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Demos Parneros, retail and e-commerce executive, board advisor, and founder of CityPark Investments, has been featured on Addicted2Success with a piece titled ‘The Rules for Breaking the Rules’. The article poses a question that most managers face privately and refuse to discuss openly, dissecting: “When is going around the process an act of initiative, and when is it just a bad bet?”
Why the Best-Known Advice in Business Needs a Footnote
“It is better to beg forgiveness than ask for permission,” the saying attributed to Rear Admiral Grace Hopper becomes the centerpiece in Demos Parneros’ new feature. In ‘The Rules for Breaking the Rules’, Parneros mentions that the saying has been repeated in conference rooms for decades.
Parneros argues that, at face value, it sounds like terrible counsel. It may be perceived as a recommendation to ignore ethics, compliance, or controls that protect a company. But when observed from a different perspective, the phrase describes what to do when bureaucracy has quietly replaced judgment, and when the real obstacle to a good idea is the wait for someone else to bless it.
“Know why a rule exists before you challenge it, earn the credibility to take risks, keep experiments small and reversible, and let results make the case for change.” Parneros shared his principles. He illustrates this with real examples from his early career within the article, drawing on the lessons learned and how it has made him a wiser retail executive.
“The goal isn’t to break the rules. It’s to make the business better,” Parneros concludes.
Read the full article on Addicted2Success.
About Demos Parneros
Demos Parneros is a strategic retail and e-commerce executive and board advisor with extensive experience driving growth, profitability, and large-scale business transformation. Demos founded and leads CityPark Investments and currently serves on the Retail Advisory Board of Office Depot / OfficeMax, an Atlas Holdings portfolio company.
Across his career, Demos has held C-suite roles at Barnes & Noble and Staples, where he was at the forefront of digital adoption and omnichannel initiatives designed to address secular shifts in the retail industry. He is known for building high-performance executive teams, restructuring legacy retail and e-commerce organizations, launching innovative store formats, and cultivating strong relationships within the Wall Street analyst and investor communities.
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