Vegas Rules

In a (real) work meeting last week, I took a small #leadership risk by revoking a long-standing ground rule…

The term #VegasRules comes from the saying “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.”  The slogan deliberately communicates #freedom. When you come to Las Vegas, you can do anything and be anything you want to be. You can spend the money you worked so hard to save; you can have the extra drink you’d normally decline after dinner. 

However, I submit “Vegas” is way overused in our work dynamics. When used in a meeting, the rule says that whatever is said in the meeting must be kept private to the people who were in the room and should never be repeated to others. It is meant to encourage openness and #transparency.  In reality it achieves the opposite–after all, the juicier the story, the more likely it will be whispered in the hallways.  Further, what change does one invoke when we share something that we don’t want others to hear about?!  If we instead openly share something sensitive or a personal vulnerability, we can dramatically shift the culture.  We help remove the stigma.  We spread the word that it’s ok to be real. 

So back to last week’s meeting: how did my overturning of Vegas Rules work out?  We had one of the best team conversations, with many unexpected voices sharing their personal foibles, insecurities, and constructive ideas.  We took our team connectivity to a new level. I’d say it worked amazingly well, and we’ll continue exploring this.