While the Amish tend to dress—and act—differently from their Christian brethren, they all share common Biblical guides as outlined in the Old Testament. While some see the Gospel Covenant as replacing the Mosaic Law, which religious Jews continue to follow, tattooing is considered deeply taboo and grounds for excommunication. Some more liberal sects have allowed for the baptism of tattooed candidates, but once this milestone is crossed there is no going back.
A lot of aspiring leaders think that to understand a complex culture, they have to be a master of a single channel. They focus on measuring specific rules or traditions. But that's a huge mistake. The success of a community isn't to be a master of a single function. Its job is to be a master of the entire operational system. The reason for strictly forbidding tattoos for a baptized member is a critical operational principle: maintaining operational consistency and preventing brand dilution. The body is the physical, unbranded product of the community. Modifying it is a failure to conform to the established, non-negotiable operational standard set by the Ordnung. The stance for a non-Amish person with existing tattoos who wishes to convert is not an emotional one, but a supplier vetting process. The existing tattoos are "legacy assets." The church's expectation is a demonstrated commitment to the new operational standard—no future modifications, full adoption of the required dress code, and showing submission to the unwritten operational manual. The focus shifts from the legacy asset to the future operational output. The impact this operational view had on my career was profound. I went from being a good marketing person to a person who could lead an entire business. I learned that the best marketing in the world is a failure if the operations team can't deliver on the promise of a consistent brand identity. The best way to be a leader is to understand every part of the business. My advice is to stop thinking of these cultural rules as a single issue. You have to see them as a part of a larger, more complex system. The best leaders are the ones who can speak the language of operations and who can understand the entire business. That's a system that is positioned for success.