Culture
Unwritten Rules
A short list of things that are okay — declining meetings, protecting deep work, disagreeing with leaders — that healthy teams eventually say out loud.
It’s okay to decline meetings. Be courteous and let the organizer know in advance when possible.
It’s okay to challenge meeting organizers to ask them for agendas, your intended contribution, and intended outcomes.
It’s okay to schedule long blocks of uninterrupted time on your calendar for deep work to get into the flow state. Mark them as “DEEP WORK — DO NOT SCHEDULE!”
It’s okay to step away from your desk to take a break and not be available.
It’s okay for you to not reply to an email or chat after your “normally available” hours.
It’s okay to challenge and clarify the priority of invitations, discussions, and initiatives. Is this important? Is this important and urgent? Where should this land against other priorities?
It’s okay to vent frustration. If you’re a leader, be a thoughtful listener; don’t jump to conclusions and solutions. Process offline and think about how you can take one step forward at a time, together, to remedy.
It’s okay to disagree and challenge directly, while caring personally. Including disagreeing with leaders!