No Rules Required

No Rules Required

Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. Galatians 5:1

Albert Camus once said, “Integrity has no need of rules.” Think about that. Rules are designed to keep behavior in order. If someone has strong character and lives with integrity, the rules are unnecessary. That person will act consistently with his or her values.

That’s one reason I never had many team rules for our players. (We looked for players who had high integrity, who held themselves to a high standard.) They knew where I stood and what I expected of them. As a leader—of both my football team and my family—I realize that people have to grow into their values and learn to be accountable not to me but to their own character. It’s important to give people a certain amount of freedom, as well as the responsibilities that go with it, to allow them to grow. If they develop an inner life committed to honor and integrity, they have no need of my rules or anyone else’s. They live from the core of who they have become.

That applies not only to people we lead but to ourselves. We need to live with both freedom and responsibility. We need to decide what our true values are—things like inner courage, wisdom, a sense of duty, a commitment to something larger than ourselves—and grow into those values. The character that results is ultimately what assures success for us and for our relationships. That’s the glue that holds individuals together in a bond of trust and accountability.

Companies often put a higher priority on character than on competence because they know someone who functions from their integrity will be free to focus on the overall mission without character issues getting in the way. Instead of spending time correcting behavior, they will be able to move forward toward the common goal. Strong character creates trust within any group of people—a team, a business, a family—and develops an uncommon bond.

Uncommon Key > Don’t focus on keeping the rules. Focus on becoming the kind of person who is so strong in character that the rules aren’t even necessary.