Last week in baseball the San Diego Padres young, up-and-coming superstar Fernando Tatis Jr hit a grand slam to put his team up 14-3.

A great accomplishment, but he was widely scorned throughout major league baseball, as this was not a part of baseball’s “unwritten rules”.

Apparently, it’s not alright to swing at a 3-0 pitch, or try to swing for the fences with such a large lead. In the 8th inning. Or to show up the other team.

A young kid, all of 22, having fun in this abbreviated season and trying to play with the heart he always has, being stifled by “unwritten rules”.

How many employees have been likewise chastised and stifled because of unwritten rules in an organization?

Like being told when the company makes a mistake, you’re supposed to lie to the customer. It’s an unwritten rule.

Or that when the boss isn’t looking, the employees do such-and-such because it’s easier.

Or that you don’t try to save on the budget but spend it, because that’s how government works.

Unwritten rules allow for covert behavior, cliques and ethical breaches. They allow people to circumvent the system. They allow people to stay in power.

They are also a poor excuse for not training properly, fostering laziness, favoritism, and a culture that is toxic and cutthroat.

Unwritten rules usually try to keep status quo and allow those entrenched to continue in their positions of power. These rules also dilute culture and alienate employees and customers.

Which seems very similar to the plight that professional baseball is in.

Squelch the unwritten rules. Let your talent shine in your organization.

(image: pixabay)