cc licensed flickr photo shared by Joe Shlabotnik
This week, I have been at a “Speed of Trust” session with all administrators in our school division. I have said several times that relationships are the basis of a solid foundation in schools and for them to be effective, there must be trust.
As we attended the session, this information on the Nordstrom Employee Handbook came and summarized what I believe about policies in our school:
For many years, new employees were given a copy of the famous Nordstrom’s Employee Handbook – a single 5-by-8-inch (130 × 200 mm) gray card containing 75 words:
Welcome to Nordstrom
We’re glad to have you with our Company. Our number one goal is to provide outstanding customer service. Set both your personal and professional goals high. We have great confidence in your ability to achieve them.
Nordstrom Rules: Rule #1: Use best judgment in all situations. There will be no additional rules.
Please feel free to ask your department manager, store manager, or division general manager any question at any time.
I have written about this before and I believe that when we try to create rules and policies for everything, we take away from the wisdom of the people we work with.
We live in a litigious society and I understand the need for some policies (medical policies for example) but are schools moving closer or further from the “Nordstrom Rule”? Innovation doesn’t seem to thrive when we don’t trust.
Thoughts?
