The price and the prize of ‘rule-bending’ in leadership
“Jeitinho” is a Brazilian term used to describe a “way around”. It describes a way of creating possibilities in the face of limiting situations such as navigating complex bureaucracies and debatable institutional or regulations by finding “alternative paths” - i.e., bending the rules.
I learnt the word from my Brazilian mother-in-law who is THE expert in “jeitinho” - If anyone tells you “it cannot be done”, I would strongly recommend a consultation with her. 😉
“Jeitinho” is something Brazilians are proud of. It reflects their ability to be creative, problem-solve, manage complexity, and adapt amid uncertainty.
It’s something that is becoming increasingly more important and necessary in today’s VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) world. We cannot wait for systems and processes to catch up and adapt to the fast-paced, evolving business and organisational needs. It’s part of the appeal of small, scrappy startups and a significant disadvantage for larger, more regulated, less nimble global powerhouses.
Whilst jeitinho is an overwhelmingly positive phenomenon in Brazil, the ‘ways around’ that we sometimes create in our organisations are not all harmless.
Take for example:
Bypassing an approval process to get what we want.
Massaging the recruitment process to stack the deck in favour of someone we want to hire or promote.
Sidelining someone from participating in team events to limit their negative influence rather than addressing their behaviour.
I have personally benefited from a few ‘ways around’ myself over the course of my career and lately in building my coaching practice. We all do it!
I am not saying that we should always operate within a rigid structure and rules. In fact, I don’t think it would be realistic or desirable. We want to benefit from all the advantages of a jeitinho frame of mind when flexibility, creativity, and innovation are called for. We want to hire that person!
What I am saying is: proceed with caution. It’s important to differentiate between a jeitinho which comes from a place of progress, seeking improvement to the status quo with ‘ways around’. We must understand it might undermine organisational culture, compromising fairness, transparency, and meritocracy.
The major dangers of the latter are:
Trust in people, rules and processes erodes as people carve out ways of doing things outside the system.
Connections and relationships are perceived as more important than competence and behaviour which can undermine organisational performance.
People do not feel psychologically safe enough to speak their truth.
Our dilemma in today’s VUCA world is creating a space where “jeitinho” can flourish. A place where it can promote change, innovation, and creativity without compromising our integrity and organisational values.
The biggest challenge is that the prize of bending the rules is often short-term, quick fix, or to solve a problem. The price is paid in the longer term and is less obvious and tangible. It is particularly true for leaders who are often disconnected from the reality of what happens in their organisations.
In true coach-style, I don’t have the answers, only the questions! So, let me leave you with these - next time you feel the urge to bend the rules, consider:
What’s the prize?
What’s the price? To what extent am I prepared to pay the price?
What would help maximise the prize and minimise the price?