# Is being 'by the book' a liability more than a benefit? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 26, 2013, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-being-by-the-book-a-liability-more-than-a-benefit/667232 "2013-08-26T18:40:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Incubus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2013, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-being-by-the-book-a-liability-more-than-a-benefit/667232/1 "2013-08-26T18:40:37Z")
People may say “Honest is the best policy” but I find that this works against people just as often (if not more so) than it helps them. Its not so much that the only way to get through life is to lie through your teeth, but rather knowing just how _literal_ you have to be about the truth. I noticed that people can often get a little too enthusiastic with the truth. This often happens in situations where they think the more ‘honest’ they are, the more favorable of an outcome. Or it simply does not occur to them that their ‘honesty’ is revealing a lot of incriminating stuff. I noticed that people that are painfully ‘by the book’ often run into walls when it comes to certain situations- they tend to do poorer at job interviews, have a harder time negotiating a raise/promotion, are more likely to incriminate themselves at work/to the police, and are more likely to unintentionally offend someone or reveal a secret. They’re also more likely to get ‘stuck’ in problems because they simply assume that if they weren’t expressly permitted to do something, it isn’t allowed. They’re also more likely to suffer in an unpleasant job because they fear that complaining or confronting their managers will result in getting fired, so they’d rather muddle through it and be unhappy than be assertive about any issues. One of the big ways my wife and I are different is that I am much more ‘by the book’ than her. But observing how she interacts with people, I find that I am missing out a lot by not being more creative in how I interact with people. I often find myself admitting “It didn’t occur to me to try/ask that” because I saw the problem in a very linear manner. My wife, on the other hand, will always press for things she feels are reasonable and fair, and never accept its off the table unless its been explicitly stated as such. It comes to no surprise to me, then, that she has been continuously employed since she was fifteen. When she interviewed for a job, she never let anything that might have put her at a disadvantage trip her up. When her job gave her hours or working conditions she found unacceptable, she addressed it to her manager and told them “Change it or I quit”. None of her employers ever called her bluff, nor has she gotten laid off or fired at any of her jobs. One thing that has helped me be a bit more shrewd is my current job. At my current job, you are only required to disclose information that is legally mandated. A lot of people have gotten fired because when making an accident report, they included unnecessary information that was far more incriminating than the accident itself. If my employer suspects wrongdoing on my part, its their job to investigate the matter (examining security camera footage, timestamps, witness testimony, etc). I don’t need to _help_ them give me an excuse on why I should be fired!. This happens to people a lot who are on probation, who simply assume our union will do nothing to help a driver still on probation (they won’t arbitrate anything, but you can certainly get a shop steward to give you advice, discuss any issues, sit with you while meeting with a manager to help you out). Since they are ‘by the book’ about it, they inadvertantly let themselves get fired over things that could have just been a slap on the wrist. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2013, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-being-by-the-book-a-liability-more-than-a-benefit/667232/2 "2013-08-26T18:41:28Z")
Depends on the book. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2013, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-being-by-the-book-a-liability-more-than-a-benefit/667232/3 "2013-08-26T18:50:29Z")
What does “being ‘by the book’” have to do with either linear thinking or honesty? 😕 Some of the most “by the book” people I’ve known were extremely good at using the book in the most dishonestly creative possible manner… ---
**Author:** ![Incubus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2013, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-being-by-the-book-a-liability-more-than-a-benefit/667232/4 "2013-08-26T18:54:05Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > What does “being ‘by the book’” have to do with either linear thinking or honesty? 😕 Some of the most “by the book” people I’ve known were extremely good at using the book in the most dishonestly creative possible manner… I’m referring to “being by the book” as being extremely literally honest. So if the person is instructed to tell what happend, they will disclose _everything_, not just what was relevant. Or if its something that isn’t explicity allowed, they will assume its forbidden. ---
**Author:** ![yellowjacketcoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4bbf92/32.png) [@yellowjacketcoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowjacketcoder)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2013, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-being-by-the-book-a-liability-more-than-a-benefit/667232/5 "2013-08-26T19:43:04Z")
Sounds like the definition of person with high intelligence and low wisdom. Also, “by the book” does not mean to be “literally honest”, it more means “straightforward and upright”, who are people with more stable although not meteoric careers. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2013, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-being-by-the-book-a-liability-more-than-a-benefit/667232/6 "2013-08-26T19:51:21Z")
