Glen,

I recently went bowling with some of my grandkids, and their friends for a bowling party. It was the first time in probably 30+ years that I had gone bowling, and wow…has bowling changed.

When I was younger, I would go bowling with my buddies…a group of friends or our family 6 or 7 times a year. At best, I’ve always been just an average bowler, I can count the number of times I’ve scored over 200 on one hand (on one finger to be more exact), but I always had fun. 

Bowling now includes electronic scoring on large monitors instead of the grease pencils and overhead projectors that I remember using. The electronic scoring is quick, efficient and immediately posted to the monitors with an exploding graphic and bang (so everyone immediately knows how horrible I am). Bowling alleys now are also filled with neon lights, bright, flashy and brash colors and paint schemes, loud rocking music, and black lights. And the place we went, the bowling pins were all tethered by a cord from above, which…I’m guessing; makes it easier to reset the pins after each ball, it was so different. In addition to all of these…each bowling lane had an option for “Bumpers”. These bumpers can be raised or lowered by the push of a button. When raised, these bumpers completely block the gutters and prevent any errantly (or poorly) bowled ball from going into either gutter and effectively eliminates or reduces the possibility of scoring a zero for that ball. It was fun watching the older (11-12 and up) grandkids boldly proclaim that they don’t need the bumpers while highlighting the “little” kids who still using them. 

It was quite common to see a ball (that some of the younger kids struggled just to pick up) roll slowly down the lane sometimes crisscrossing and ricocheting back and forth between both bumpers which kept the ball on the lane and headed towards the pins. In fact, several strikes were thrown where a ball had bounced off a bumper before reaching the end of the lane and hitting the pins.

The most interesting thing for me was watching the scoring results between the younger ones who used the bumpers and many of us older individual who deemed the bumpers as childish and beneath them.

The cumulative total scores for each of us after three games was fascinating. With few exceptions, the individuals who were using the bumpers on a regular basis had a three-game total score higher than those who never used the bumpers. This did not sit well with the older grandsons who are more competitive, as they mocked and teased the younger kids because they used the bumpers and were accused of “cheating”.

Being the type of grandpa that I am…I taught our youngest granddaughter to point up at the monitors where the scores we lit up under each name and simply say; “Scoreboard!”

Perhaps not surprising, I saw a powerful metaphor in this trip to the bowling alley and the bumpers that helped the young and novice bowlers outperform others. 

Like the “older” kids who saw the bumpers as something they didn’t need to help them perform well at the bowling alley, many within in an organization see rules and regulations, or performance and quality standards as something they really don’t need, or even worse…get in their way and slow them down. The reality is, that when running a business or any organization there are always going to be those employees/individuals who will mock, complain, whine, and not understand the critical value of: Policies, Procedures, Protocols, Quality Control and Standards, Operational Checklists and JSA’s, Safety Standards and Mandates; (“Lockout Tagout”, Safety Glasses, Hard Hats, Long Sleeves and other PPE’s), Video Cameras on the manufacturing floor, and in all company vehicles that monitor speed, following distance and braking. Some may even scoff at the Company Motto and Mission Statement or posted Company Values. Truth is, these Mission Statements, the Policies, Procedures, Quality Control and Standards are in fact the “Bumpers” that keep all operations in the lane and on track for a successful operation. These “Guidelines” or rules (for lack of a better term) and Company Values are the very things that keep an organization on the right course and keep them out of difficult and oftentimes costly situations. Product defects will go down, regulatory mandates will all be complied with, cyber and fraud issues can be reduced significantly, tedious documentation and training will strengthen your position in the event of litigation and workplace injuries and accidents can be almost totally eliminated.

This paradigm shift can be difficult at times as each of embrace the fact that guidelines, policies, procedures, and rules are in place for our benefit…to keep everyone (beginners and the experienced) out of operational gutters and on that straight and narrow lane towards a strike.



My McGriff team and I believe in challenging the status quo of managing Corporate Risk. We are constantly learning so we can discuss strategies that will bring advanced tactics, solutions and value to you and your company. If you’re the type of organization or person who believes in betting on yourself, if you want to take more control of your Corporate Risk, please give me a call.

Glen Carlson     (714) 941-2942      gcarlson@mcgriff.com