A Hard, Sharp Edge
“Pull out your tape, hang the hook over a sharp edge and look out son, you’ve just created a universe!” — Anonymous Master Carpenter
Leadership is distinguished by standard setting. One individual simply says, “This will be so!” And everyone buys in. Or they don’t and there’s a discussion, an argument perhaps. Maybe a fist is thrown, but eventually things settle down, a standard is set — and everyone falls in line.
We’d call that process “Setting a Cornerstone.” Here! No here! No, I’ve got it! HERE!
Oh, all right, Here! Let’s put a stone there to mark the spot. Here’s a nice round one!
“No! You blockhead! How can you mark a single spot with a round stone?”
We need a very precise marker! We’re going to lay a course of stone here, and that requires precision! We’ve got to mark a spot in space, then establish a perpendicular line from that spot to establish where we want the edge of the building to go.
So, to set the spot, then the vertical line of the building, we need a precise, sharp, hard edge — against which we can measure precisely where to set up the next corner of the square, then the third, then the fourth and so on. Then we hang our plumb lines and start thinking in three dimensions to raise multiple floors.
First the immovable object, with a hard, sharp edge. Then geometry. Then the architecture — and eventually an actual Edifice Rex!
It’s been a long time since buildings, cathedrals or cities were laid out this way. So much so that the precise language has begun to fade into metaphor… Today, we have stud finders, laser levels and compasses in our hip pockets. So, we might be forgiven if we forget this ancient progression when it comes to leadership.
Establish a standard of expectation (on any issue), obtain compliance (by any means), and move to the next issue. Lather, Rinse, Repeat! Couldn’t be simpler!
It can be done more elegantly with collaborative standard setting, and softer discussions about individual and team performance… That’s the difference between the warm and pleasant workplaces and the semi-military “Order and Compliance Shops.” Both ways “work.” Take your pick. However, we think it’s an added benefit if people like coming to work every day and get a few kudos and recognition for “Hitting Their Marks!” Then you get positive business results and positive people results.
With such a simple process, there are only a few ways to get it wrong:
- Fail to Set a Stone — (no standard) leaving people to make up their own.
- Become the Stone: Tell people, “Do as I do! I am the Standard!”
- Keep Moving the Stone: Annual Re-orgs keep everyone on their toes!
Seen any of these in the news? Which system operates in your shop?
The Hard Edge of that Cornerstone marks the edge of a new universe! Make sure to lay out your creation with care!
Applications
1. Personal
What do you stand for? What are your definitive standards? The borders of your personal universe?
- Showers: Daily? Hourly? Weekly? Whether you need one or not?…
- Fast Food: The definitive standard? Lunch only? Three fast squares a day…
- Truth Telling: Always? Sometimes? To Mom? To the steady date? To the mate, the kids?
- Financial Practices: SAVE! Pay Cash! Support Visa! Die in Debt!
2. At Home
What standards of expectation define your family? Work, Play and Study? Church First? Community Service? Family First no matter what? Define “Family”! The standards are posted on the playroom wall! Parents are there for the kids, the extended family — aunts, uncles, grandparents, provide the reference points.
3. At Work
What comes first — and in what order? The shareholders/ investors? The client? The profit margin? The Families of the Employees? The Employees? The stakeholders? The public image of the company? The culture? The old employees? The newbies? The Truth?
If you don’t like your life, check your Cornerstones. If your family is unsteady, if your business is not solid — check for the hard, sharp edge.
The decisions you make about Cornerstones are what make your efforts somewhat closer to solid and permanent. Lay a Cornerstone solidly in place, don’t change it, don’t dance around it, don’t finesse it and people will begin to take it seriously. That’s how we create a universe…
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