Effective leaders require more than just experience.

Yes, experience can help, but it is the awareness that we gain from our experiences that makes us more valuable to our team as leaders and culture architects.

So as you continue on your path to growing your skills as a team leader, it is my hope to provide insights that might accelerate your progress and shorten your path to success.

The following collection of organizational principles and laws have been found to be accurate by leaders and researchers who have come before us.

I hope that you find them useful…

1 Parkinson’s Law, named after Cyril Northcote Parkinson, is the idea that work expands to fill the time available for its completion. This means that if you have a week to complete a task, it will likely take you a week to complete it. However, if you only have a day to complete the same task, you will likely find a way to complete it in that time frame.

2 The Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, states that for many outcomes, roughly 80% of the consequences come from 20% of the causes. This means that a small number of causes can have a significant impact on the outcome of a situation. For example, in a company, a small number of top performers might be responsible for a large percentage of the company’s revenue.

3 Cunningham’s Law, named after Ward Cunningham, is the idea that the best way to get the right answer is not to ask a question, but to post the wrong answer. This can lead to a discussion or debate that helps to uncover the correct answer.

4 Occam’s Razor, named after William of Ockham, is the principle that the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. This means that when faced with multiple explanations for a situation, the simplest one is often the most likely to be true.

5 Cheops Law, also known as the Iron Law of Project Management, is the idea that nothing ever gets built on schedule or within budget. This can be due to unexpected challenges or issues that arise during the course of a project, leading to delays and cost overruns.

6 The Dunning-Kruger Effect is a cognitive bias in which unskilled individuals suffer from illusory superiority. This means that they may overestimate their abilities or knowledge in a particular area, leading to overconfidence and poor decision-making.

7 Hick’s Law, named after William Edmund Hick, is the idea that the time it takes to make a decision is determined by the number of possible choices. This means that the more options you have to choose from, the longer it will take you to make a decision.

8 The Peter Principle, named after Laurence J. Peter, is the idea that every employee will rise to their level of incompetence within an organization. This means that an employee who is competent in their current role will be promoted to a higher role, but may not have the necessary skills or knowledge to be successful in that role. This can lead to a situation where an employee is promoted beyond their level of competence and is unable to perform their duties effectively.

9 Twyman’s Law, named after Jim Twyman, is the idea that any data that looks interesting or different is usually wrong. This can be due to various factors such as measurement error, bias, or statistical anomalies.

10 Gall’s Law, named after John Gall, is the idea that a complex system that works inevitably has evolved from a simple system that worked. This means that complex systems are often built upon a foundation of simpler, more effective systems.

11 Segal’s Law, named after Allan Segal, is the idea that a man with a watch knows what time it is, but a man with two watches is never sure. This can be applied to situations where having more information or options can actually lead to confusion or uncertainty rather than clarity.

12 The Shirky Principle, named after Clay Shirky, is the idea that institutions will try to preserve the problem to which they are the solution. This means that organizations or systems may be more interested in maintaining their own existence or power rather than solving the issue at hand.

13 Wolff’s Law, named after Julius Wolff, is the idea that bone adapts to pressure, or a lack of it. This means that bones will become stronger or weaker based on the amount of stress or pressure they are subjected to. This principle is often applied in the field of medicine and exercise science to understand how bones respond to different levels of activity or inactivity.

14 Humphrey’s Law, named after Keith Humphreys, is the idea that conscious attention to a task normally performed automatically can impair its performance. This means that when we try too hard to focus on something that is normally done automatically, we may actually hinder our ability to perform the task effectively.

15 Lem’s Law, named after Stanislaw Lem, is the idea that no one reads; if someone does read, he doesn’t understand, if he understands, he immediately forgets. This can be applied to the idea that it can be difficult for people to retain information, especially if it is not presented in an engaging or memorable way.

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Overall, these laws and principles offer insight into the ways in which human behavior and decision-making can impact productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness.

Understanding and applying these 15 organizational principles, laws, and concepts can help individuals and organizations to better manage their time, resources, and abilities in order to achieve their goals and objectives.

The first step in improving your leadership is becoming more AWARE of ideas that can help you be more effective.  And whether you are seeking out business leadership speakers for an upcoming conference or looking to organize a corporate team building event to connect your people, it is my hope to be a valuable and trusted resource to you…

Sean Glaze delivers engaging conference keynotes and interactive team building events that help healthcare and education leaders build more positive and profitable cultures.

Sean is also an author, and each of his four books, The Unexpected Leader, Rapid Teamwork, The 10 Commandments of Winning Teammates, and Staying Coachable, are entertaining parables with powerful take-aways for team growth and leadership! 

What issues are YOU dealing with that would disappear if you could build a team culture that inspired connection, accountability, and a team-first attitude?