Mohamed Gamal

Identity

Guidelines versus decision rules

Why only one of them ever gets followed after the launch deck.

Mohamed Gamal — I help premium consumer brands build the system between brand and revenue.

The difference

A guideline describes an outcome. A decision rule describes how to choose. “Our tone is confident but warm” is a guideline; nobody has ever been unblocked by it. “When the two conflict, choose clarity over warmth” is a rule, because it resolves a specific argument at a specific moment.

Why guidelines decay

Guidelines are written for the launch and consumed by people who were in the room. Rules are written for the argument in eighteen months between two people who were not.