Leading with NLP

122 Leading with NLP

Roman law

Common law

Once your vision and goals have been defined, you have
to choose how they are accomplished. Roman law defines
the means in a much narrower fashion than common law. It
is far less flexible, because it limits choice. No set of rules can
possibly be broad enough to cover every eventuality. Roman
law tries to specify the means to the end rather than the end
itself, and rules proliferate in the absence of shared values
and trust. Leaders set the goals but should be as flexible as
possible about the means to those ends. Means have to be
governed by shared values – the more rules, the less space
for values. Rules should not take up value space. The more
rules, the less trust, and the less trust, the more rules.

Prohibited

Allowed

Roman law

Action space

Idea space

Prohibited

Prohibited Prohibited

Allowed

Prohibited

Allowed

Allowed Allowed