On a Sunday afternoon not too long ago, I was sitting on my couch minding my own business in the peaceful solitude I seem to crave more and more each day … especially on Sunday. Suddenly, the front doorbell rang. In no mood to chat with whomever was responsible for the interruption, I made my way to the door. I could actually feel myself getting grumpier with every step.
When I was face to face with my interrupters (two young teenagers), I wound up having the following conversation:
SAM: “Hello … my name is Sam … and this is my friend Harrison. We are washing cars … if you are interested.”
ME: (Grumpy) “Washing cars?”
SAM: “Yeah …” (motioning to their bikes in my driveway with bags full of cleaning products and rags). “We have all of our own supplies … all we need is a hose.”
ME: (Somehow less grumpy 10 seconds later … but still a long way from friendly or supportive) … “What do you charge?”
SAM: “Well … that’s really up to you?”
ME: (Way past grumpy … perhaps even ‘somewhat intrigued’ at this point) … “So … I could pay you … nothing?”
SAM: (Clearly caught off guard by that prospect) “…Well … I don’t know about that …”
HARRISON: (Interrupting and with authority) “Nope … that’s the deal … if you feel like it’s worth nothing when we are finished … that’s what you pay.”
ME: (Pausing for effect) “OK … let’s do this thing!”
So, Sam and Harrison spent a little over an hour washing my truck. And I haven’t told anybody this until now, but while they were washing, I snuck around my house like “The Pink Panther,” and peered out various windows, to check on their progress. Which, I suppose, is one way to get me off the couch on a Sunday afternoon! What did I see? Well, compared to most times I have observed car washers washing cars … these guys were killing it!
When it came time to inspect their efforts, my expectations had been far exceeded. Beyond that, as we walked around the truck, I found out a bunch of stuff about them (where they lived, where they went to school, what sports they played, etc.). They also found out more than they probably wanted to about me and my family. I wound up paying them an irresponsible amount of money … and somehow felt great about it!
Now, I can imagine at least some of you that have made it this far are thinking something like:
Thank you, Mr. Couch Potato … this excerpt from your personal diary warms my heart … but what in the world does this have to do with leadership?
I believe my abbreviated response would be:
Perhaps … everything!
When you think about it, pretty much every article, webinar or keynote discussion on leadership has some reference to trust. It’s tough to imagine a leader in today’s world getting anything of import accomplished in the absence of trust and credibility. But if you are an unproven entity as a leader (low trust and credibility) what do you do? Consider taking a page from the book of Sam and Harrison:
Knock on the Door
Probably the most intimidating thing Sam and Harrison did that day was knock on my door. I wasn’t expecting them. I didn’t really need my truck washed … or, maybe I’ll put it this way … the truck certainly would have remained dirty had they not shown up! But they did! They initiated! They imposed on me, stared rejection square in the face and communicated what they wanted to do.
If you aspire to be a leader, at any level in any organization, you simply must be willing to take that step. You need to consciously be the source of the disruption that gets others considering (and doing) things they otherwise would not have considered … or done.
Take a Risk
What if there is no return on your investment? What if you wash the truck, and get no money? Are you willing to put in all that effort, then pick up your supplies, get back on your bike and go home with nothing to show for it? Furthermore, if that happens, do you say to yourself: “I’m never doing that again.” Or, do you take pride in your efforts (despite having nothing tangible to show for it), perhaps refine your approach a little, and go knock on another door?
Building trust and becoming a leader is an ongoing, never-ending, exercise in resiliency. You need to figure out a way to stare the worst possible case directly in the face and bet on yourself, your plan and your vision, and move forward. You also need to believe that if you truly deliver value, it will be rewarded.
And, if that sounds far-fetched or hypothetical in any way, read anything you can find about Alan Mulally. As a kid bagging groceries in a Kansas supermarket decades ago, he knocked on doors … and took risks! As a young manager of Aeronautical Engineers at Boeing he knocked on doors … and took risks! And as the CEO of Ford, he orchestrated the largest turnaround in corporate history by doing the same thing!
Make an Impression
I wish I would have taken a picture of my truck during the walk-around to include here! By the time Sam and Harrison got finished it was late in the day. The sun was literally glistening off the cab. The wheels and the tires sparkled. You could have eaten dinner off the surface of the truck bed. Want to know who knew all that before I showed up? Sam and Harrison. You could see pride in their faces. They didn’t say it (of course!) but they sort of had this glow that communicated:
“Glad you got off the couch now … Mr. Grumpy?”
We have all had our fill of pseudo leaders that say one thing … then do another (or, sometimes unfortunately, nothing at all). Being a true leader means delivering results! Especially when you are in the early stages of building trust and developing a relationship. And nothing … and I really do mean NOTHING … fast-tracks the time it takes to build trust … like a clean truck!