UN-RULE IT

Organizations, small and large have rules, policies, and procedures. Yet every time, the best organizations try to become more responsive and not use the rules, policies, and procedures to avoid helping their customers and clients succeed. 

With high commitment, you don't need a lot of stupid rules to get what you want from your people- staff, members, clients, and the general public. Compliance is good but commitment is way better. For the money, for goodwill, for long-term partnership and support, for any longer relationship than just a written contract signed by parties.

Purpose-driven organizations use rules, policies, and procedures as guides but not to transplant it with common sense and inventiveness. The latter missing in many organizations that are bent on becoming the same kind of entity within their field. Hence, there is no standing out and delivering greater value than what is typically expected whether it's in sales, marketing, production, non-profits, or government offices. 

You can't make this up. My former supervisor from my last full-time work gave me the choice to take a leave for a few days because I had been using a lot of my Saturdays for work-related events. These events were chosen by partners and I had no control over these. He allowed me to take unofficial leaves and called it as his executive decision. If there are supervisors or directors like that who are not afraid to go past beyond rules and be responsive, staff, members, and customers' needs are responded to in the most immediate and satisfactory fashion.

If you're saving the world through your mission, you can't be operating on rules alone. You need empathy, responsiveness, flexibility, and common-sense to achieve your grand goals or your next target. If the rules get in the way of these values, scrap them.