Hours instead of minutes! ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2013, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-being-by-the-book-a-liability-more-than-a-benefit/667232/7 "2013-08-26T20:17:40Z")
When I think of “by the book” I think of someone who would rather defer to written rules of conduct than apply common sense. One written rule is “Always be honest”, so I could see how someone who adheres to this principle regardless of the situation could be seen as following “by the book” thinking. And yes, it’s almost always a liability. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Lurker\_Above](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@The\_Lurker\_Above](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Lurker_Above)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2013, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-being-by-the-book-a-liability-more-than-a-benefit/667232/8 "2013-08-26T20:22:15Z")
> [@yellowjacketcoder](#): > > Also, “by the book” does not mean to be “literally honest”, it more means “straightforward and upright”, who are people with more stable although not meteoric careers. I’ve always used “by the book” to mean “follows standard procedure, no matter what” which can be good or bad depending on their position/how well the procedures are written. I’ve had subordinates that I wish were much less by the book, since their job should involve much more judgement. And quite frankly, they’re not going to rise any higher in the organization since the higher you get the less ‘book’ there is to follow. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2013, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-being-by-the-book-a-liability-more-than-a-benefit/667232/9 "2013-08-26T22:27:09Z")
Of course the real life problem is that what works once may not work a second time. I can name at least three different employers I’ve had where co-workers walked into the boss’ office and said “Change this or I quit,” only to be handed a box and told to take their stuff and leave. I had a different boss who used to spout stuff right out of the management books about us “taking risks” and not being “afraid to fail.” And when employees tried to do something on their own, he would chew them out in front of everyone else. As for your example of only disclosing legally mandated information, that’s exactly what “by the book” means. Seems like the people who say too much and don’t talk to their union reps should follow the book more closely. And don’t forget the business principle of Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt, otherwise known as [“Nobody ever got fired for buying IBM.”](http://technically.us/code/x/getting-fired-for-buying-ibm/) ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2013, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-being-by-the-book-a-liability-more-than-a-benefit/667232/10 "2013-08-26T22:58:12Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Of course the real life problem is that what works once may not work a second time. Right. Sometimes playing by the rules is exactly what you want to do. Sometimes it’s not. Sometimes I can apply best professional judgment on the job, and other times I need to do what the guidance manual says, because not doing so will get my ass canned…even if I am “right”. An intelligent person is one who can figure out which approach is appropriate. The same also works for social interactions. True, a person who acts like a robot in the social arena is doomed to fail. But the person who doesn’t lean on basic rules of social ettiquette is guaranteed to rub people the wrong way. The OP’s wife may end up asserting herself to get what she wants on the job, but being the same way in a social setting might be a little off-putting. Indeed, she may one day find herself in a position where her style works against her. Who knows? I don’t think honesty is really the right word for what we’re talking about. It seems to me that we’re just comparing “passive” versus “assertive”. It’s passive to assume your opinion will get you in trouble, just keep your mouth shut. It’s assertive to assume you are entitled to something even if it’s not explicitly offered to you. Passiveness is hardly ever a good trait to have. Even passive people know this. But even passiveness has its place. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2013, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-being-by-the-book-a-liability-more-than-a-benefit/667232/11 "2013-08-26T23:30:16Z")
For a hospital? Definitely an asset. NB: I recently spent 10 days in the H for pneumonia and fatty liver. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-being-by-the-book-a-liability-more-than-a-benefit/667232/12 "2013-08-27T14:10:50Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Of course the real life problem is that what works once may not work a second time. > > I can name at least three different employers I’ve had where co-workers walked into the boss’ office and said “Change this or I quit,” only to be handed a box and told to take their stuff and leave. > > I had a different boss who used to spout stuff right out of the management books about us “taking risks” and not being “afraid to fail.” And when employees tried to do something on their own, he would chew them out in front of everyone else. > … I once had a manager who would sometimes tell me to act professionally and _stop bothering him with details_, but then when I would make a decision without consulting him I would get chewed out for _not doing what he wanted, and that I should have escalated_ when I realized that his instructions were not as concise as they could have been. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-being-by-the-book-a-liability-more-than-a-benefit/667232/13 "2013-08-27T14:42:28Z")
In general I think “by the book” is the best policy as long as everyone understands the book and it makes sense. But there are occasional exceptions, so not 100% by the book, maybe 95%.