Sunday, May 3, 2009

Leadership Lessons from the Laundry Room


Sometimes there are lessons from the Board room. Today, there are lessons from the Laundry Room. I am sure there are many lessons from different 'rooms' in our life. But, what does the Laundry Room have to do with Leadership?

1) You need to be a good Listener

Like the people you are leading, if you hear the funny noises, you better address it. If you ignore it, it will not go away!!

2) You need to be a good Planner - I know I shouldn't do laundry at home, but even I know that a) you don't put a wool sweater in the dryer, and b) you don't put a RED shirt in with the whites. So, it is important to plan. Put the right 'stuff' with the right 'stuff' for success.

3) Delegation is important - You need to know what you are really good at...and more importantly, what you are NOT good at! If you are not good at ironing, delegate it to the dry cleaner, or buy clothes that don't need ironed!

4) Procrastination is not a good option! - If you don't keep up with the day to day needs of leadership, the MOUNTAIN of laundry will build and build. Things will start to smell...resources will run out...

5) You must be a good organizer - Is there a place for everything and is everything in it's place for your stuff? When you need to find your 'fabric softener' for the dryer, it is not a good time to learn you can't find it when the washing machine is stopped.

I want to thank my coach, Raymond Gleason, for the idea for this post. We need to always be looking for opportunities to teach and lead, no matter where we are.


What am I missing from the Laundry Room? So, what room do you have Leadership Lessons from? Give me a room. I will identify the Leadership lessons' potential from that room.


3 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 04, 2009

    I would add....

    1. TIMING is critical, especially as it relates to the final product (in this case, the DRYER).

    2. If you do not give SOME strategic consideration right from the start, you could easily end up facing an "imbalance" during the implementation cycle.

    got some more, but that is it for now...

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  2. Great additions with the TIMING and strategic consideration. Absolutely!

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  3. Hey - REAL MEN learn how to stay out of the laundry room!!

    Give me some lessons from the driveway basketball goal!!

    (You can just recall some of your moments in Uncle Buck's School of Indiana Basketball if you like!)

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