Posted on Jan 8, 2015
Are you a letter of the law or a spirit of the law person?
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You know the deal ... PFC Smith shows up late for formation. She says her car broke down shortly after she left home. She had to call her husband to pick her up and drive her to work, which caused her to be late late to formation.
What do you do? Do you counsel Smith and possibly punish her because she was late? (Letter of the law says that she was late, and that MUST be addressed.)
Or do you caution her and just let it go because this could happen to anyone. (Spirit of the law says it could happen to anyone and she was "only" late; no harm done.)
Here's a whole academic paper on the difference between letter and spirit of the law. How do you feel about this issue? Vote below!
https://www.lsa.umich.edu/UMICH/orgstudies/Home/Current%20Students/OS%20Honors/Past%20OS%20Honors%20Theses/Matt%20Gordon_Honors%20Thesis.pdf
What do you do? Do you counsel Smith and possibly punish her because she was late? (Letter of the law says that she was late, and that MUST be addressed.)
Or do you caution her and just let it go because this could happen to anyone. (Spirit of the law says it could happen to anyone and she was "only" late; no harm done.)
Here's a whole academic paper on the difference between letter and spirit of the law. How do you feel about this issue? Vote below!
https://www.lsa.umich.edu/UMICH/orgstudies/Home/Current%20Students/OS%20Honors/Past%20OS%20Honors%20Theses/Matt%20Gordon_Honors%20Thesis.pdf
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Standards
Standards
Edited 10 y ago
Posted 10 y ago
Responses: 36
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Generally speaking, I reserve the right to make a judgement call in each case. If PFC Smith is full of crap, I will likely detect it. If she is an exceptional thespian, I will definitely notice a pattern.
My modus operadi is that I want to exercise the minimum force necessary in order to correct a problem. If I have to go to sterner measures, I will. Point is to get the Soldier back on point and off the radar.
My modus operadi is that I want to exercise the minimum force necessary in order to correct a problem. If I have to go to sterner measures, I will. Point is to get the Soldier back on point and off the radar.
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CW5 (Join to see)
Thanks for that wise answer, 1SG (Join to see). Guess that's part of the reason why you are where you are and that you're about to be a SGM.
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1SG (Join to see)
No need to repeat what 1SG (Join to see) said! He hit it right on the mark, so I'll just say, "yeah, what he said!"
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Leaders exist to choose when to break the rules. If we always followed the rules, we wouldn't need leaders.
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CW5 (Join to see)
That's an interesting viewpoint, Capt Richard I P.. Good point about not needing leaders if we were all automatons who never broke the rules, sir.
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Capt Richard I P.
SSgt Rmon CoeUr perhaps you misunderstood the implication? Rules come into conflict all the time. Exceptions are required. It is the inherent duty of leaders to pick which rules to break and when to do so.
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It would depend on prior occurrences. If the said individual has a good track record of being on time then I would make a mental note if it was the first occurrence. Even if it wasn't the car breaking down sometimes sht happens. If it becomes a pattern then at some point you would bring the person aside and find out what is going on and do counseling as necessary.
In your scenario the car break down would be legitimate. If I had trust in the person I would not question their integrity. If not I might investigate to see if they are just refusing to fess up. In most cases even if they were late because they over slept I would not find fault on a one time occurrence. Many of us have had the "oh Sht" moment when we realize we set the alarm to the PM, or just forgot to turn it on all together. It is an uncomfortable feeling when you are going to be late for something. Most people generally pay more attention to prevent it from future occurrences.
That is where judgment comes in. Judgment is a trait of leadership. Not every situation is black and white. Sometimes the lines are skewed and as long as the intent is made and there is no life consequences is what counts.
In your scenario the car break down would be legitimate. If I had trust in the person I would not question their integrity. If not I might investigate to see if they are just refusing to fess up. In most cases even if they were late because they over slept I would not find fault on a one time occurrence. Many of us have had the "oh Sht" moment when we realize we set the alarm to the PM, or just forgot to turn it on all together. It is an uncomfortable feeling when you are going to be late for something. Most people generally pay more attention to prevent it from future occurrences.
That is where judgment comes in. Judgment is a trait of leadership. Not every situation is black and white. Sometimes the lines are skewed and as long as the intent is made and there is no life consequences is what counts.
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