We follow all the rules is the sentence that rises a big red flag. If a company has to advertise that they follow the law that means that there is something sketchy about it. If a person says that he or she follows the rules be wary that they may be playing on a thin line.

But also, when companies say they follow the rules it may also mean that they do not want to build a better product but instead they want to do the bare minimum. If it’s legal why should they make an effort to upgrade and change things?

For example, the car seat belts were not mandatory at the beginning of the automotive industry. Volvo developed the invention and made it publicly available because it considered that a patent would kill people. So why didn’t all automotive companies jump and implement the belt in their cars? They didn’t because it incurred in extra costs on their side, and there was no law that forced them to do so.

So, following the rules is a strategy that can help you short term but rules keep changing. Striving for greatness will help you more in the long term.