Beyond the Rules: Lessons From a Train Conductor
What I didn't include in my book and how you can use it to make people do what you want (without pissing them off).
One of the frustrating things about writing a book is that ideas for things you could’ve included occur to you after you've handed in the manuscript. So, here, exclusively for you, my newsletter readers, is something that, if I'd known about it when writing the book, would definitely have made it into Humanizing Rules.
As regular readers will know, I divide my time between London and Munich, travelling between the two cities by train. In fact, I’m writing this while on that journey! That means I spend a lot of time in the company of the German national rail provider, Deutsche Bahn (DB). Now, as anyone who has used DB’s long-distance services can attest, their services can sometimes be unreliable, with trains being delayed or cancelled.
When there are serious disruptions, DB’s onboard staff have the discretion to forgo ticket checks. The rationale behind this is straightforward: when customers are already inconvenienced and frustrated, the last thing they want is to be asked for their ticket, potentially causing more irritation. It also means that staff can focus on assisting passengers with planning new connections rather than enforcing ticket compliance.
Does this mean some passengers might travel without a valid ticket? Yes, but the thinking here is that when a train is already delayed, there's a balance between enforcing revenue rules and managing the overall experience. Sometimes, prioritising customer support and diffusing frustration outweighs the strict enforcement of the rules. Leaving the decision up to the staff whether or not to enforce the check not only empowers them but also means anyone trying to evade fares can’t be 100% certain there won’t be a check on a delayed train.
How you can use this:
Think about situations where applying rules might do more harm than good. Of course, there are instances where you can’t overlook certain rules—safety checks, for example, are non-negotiable. However, not every rule needs to be enforced 100% of the time. In cases like ticket checks during significant delays, temporarily relaxing the rule can lead to a better overall experience. This approach also highlights that when people have roles that combine enforcing controls with providing advice, the balance between the two may need to shift. Sometimes, providing advice and assistance is more important than the enforcement. It’s all about priorities.
Now what?
Since I spend so much time on trains, I’m always interested in learning more about how the railways work. Or don’t. Partly out of curiosity — there are always Compliance lessons to be learned from understanding how systems work — but also to help me have an easier journey. Thanks to social media, I discovered railway activist Jon Worth.
He’s a campaigner for better cross-border rail travel within Europe and since my regular journey crosses three of them, I was keen to hear more. So, I invited him onto my pod. The context is railways, but there are insights he shares that can teach us a lot about rules, regulations, lobbying and controls.
Listen here.