Bernie Anderson

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Playing Croquet in Wonderland

Every organization should be ridiculously clear about its goals.

The same clarity is necessary for any rules about how to achieve stated goals, with a caveat.

Make as few rules as possible.

Otherwise, organizations become a mess of complexity - and not the good sort of complexity. The molecular structure of a flower is complex - yet there's a straightforwardness to flowers. It's clear why they exist. It's clear how they work.

Too many organizations are playing croquet in Wonderland. The mallets are flamingos and the balls are hedgehogs. Wickets are made of military men, who are actually playing cards and change is the only constant. Rules shift when necessary. And a pseudo-leader is crying for the heads of those who don't play along with the arbitrary.

The only way out of chaos is clarity.

Good leadership is being ridiculously clear about goals and making only the rules that are necessary to get there. No more. No less.

Pink flamingos not required.