Break the Rules

Hey Everyone,

I hope all of you are in good health and spirits. May Allah keep all of us safe and healthy during this horrible situation of coronavirus (COVID19) pandemic. More and more people after getting infected every tick of clock. Please stay home and keep everyone, including you and your family, safe.

This post is not about breaking any rule imposed by government and law enforcement agencies to contain and control coronavirus situation.

But, I would like to discuss and break myths about some of our self-imposed rules or  the rules imposed and advocated by our society and people around us. As I think, if it is not our mindset, ability and skills that hold us back in our life and professional career, than it is these rules that resist and don’t let us do what must be done and taken care off.

Here is an interesting quote about these kind of rules.

Civilization had too many rules for me, so I did my best to rewrite them.

Bill Cosby

And a famous old saying.

Whenever in doubt, break the rules!

Let’s go ahead and break some rules.

Rule #1 – Client is king

We hear this a lot during our professional career, especially in service provider industry, like construction and software engineering, where we build something for our clients. Frankly speaking, it’s true to some extent.

But, there are two conditions where we should educate the client or take a stand.

Yes, clients do need to be educated sometime. Because, they do have limitations some time and they don’t know what they are doing. Suppose, you have been given a task to build a next largest tower in world or next bid social media platform. In both cases, client must be investing the money and also pulling the string here and there. But, let assume at one stage client ask you to use a different material or technology, irrespective of knowing very less or nothing about it.

What would you do? Will you do that accepting or following this rule that client is king? No, not really. First, you will try to explain and educate the client on this specific matter, and if client don’t understand than you will react.

It will be your decision, how would you handle this situation.

But, client is not the king anymore, not for you at least.

Rule #2 – Boss is always right

This is another interesting rule that we often listen from boss itself or some people close to boss. Yes, you are right, these are people who always keep buttering the boss to secure their jobs and to hide their own incapability.

What they should understand is that boss is also a human being. And every human being make mistakes. This is not a world filled with super humans and really exceptional people. Everybody make mistakes, it may be me, you or your boss. And if someone is not realizing his/her mistake or unable to foresee it, we should tell or help that person about it. Instead of holding us back by thinking that Boss is always right.

What would you do in that situation? Please share your thoughts in comments below.

Rule #3 – Having difference of opinion will affect your reputation or ruin your career

Everybody have their own opinion, voice, thoughts. If I have my difference of opinion or my thinking don’t align with someone else’s opinion and thinking. Than how can having a difference of opinion will affect my reputation and ruin my career? How???

When I resigned from my last job back in 2017. I wrote an article about office politics by some individuals in that company as a confession. At that time many people, who were close to me and I really respect their opinion, suggested me to take out or not use actual name of people and company in that article. And I did that. Although, my opinion didn’t change, and same is true for them as well. But, what happened after few months of my resignation? Those same individuals got fired from that company for doing same office politics and other things.

Did it has any effect  on my reputation or impact on my career. No, no one has any damage or impact because of it. Yes, opinions do matter. What people think or say about you, do matter.

But, it must not stop you from doing the right thing, telling the truth and raising your voice.

Rule #4 – Wait for the right time

Do you want to resign from job? Wait for the right time and the opportunity.

Do you want to start a new business? Wait for the right time.

Do you want to get married? Wait for the right time.

And so many other and different matters, but answer always remain the same. That is wait for the right time.

And guess what, that time is not going to be right anyway. Whatever you do, whenever you do, people will always tell you that the time is not right or wait for the right time. It might be true for them. But, how can that same rule apply on you? How can someone else know or predict about my future or decision? Do they know about my situation, position or scenario? The answer will be no. So why would I listen to them or respect their opinion? Think!

Please do share your comments about these rules. Or if you think about any other rule, that are holding you or someone else back from moving forward or achieving their goals, that you would like to discuss here. Please share.

Until than please take good care of yourself and your loved ones.

Please stay at home, stay safe and keep everyone else safe.

Allah Hafiz