For months, there’s been growing controversy over what to do about the Democratic delegates from Florida and Michigan.  Because those two states moved up their primaries earlier than February 5 in violation of rules adopted by the Democratic National Committee, the DNC penalized the two states by disallowing their delegates.  Both Clinton and Obama agreed with this decision.  They signed a pledge not to campaign in either state.  Obama even removed his name from the Michigan ballot.  Rules are rules, after all.

When the race got close, Hillary decided the rules should be changed.  She won Florida and Michigan, and the only way she could stay in the race with Obama is for the rules not to apply to Florida and Michigan–and to her.  Seat all the delegates.  Give me my share and Obama his share.  The fact that Obama didn’t win any delegates in Michigan because he removed his name from the ballot is just too bad. 

Every workplace has rules.  When employees come to work for you, they sign an acknowledgement–a pledge–that they’ll follow the rules.  But it’s common for exceptions to be asked for and made.  It’s particularly common if the exception is requested by a big dog, by a friend, or by someone who’s in a position to help you out later on.  Rules are made to be broken.

In fact, rules are made to be followed.  They just get broken a lot.  When that occurs in the workplace, it’s troublesome for a number of reasons.  The rules aren’t taken seriously.  When exceptions are made for the big dogs only, you have a morale problem that can easily become a union organizing problem.  When rules are applied to one employee but not another, a discrimination claim will eventually arise, because the employee on the short end of the stick will be in a protected class and allege discrimination.

So what lessons can be drawn for the workplace from the presidential campaign when it comes to rules?  The end justifies the means.  Fairness means whatever you want it to mean.  My word is not my bond.  Winning is more important than anything.  Rules are indeed made to be broken.

On May 31, the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee met to settle this controversy.  The committee voted to change the rules by seating all the Florida and Michigan delegates but giving them only half a vote each.  The committee also allocated the delegates so that Hillary received a net gain of 24 delegates over Obama.  Not good enough, responded a Clinton spokesman.  We just may take this dispute all the way to the Democratic Convention.

I’m not sure what Warren Buffett’s political persuasion is, but his two rules seem to be in play here:  “The first rule is not to lose.  The second rule is not to forget the first rule.”  Rules for politics or the big deal perhaps–but not for the workplace.