In partnership with
Procedures exist to create structure and predictability. They protect the operation from excessive oscillation and unnecessary risk. They ensure that work is done the same way every time, regardless of who is doing it. But procedures only work when leaders follow them. When leaders treat procedures as optional, the entire system suffers.
Some leaders believe the procedure is to break procedures. They see themselves as exceptions. They think their experience, authority, or instincts justify skipping steps. They move fast, cut corners, and shoot from the hip. They call it efficiency or even leadership, but what they are really doing is teaching the team that procedures do not matter.
When a leader breaks a procedure, the team learns to break it too. When a leader ignores a checklist, the team stops using it. When a leader bypasses a safety step, the team assumes it is optional. Culture does not follow what leaders say, culture follows what leaders do. When leaders violate procedures, they are not just breaking rules, they are breaking trust.
Procedural discipline is not about rigidity; it is about doing what you say you are going to do. It ensures that the organization can function even when pressure rises, when people are tired, or when circumstances change. Procedures are not obstacles, they are safeguards. They prevent avoidable mistakes and protect the operation.
Leaders who break procedures often believe they are being decisive. In reality, they are being inconsistent and undisciplined. They create confusion, frustration, and risk. They force the team to guess which rules matter and which do not. They undermine accountability because no one knows where the line actually is. They weaken their own credibility, because nothing destroys trust faster than a leader who demands discipline from others but refuses to practice it themselves. “Do as I say, not as I do”.
Procedural discipline is a leadership behavior, not an administrative task. It requires patience and the willingness to follow the same rules you expect others to follow. Leaders must walk the talk. When leaders model procedural discipline, the team becomes more aligned. When leaders break procedures, the team becomes rudderless.
The leader’s job is not to break procedures. The leader’s job is to have the fortitude to protect them.
LeaderBoat Takeaways
• Procedures only work when leaders follow them.
Teams copy what leaders do, not what leaders say.
• Breaking procedures is not efficiency.
It creates confusion, inconsistency, and unnecessary risk.
• Procedural discipline builds reliability.
Consistency in process creates stability in performance.
• Leaders who skip steps weaken culture.
When leaders treat procedures as optional, the team does too.
• The leader’s job is to protect the system.
Procedures safeguard the mission and the standard.
Turn the Ship Around! — L. David Marquet
Marquet’s leadership transformation aboard the USS Santa Fe is one of the best case studies on procedural discipline ever written. He inherited a submarine where leaders routinely broke procedures, skipped steps, and relied on improvisation. The result was chaos. Marquet rebuilt the culture by enforcing clarity, standard work, and shared responsibility.
The best HR advice comes from people who’ve been in the trenches.
That’s what this newsletter delivers.
I Hate it Here is your insider’s guide to surviving and thriving in HR, from someone who’s been there. It’s not about theory or buzzwords — it’s about practical, real-world advice for navigating everything from tricky managers to messy policies.
Every newsletter is written by Hebba Youssef — a Chief People Officer who’s seen it all and is here to share what actually works (and what doesn’t). We’re talking real talk, real strategies, and real support — all with a side of humor to keep you sane.
Because HR shouldn’t feel like a thankless job. And you shouldn’t feel alone in it.