Leadership - Clean & Fresh

As I throw the dirty laundry into the machine this Sunday morning and pause to hear the reassuring sound of the “click” followed by the “woosh” of water and it gets me thinking about how nice it would be if sometimes we humans too could just have a do-over, a fresh rinse that washed away the week on occasion. I know for sure there are leaders who wish they could un-do some aspects of their weeks on occasion. 

I mean leadership is not a nice, straight path, let's be real, it's more like a washer-dryer spin cycle, full of messy washes, intense tumbles, and sometimes, a complete re-do because guess what? You forgot to put in the fabric softener! Or heck, and that pesky red sock found it's way in there!

Maybe sometimes my mind is wayyy too overactive but yup I managed to draw parallels between this week's dirty laundry and leadership. How the heck did I land here?

Things in leadership often start with a "Dirty Laundry" phase (read: challenges and problems). This is when a new problem or even worse an annoyingly reoccurring problem raises its head … a team conflict resulting in a push and shove, or a major project snag. Dirty laundry feels well...messy, chaotic, and sometimes, a bit overwhelming right! 

But leaving it lurking in the corner or trying to conceal it isn't going to work out well, why not? Because it starts to smell bad pretty quickly and well, you've got to confront the dirt head-on. Ignoring it just leaves ingrained stains in the long term … that sometimes never come out!

This is why I always welcome the sound of the "Rinse Cycle" (read: problem solving and iteration). The detergent kicks in! Here’s where we start to apply solutions, there’s the usual detergents, hmmm nope, you might try something cheap, something over-the-top, hit up a expert (for a rough to move stain) and take a recommendation, even tap into something radical - and try some totally different approaches, all ideas gathered from many, many different sources. At first you're trying to wash away the initial grime, but it often takes a few rinses and the application of something just a little bit different from the usual approach to get things truly clean. If you've ever tried Dawn in your whites, then you know! It's all about iteration, learning from mistakes, aiming for, but not being surprised by the lack of perfection on the first try. I mean where the heck did THAT sock come from? You feel like you're making progress and then all of a sudden .... brace, brace, brace...

Get set, it's "High Spin" time (read: high pressure and intense phase). Adrenaline rush much? Yup, somehow an overwhelming urgency crept up and into the whole situation to put it at def-con 4. That tight deadline means a sudden ballerina level pivot is needed, except most leaders aren't ballerina's! I mean sure I did a class or two back in the day but this is moving fast, things are whirring, and it can feel like, well, as a leader you're being wrung out! This phase demands laser focus, quick decision-making (do you continue, is the solution still right, have things gone off-balance, are things (read: costs) spiraling? If you've ever had you washing machine tell you the load is unbalanced, then you'll get the dilemma. As just like laundry, if you try to pull things out too soon, they'll be soaking wet and potentially unmanageable. Are you going to try desperately hard to avoid having to repeat the cycle? What decision is the right decision? Or, do you risk wrecking the machine and let it spin out? It can feel like a game of chicken of audacious dares which may or may not be rewarded by the airing your laundry or tumble dry phase (depending on preferences and what's possible).

Essentially the "Drying phase" (read: processing and reflection) may be welcomed by a soft gentle breeze, sunshine or, the gentle hum of the dryer. This is the crucial cool-down period. It’s about debriefing after a big project, major event, reflecting on what worked (go you!) and what didn't (go you!) and allowing ideas to settle. Without this phase, things remain damp, wrinkled, and ready to gather mildew. This is where real learning happens, and you begin preparing for ... well, the inevitable … the next load.

Personally my favourite part is the "folding and stacking" stage (read: organising and moving forward). There is a real sense of pleasure here for me! Unless, you have unknown unconsidered factors such as an unruly random things that come to knock down your piles. Yup! There may still be some lessons to be learned yet! It’s likely best to put away away as soon as you can, and prepare for the next challenge. 

This is about implementing lessons learned, refining processes, and getting ready to tackle the next "load" of leadership challenges.

Leadership isn't about avoiding the spin cycle, nope, it's about embracing the mayhem. It's an understanding that some days you'll feel like you're in an extra-heavy duty wash, and others, a delicate cycle that leaves everything beautifully clean and fresh. These are the days you’ll love! 

Why is leadership sometimes called a service? Because somedays you'll get "wrung out"! Put simply, every load is different it requires a different setting, or a hot wash to get rid of some lingering issues (read: stinkies).