Flexibility

 When I was working in the corporate world, rules were followed by the book. There were a few instances wherein I was done with my work for the day around 2PM. I asked if I can go home already. Of course not. Hehe. We had to follow the rules and go home at 5PM.

I knew my boss also wanted to let me and my officemates leave for the day but they had to follow the “rules.”

Now that I run my own business, I can afford to be flexible. Yes, we still have rules like what time to come in and what time to end work, but we can be flexible. 

I told my team that at any given time, we will prioritize family over work. Mental health over work. Physical health over work. This precedes our rules. 

In the middle of the day, my team can confidently ask,

“Ms. Sha, may I leave early today? We’re celebrating my Mama’s birthday.”

Or

“May I go off tomorrow? I just need to tour my visiting cousins around.”

Or

“I’m sorry I can’t focus at work today. I’m heartbroken. May I take a leave today?”

My answer would always be YES no matter how busy we are. We can do this because of one word — MALASAKIT (or CARE). This malasakit goes both ways. We care about each other. We care about our business. We care about our clients and the ministries we support.

I’m inspired to write this at the airport because of an experience where the airport ground officers were following their rules by the book, there’s absolutely no room for little consideration or care for the passengers.

It’s sad when people are following rules for the sake of following them, not for the purpose the rules were put in the first place.

As business leaders or employees, how do you feel about following rules by the book vs being flexible?

#business #rules #flexibility 

#leadership #malasakit #care