When you shouldn't follow the rules

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Laura Lane |

TED@UPS

• September 2015

As a foreign affairs officer in Rwanda in 1994, 26-year-old Laura Lane rescued more than 250 Americans at the beginning of the genocide, but was forced to desert all of her local allies whose work alongside her nearly guaranteed their death. Every day, she carries the heavy weight of this perceived abandonment, convinced she could have done more. Today, one lesson remains above the rest: sometimes, when the risk of regret is too great, following the rules isn't worth it – and you need to write your own.