Give every exception an expiry

Integrity · Little Light original

A customer needs unusual terms, a colleague needs a temporary arrangement, or a project cannot follow the normal process. The exception is sensible, so everyone agrees and moves on. Months later, someone remembers the outcome but not the reason. A thoughtful response to one situation has quietly become a precedent for many others. When you make an exception, record what made it necessary, who owns it, and when it should be reviewed. Be clear about whether the underlying policy still stands. If the same exception keeps returning, examine whether the rule is wrong, the process is incomplete, or the organisation is avoiding a decision it needs to make. Fairness is not always identical treatment. It does require reasons that can survive beyond the room in which they were understood. Give flexibility enough structure to remain trustworthy. An exception should solve the situation in front of you without becoming an accidental policy for people who never heard the original conversation.

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