What’s Your Policy?

A few years ago my good friend Simon told me about a recruiting policy that the company he worked for had. It wasn’t a written policy but it was a cultural policy. That is, everyone knew about it and there was an understanding that it had to be met by all applicants.

I was talking with Natasa, a speaking colleague on Friday and she has the exact same policy for her clients. She and her business partner actually wrote theirs down in long form but the title of the policy and it’s intent is the same.

So what is the policy?

Quite simply it’s “No dickheads“.

What that means for Simon and Natasa is that any potential employee or client automatically goes through the scan of “are they a dickhead?” If the answer is yes then they do not get the job or become a client. It is a very simple way of formalising a gut feel or a vibe that the person you are dealing with is not going to be fun to be around.

Do you have a policy?

With all of the people that you deal with on social media, in real life, at work, in your business, at events, we need to be able to choose quickly as to whether we want to engage with them or not. The No Dickhead policy is an easy tool to help you choose who you invest your time and energy with.

So what’s your policy?

PS I came across this excellent list of 30 Improv Rules that Lead to a Happier Life. It is an excellent list of life policies to consider as well.