Day 20: The Obedient Dog vs. The Independent Cat

Some follow the rules as if they were sacred. Others treat them as guidelines, not gospel.
And somewhere between the two lies the real work of judgment.

Yesterday, we walked alongside the Task-Driven Ant and the Strategic Queen, reflecting on motion and meaning. Today, we zoom in further: not on what we do or why we do it, but on how we relate to the rules that shape our environment.

We find both in every workplace: those who ask, “What’s the protocol?” and those who ask, “Does this still make sense?”

🐶 The Obedient Dog

The Dog is loyal. Dependable. Trustworthy.

Give them a set of instructions, and they’ll follow them exactly. No deviation. No shortcuts. Whether it’s a 30-step procurement form or an outdated approval chain, they don’t question the logic — they honour the instruction.

They thrive in structure. They find comfort in clarity. Their motto: “Better to follow the process than to mess it up.”

Teams often turn to them when consistency matters. You know exactly what you’ll get. You trust their delivery. But their challenge is flexibility.

When the context changes, dogs may not notice. When a rule becomes obsolete, they continue to obey, not out of laziness but out of principle.

Over time, this admirable consistency can turn into rigidity, where intelligence is reduced to execution and curiosity is traded for compliance.

🐱 The Independent Cat

The Cat is equally capable — but differently wired.

They read the rules and interpret them. They understand the framework but reserve the right to challenge it. For them, following a process is not a virtue in itself—usefulness is.

If a rule no longer serves its purpose, they’ll question it, not out of rebellion, but because relevance matters more than routine. They are guided by intention, not just instruction.

They’re known for finding shortcuts—but not sloppy ones. They're smart and thoughtful. They respect systems… as long as systems respect common sense.

But their independence is also their risk.

Too much distance, and collaboration suffers. Too much questioning, and trust erodes. Their clarity can come off as criticism. Their efficiency can feel like detachment. And without effort, they can drift from the team — simply because they’ve stopped pretending that “the way it’s always been” is the way it should be.

🔍 The Reflection

The Dog and the Cat aren’t opposites — they’re instincts. One grounded in duty. The other, in discernment.

The Dog ensures stability, while the cat invites evolution. The Dog gets things done reliably, while the cat gets things challenged—and sometimes changed.

But a team of only Dogs can become too compliant. A team of only Cats can become too fragmented.

So ask yourself: Do you follow the rule because it’s there, or because it still serves its purpose? And when a process stops making sense… do you ask why, or keep going?

📌 Did You Know?

Dogs are pack animals selectively bred over thousands of years to follow commands and respond to structure. A strong drive for social approval and a high sensitivity to cues from authority figures shapes their behaviour. They thrive when the rules are clear.

Cats, on the other hand, were domesticated on their own terms. Their behaviour is driven by autonomy. They are less influenced by hierarchy and more by personal judgment — they often obey when it suits them, and ignore when it doesn’t.

These instincts show up in human systems, too. Some of us need the checklist, some of us question it, and the magic often lies in the mix.

📚 References

• Hare, B. & Woods, V. (2013). The Genius of Dogs: How Dogs Are Smarter Than You Think

• Bradshaw, J. (2013). Cat Sense: How the New Feline Science Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet

• Sinek, S. (2019). The Infinite Game

• Harvard Business Review (2021). “When to Break the Rules — and How to Do It Well”

• Gino, F. (2018). Rebel Talent: Why It Pays to Break the Rules at Work and in Life