04/08/2026
I think I have a small problem… 😄
The more "Don't do this" signs I see, the stronger the voice in my head becomes:
"Oh yeah? Watch me."
Last weekend I went hiking with my dog Emil.
At the top of the hill, I was greeted by a whole collection of rules:
🚫 No outside food.
🚫 No outside drinks.
🚫 Dogs must not...
🚫 Please don't...
And even though I usually consider myself a reasonable person, my first thought was:
"Well... now I'm definitely drinking from my own bottle." 😅
A few weeks earlier, I had a completely different experience.
Emil and I took a cable car into the mountains.
There was also a rule:
Dogs must wear a muzzle.
But instead of pointing at a sign, the employee smiled and said:
"Thank you for putting the muzzle on your dog. If anything unexpected happens, it makes the work of the mountain rescue team much safer and easier."*
My reaction?
Not:
"What a ridiculous rule."
But simply:
"Of course. That makes perfect sense."
Same rule.
Completely different reaction.
Since then, one question has stayed with me:
How often do we create resistance when our real intention is to encourage responsibility?
Maybe the problem isn't the rule.
Maybe it's how we communicate it.
This applies far beyond hiking trails.
As parents.
As colleagues.
As leaders.
People are much more willing to take responsibility when they understand why something matters—not just what they're expected to do.
Or, as Eric Berne might have asked:
Which part of the other person are we talking to?
The responsible adult...
or the rebellious child?
💬 What's the best explanation you've ever heard that made you accept a rule you initially didn't like?
