I tend to overcommunicate to my supervisors and teammates. I’d rather they get something they already knew from me, than they get blindsided. That’s played well with several of my bosses and shadow bosses. They often tell me, “thanks, I already know about it.” For my side, that brings relief instead of discouragement. When they didn’t know, they express gratitude, especially when it’s going to cost me or them reputational capital. This is our trust, credibility, or likable nature.

Bureaucracy relies on process and procedure. Follow the process. Stay within the procedures. Stressors remain low as what to do is known and repeatable. Work easily flows as we are doing what we should. It’s order. They also exist to protect the organization.

The exceptions to the process and procedure create chaos. We have to make decisions as it’s often unknown. Though, all too often there’s known exceptions where we know what to do.

When we have to ask others to make an exception, we expend reputational capital. We are breaking the order. Others grant us a favor doing something outside the normal, which likely means more effort in tracking, understanding, and decision-making. In the short term it means a hit on credibility inside the bureaucracy as the procedures exist for a reason. Too many asks for exceptions can break trust as well.

Part of why I overcommunicate is to prepare for the possibility of engaging in reputational repair. Part of asking for the exception will involve explaining the context so the grantors are on my side, part of my team, and we are working together to solve the issue. Also, we may need to work on improving the procedures, which will require building consensus necessitating understanding. Exceptions create a potential of extra work beyond just the simple ask, so I need my boss to know.

Also, my role has become to handle exceptions so my boss doesn’t have to expend so much effort on them. There’s trust in me and maintaining that is giving a heads up with context.