The Exception Test: Will Everyone Approve?

“Believe me, I think long and hard before I overturn turn a standing rule or urge a manager to forgive an employee's dishonesty. And I don't do it very often. The main thing I think about in deciding how to respond to such situations is: "When everybody else in the company learns of it (as they surely will), will they believe we did the right thing?" If I suspect that our action will be seen as contradicting our basic values, ues, I won't make an exception. If I think they'll see bending the rules as a demonstration of our caring for one another and as something that will be good for the company in the long term, I will.”

“every company has the same opportunity nity to build a culture that yields competitive advantage. tage. Yet remarkably few seem to act on that opportunity. One reason, I think, is that the culture has to be consistent to be real. Consistency is the name of the game, as far as I'm concerned. Consistency begins with really believing in the culture you hope to shape. Nucor is founded on principles so basic, they sound corny. We believe in treating people the way you'd want to be treated. That's a fundamental building block of our company. It sounds simplistic, but it works.”