My eleven-year-old daughter decided to channel Lee Corso as she exclaimed, "Not so fast, my friend."  She explained to him that he was not allowed to move his piece across the shortcut.  Her understanding of the game was that even if you land on the bottom of the shortcut, you MUST wait a turn and then hope to draw the exact color that is at the top of the shortcut.  If you successfully draw that color, then the shortcut can be used.

He disagreed, and then tackled her hard onto the floor.

Her solution was to bring in the ultimate referee - me!  Both sides made compelling arguments, so I went to the instruction manual for final clarification, except...

It was missing. 

And this is just where most problems start in leadership.  Leaders frequently share their issues with me regarding employee discipline, conflict resolution, issues of unfairness, and the like.  My first response is almost always the same:  "What does your policy manual say?"  And their response is usually the same as well:  "It is not mentioned."

Those of you that know me know that I am NOT a black and white kind of guy.  I live in the gray.  However, nothing can ever be accomplished without a regularly updated policy manual. 

A good policy manual now can save you from plenty of headaches later.  If you have not seen or read your policy manual lately, now is as good a time as any.  Keep in mind that all policy manuals are only as good as the leaders who enforce them.  I have seen some manuals that are 2-4 pages, and I have seem some that would make War and Peace seem like light reading.  There is a fine line between having EVERYTHING in the manual and having a manual that does no one any good.

Your job as a leader is to find the balance.  Take this week to revisit your organization's policy manual.

And if anyone has the instructions for Candyland, please let me know.  Both my son and daughter are waiting to claim victory!