Simple Rules Beat Complex Plans. The Honey Badger Knows This.

It’s only a few topics in and already we’re testing assumptions, finding the weakest links, being focused, floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee. And speaking of bees … there’s more to explore with the Honey Badger!

Honey badgers live in an extremely chaotic environment. At any given moment they might be facing extreme heat, large predators, scarce food and water, or some jerk stomping around and wrecking their home. Not to mention the random National Geographic photographer capturing their every move without permission.

We touched on survival last week, and while the efficient use of energy is key … a core element of that efficiency is the ability to operate on simple rules.

• Is this food or will it view me as food?
• Is this a threat?
• Can I overpower it or chase it away?
• Can I escape if I can’t?

If A = B, then C. If this is food, I will eat it. If it is a threat, can I avoid it?

They’re not Navy SEAL trained. They don’t have elaborate strategies for how to handle every unforeseen situation. They’re not negotiating with every meal, or potential predator.

They have a simple rubric.

Most of us, as business owners, make things far more complicated than they need to be.

“Here comes a new potential client but they were late and not very easy to work with. Should I work with them anyway? I can help them. Their problem is obvious and I’m capable of addressing it. Maybe I should help them.”

Does that sound familiar? Familiarly complicated perhaps? Alternately, you could have what Michael Port refers to as his Red Velvet Rope policy. Does this person meet your criteria for your ideal clients? No? Decision made.

How about if someone told you that your prices were too high for them right now. Maybe you should just discount your services a little bit so you can work with them. Oh wait, that’s right, you have a hard and fast rule about discounts. You don’t do them.

End of discussion.

This sounds Machiavellian, I know it does. But think about the mental gymnastics you forced yourself to do, complete with ribbons and sequined leotard.

If instead you had a rubric, a set of rules that guided many of the decisions you are faced with regularly … none of that would be necessary.

If A = B, then C.

Done.

In the corporate world you might have been able to say something like “Sorry, I don’t make the rules.” And then walk away without feeling bad because you … well, you didn’t make the rules.

But now … NOW you get to say “I’m sorry my pricing is too high for you.” Or, better yet, you get to offer no apology at all … Because you DID make the rules. Not only that, you made the rules when you were in a clear and confident state of mind. You weren’t being pressured to make sacrifices, or exceptions, or change yourself to fit the mold they put you in.

Simple rules.

And rules aren’t just about pricing. They’re about hiring. About scope. About time. About what gets your attention and what doesn’t.

We might not have to fight literally tooth and nail for our lives every day. Our chaos is pitiful by comparison to the Honey Badger. But you don’t get awards for suffering, and you don’t need to fight for survival in order to follow a similar mindset.

Build your rules when you’re calm and thinking clearly. Follow them when reality shows up.

The attorney who takes every case because it is revenue has no rule. She has a negotiation with herself every time a prospective client walks in. The financial advisor without a minimum AUM threshold has the same problem. Every prospect becomes a judgment call, every judgment call costs time and energy, and the decisions get worse when he is tired or under pressure. Your rules are not about being difficult to work with. They are about making good decisions when reality shows up, not just when you are at your best. Build them now. Follow them then.

Put down the ribbons, take off the leotard, and choose the life of a Honey Badger.

Hit reply or reach out. What is one rule you know you should have but have not committed to yet?