There are certain obvious things you assume do NOT need to be spelled out in an employee handbook. Don’t steal from the company, don’t punch a co-worker, don’t microwave fish in the lunchroom.
But apparently, at the HYROX fitness race, they need to add this to theirs: if a competitor empties their bowels and has actual SH*T running down their legs during a race, somebody needs to pull them from the competition. True story.
If you missed it, here’s what happened…
At the HYROX competition in Beijing, Australian elite athlete Joanna Wietrzyk suffered sudden bowel incontinence during the race. That’s “brochure speak” for she shit herself.
That part isn't particularly funny or unusual. Gastrointestinal emergencies aren't uncommon in endurance sports.
What happened NEXT is where this went off the rails.
She kept racing…and nobody stopped her.
If you’re not familiar with HYROX, it’s an indoor fitness challenge similar to CrossFit. Competitors run and rotate through stations doing things like rowing, burpee broad jumps and wall balls using SHARED equipment. They have rules for competitor conduct: no spitting, no blowing snot out of your nose onto the floor.
However, there was nothing in the old rulebook about taking a dump on the floor.
This literal “shit show” unfolded in front of officials, HYROX staff and medical professionals whose job is to keep competitors SAFE, yet nobody stopped the race or pulled her off the course.
Here’s the business lesson I want to drive home:
You need to hire people smart enough to do the RIGHT THING even when it’s not spelled out in a rule book, or when common sense is screaming that the rule should be broken.
I’m a huge proponent of systems, processes, checklists and standard operating procedures. You cannot operate an effective company on what I call the Free-Range Chicken Management System, where everybody wanders around doing whatever "feels right." That’s chaos.
However, no matter how meticulous you are, you can NOT anticipate every situation and write it into a checklist or SOP. If you tried, you’d have an operations manual the size of the U.S. tax code.
JOCKO calls this the “leadership vacuum.”
There are moments—in combat, meetings and business—when something happens outside the plan or procedure and nobody knows what to do. Employees often don’t want to break the “rules” because they fear being fired or reprimanded for making the call, or aren’t sure if THEY should be the person to do something, or wait for someone higher up in the ranks to make the call —so everyone stands there, doing nothing.
Even sh*ttier? (Pun intended.) The resentful, passive-aggressive employee who intentionally HIDES behind—or even uses—the rules to cause problems, then smiles as the place burns. That’s why you can’t just hand your team a rule book. You need smart people who can use their noggin.
“But the procedure didn’t say I could refund the client.”
“But the ticket wasn’t marked urgent.”
“But nobody TOLD me to…” fill in the blank.
Or the oldie but goodie, “But that’s not MY job.”
Okay, but did you see the SH*T on the floor?!?!?
Blind adherence to the rules is another form of incompetence, period.
Processes exist to provide guidance and best practices for common, REPEATABLE situations. They are NOT a substitute for critical thinking.
At TMT, our North Star was the attraction, development and retention of RAVING FAN clients. We also had “extreme ownership” as a core value. We never punished someone for coloring outside the lines if they were trying to help a client, a co-worker or do the right thing.
This has to be taught and trained. It won’t happen automatically.
Explain WHY the rule exists—the intention and desired outcome. Then tell your team: when reality doesn’t match the manual, you EXPECT them to make the call instead of waiting for a rule or mandate that isn’t coming.
Need someone that can help you get your sales and marketing team to operate without you constantly monitoring, pushing and managing? Or maybe you need someone to do that for YOU to get you started? Then let’s have a chat: www.RobinRobins.com/work-with-robin