Most of us would engage in controlled action, for the primary reason of trust and understanding the requirements in a system.  In this motor vehicle example, the trust is placed in the manufacturer of the vehicle to have produced a product that can be commanded within defined parameters.  The trust is also placed in the manufacturer of the opposing vehicle's manufacture to have done the same, to include the intensity of the headlights.  Trust is also placed in the local government's ability to design a highway that allows for safe operation of the vehicle in most any environment and that the lines on the road are appropriately placed.

Trust is also placed in the operator licensing process of the individuals sharing the highway with you.  Regardless of where they may have obtained their operators license, Miami or London, the process is to be performed within defined expectations.  Ultimately, as the distance between the two vehicles close and they pass without much concern.  Now, imagine attempting the same act without a system.  How do you know the opposing driver will stay on their side of the road?  How do you know the road is safe and wide enough for two vehicles at once?  The bottom line is that without structured systems for action there is no predictability and no assured control in any process.  It does not matter if you are baking a cake or operating a vehicle, there is a defined and correct process to ensure success.  Without such, there is nothing less than chaos.

So, as we get back into the reality of our business life, consider the value your organization places on the policies and procedures it has in place.  Do people take the system seriously or are they ignoring all precautions and creating an unsafe situation.  And unsafe does not have to mean harm to people or property.  It can also mean unsafe to organizational culture.  If the members of an organization treat the policies and procedures of an organization as window dressing, then the culture is one of disregard.  Harming the organizational culture is long lasting and requires significant energy to repair.  The saying that you get what you sow is spot on when it comes to establishing organizational systems and then aligning leadership action accordingly.