Sometimes it's good to buck the status quo a little. Or, you know, throw the rules right out the window. As in life, so in the workplace: the trick to breaking the rules is knowing when to do it, and how not to go too far.
Innovators are rule breakers, in general. Choosing not to adhere to standard modes of behavior or thinking is exactly how those folks make great leaps of brilliant insight and invention. Science, medicine, the arts, business: neither genius nor daring entrepreneur bats an eye at breaking the rules.
Yet what about us lowly mortals, just punching a clock and trying to find our way?
Women are still in danger of internalizing the old rules, the ones that say toe the line, keep your hands folded in your lap and your opinions to yourself. But how does that saying go? A well-behaved woman never toppled an empire? Something like that. A little rebellion, now and then, is good for everyone.
Breaking the rules doesn't have to be an exercise in daring, however. All it really requires is a simple change in thinking. Instead of going along with the way things have always been, get in the habit of asking ,"Why?" and also, "Why not?"
This is an exercise in managing your mindset, because it's about questioning "tradition." If there are no codified rules about how to do a given piece of work, then what you have are habits. "Everyone does it this way because that's the way we've always done it."
Challenge yourself to do better than that. Put genuine thought into how a project might be completed with more efficiency, or a milestone reached with better results. Break the rules in a studied and practical fashion, and excellent things can happen.
Why not try to steer the ship in a way that makes sense to you? Sure, when you're in charge of a particular group or project, you will have a set of necessary guidelines to stick to. But what about those unwritten "rules"? The ones that, again, adhere to a nonsensical sense of "that's the way we've always done it"?
Question all of them! Create a routine and a momentum that works for you and everyone around you. Tailor your process to your goals and needs in the moment, and you might be surprised at how much better your ship starts running. You could end up tackling goals well ahead of schedule, and exceeding all expectations.
Once upon a time, we were supposed to wear skirts and make the coffee for the boss. Today we are the bosses. The boys club is being eroded by women who won't be told what to wear, how to act or what they can and can't do. Women breaking the rules is how we got here.
Breaking the rules is something you can, and even should, do when the rules simply no longer work. Apply this mindset to daily practical concerns by looking at what you and your coworkers carp about most. Is your ordering system inefficient, your on-boarding training out of date? Do something about it by doing something differently. Break the old rules. Make new ones.
Because breaking the rules can be done with permission. Have an idea of how to change or improve X, Y or Z? Turn the idea into a well thought out proposal you give to your boss. You might actually get the chance to try your new idea out on the ground.
If your boss shoots you down, pay attention to the why. Did your proposal need more work, should you improve your pitching skills? Or are you being shown that your company's culture doesn't embrace that level of input from its employees?
If you're wasting time attending endless after endless pointless meetings, skip them. If your boss brings this up, be ready to make your case about how much more productive you've been after making that power move. Having quantifiable results to show for all the time you've put to better use is the best way to show your boss that by breaking the rules you're actually doing her a favor.
Breaking the rules at work should always be in the name of innovation and improved efficiency, of creating better and faster results. Those are the hallmarks of a stellar professional reputation. Don't be afraid to break a few rules, in the right way, to get there.