rules are determined to no longer be applicable and opportunities to consider alternative ideas are permitted. If a few paper rules or institutionalized habits are broken in the process, so be it.

At Essex Two, we believe in tradition and support collaboration. We also respect, admire and nurture creative rule-breaking as an essential aspect of our work. Visit the Essex Two website for case studies that demonstrate our ability to stimulate the success of our clients.

Worth your time:  Bruce Feiter’s book Abraham considers those rules guiding three of the world’s principal religions. Feiter suggests that while Jews, Christians and Muslims see Abraham through different lenses they are each describing the same man and revering a life committed to God and sacrifice. The book provides a significant opportunity to consider another’s point-of-view while holding on to our own.