Cross this line you die.ok, cross this line you die.ok, cross this line.

When I was a kid cartoon violence was perfectly acceptable.  The coyote exploding, the back firing shotgun that caused a duck’s bill to spin like a top, and even the occasional cooking pot/ Jacuzzi was as normal as gluten in our cereal.  Simpler times I suppose.  But beneath the surface of gratuitous rabbit on duck violence were deeper lessons.  The exposure to classical music, the art of the pun, and humor that derived by laughing at the absurd.

 I remember the verbal jousting between two characters when one would draw a line in the dirt and claim “ok, you cross this line, you die.”  Inevitably the line would be crossed in some comical fashion and a new one drawn.  “Ok, now you cross this line, you die.”  The humor was in watching such a severe threat fall apart over and over again.  Because even at a young age we know that there’s humor in failing to keep a commitment.

At what age did we all stop finding it so absurd?

See, as adults, we use the term “deadline” all the time, but we don’t really mean it.  We push them back, “adjust” them, or even just roll right bye.  We treat them like a cartoon villain- turn it in by this date or else.  Ok, turn it in by this date- or else.  But there’s always something else and that’s how nothing gets done.  If a child saw it, they’d laugh at our incompetence- but do it in the office and it’s just normal.  So how do we reclaim the power of the line?

You have to shoot someone.  Figuratively, of course.

The next time a deadline is missed make the consequences harsh.  Late for a meeting?  Lock them out of the room.  Forget to turn in your timecard by Friday?  Delay the check to the next cycle.  Because once an exception is made every exception seems to want to follow.  Exceptions are sneaky that way.

Many will argue that there’s always nuance and times for adjustment.  Probably.  But more often exceptions lead to death by a thousand cuts.  Making the same exception all the time doesn’t kill the rule- that’s actually a good indicator that the rule is wrong.  But when we allow making exceptions to become the norm the rule dies just the same.

The point is this- if you’re going to draw a line in the dirt, don’t let it become a joke.  Be thoughtful and serious about when, where, and how you draw that line.  Then be ready to “shoot” someone if you expect that line to be enforced.  Otherwise, no one will really know if it’s wabbit season or duck season- and that’s just asking for trouble.