The One Rule Book.

When a decision maker applies positional power to make a decision affecting someone else, what they are saying is:

‘ I have a rule book that nobody else has, including you. Every time I apply that rule to you, my rule book resets and what may have been the rule yesterday, may not be the rule today. I get to decide when you break a rule and displease me, or when you don’t and please me. You won’t know whether you’ve displeased or pleased until I say so. So you’d better be nice to me.’

‘In short there is only one rule in the One Rule Book you need to know: Please me.’