Hand Wash vs. Car Wash
Are you a car wash or a hand wash leader?
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I drive a Camaro. A black Camaro with a 6-speed manual transmission. My kids jokingly call it “The Batmobile.” I’m not sure if that makes me Batman, Bruce Wayne, or both, but I’m okay with the comparison. All I’m missing is the costume, and I could be the Caped Crusader.
I don’t have a Bat Cave, so my car sits in my driveway. Yesterday, as I headed out to head to the post office, I noticed my car and changed color. It was no longer black, but a greenish-yellow, because it’s pollen season in the South.
So, the age-old question now has to be answered:
Hard wash or car wash?
Both do a good job of washing away the pollen, along with dirt and grime. The automated car wash does it faster, and it does a good job. However, hand-washing is more meticulous in its approach to cleaning, especially when it comes to getting into the nooks and crannies and buffing out a magnificent shine.
The automated car wash near my house is brushless. Nothing but water, soap, and wax ever touch my car. The machine follows a preset cleaning pattern as it makes six distinct passes around my vehicle. Pre-soak, soap, rinse, spot-free rinse, wax, and rinse. Barring any mechanical issues it is the same process each time I use this automated car wash.
It’s reliable, consistent, and inexpensive. It even dries my car as I exit, sort of.
I can sit in my Camaro and exert no energy as the machine does all the work for me. The car goes in dirty and comes out cleaner than it went in. I can listen to a podcast, close my eyes, and relax, or watch the auto washer complete its assigned task. I stay dry, don’t break a sweat, and drive away with a black car once again.
But there is a drawback to an automated car wash.
It lacks precision. It occasionally misses a spot. It’s good at what it does, but it isn’t great. Spot-free isn’t always spot-free, even with the added benefit of a blow dryer as you exit the car wash garage. The auto car wash does what it does, nothing more.
Consistency is great, but sometimes a little more attention to detail is desired.
So, again, it comes back to the question:
Hand wash or car wash?
It’s a matter of preference. It’s a matter of choice. It’s a matter of time.
It’s also a matter of the desired outcome.
Are you okay with okay, or do you want something more?
I was recently speaking to two different groups of financial professionals, one in Dallas and one in Nashville. Of course, we were talking about leadership, specifically the secrets of highly successful leaders. Many of them, perhaps for the first time, saw themselves not as sales professionals but as leaders who were guiding their clients to make wise financial choices necessary to bring about a desired outcome.
In some of the one-off conversations that happen before or after you speak, we discussed several aspects of their business and, for many of the folks in the room, it came down to two essential questions all leaders must answer:
1. What do those you are leading need?
2. What do those you are leading want?
These questions apply to anyone leading in any capacity. If you’re providing a product or a service to others, these are must-answer questions. If you’re leading your family, you still have to answer these questions. Even if the only person you are leading is you, you still have to answer these two questions.
The first question speaks to the essential things they need. A need is something essential, necessary, or very important. Needs are survival-focused. Basic human needs include food, water, air, shelter, and clothing. Products must meet a minimum standard of functionality. There are minimal standards of acceptable service. Fail in these areas, and your business will not survive.
The second question speaks to the desires, dreams, goals, and the outcomes of others. A want moves beyond survival to aspirations. Any automobile can get me from point A to point B; however, a Ferrari or a Porsche can get you there a lot faster, and in style. A tent can provide basic shelter, but a 12,000-square-foot mansion on the beach gives you room to spread out and live life in more comfortable settings, and with an incredible view.
It all boils down to the same question:
Hand wash or car wash?
As a leader, you’ve got to answer these questions. But, there’s another way to ask and answer these same two questions:
1. What needs to be automated or systematized so those I’m leading experience the same outcome each and every time?
2. What needs to be personalized so those I am leading are getting a more intimate, detailed, personal experience and not being treated as a commodity?
What segments of your organization can be automated, like a car wash, so they operate the same way, every day, delivering a consistent outcome each and every time? What segments of your organization require you or someone on your team to be more hands-on, like a hand wash, so you’re customizing the outcome for each person you’re working with?
Hand wash or car wash?
Once you’ve identified the areas in your organization you can automate or systematize, you want to make sure that what you implement consistently delivers the intended outcome. More importantly, you want that consistent outcome to create an exceptional experience that entices that individual to say, “This was amazing. I can’t wait to experience that again.”
How you build your automated car wash when it comes to delivering a consistent outcome matters. You can scrimp and scrape to save a few dollars and deliver a subpar performance. Or, you can invest a little more, create something that WOWs the audience you’re serving, and impress them that you’re going above and beyond what’s expected.
But any automated system can only do SO much for your audience.
There are certain personalized elements they WANT, and that require a personal touch from you or someone on your team. It’s going beyond the system, the automation, the process, and paying more personal attention to a client or customer. It is looking for ways you can your team can serve each member of our audience at the highest level – letting them know they are valued and appreciated.
This is hand washing.
If you ask good questions, practice good listening skills, and ask good follow-up questions to gain clarity, the people you are leading will tell you exactly what they NEED and what they WANT. They will also let you know when it’s okay to use the car wash and when they prefer the attention, detail, and intimacy that only comes from a hand wash.
Hand wash or car wash?
Both get the job done. One approach is more efficient but more generalized in its approach. The other approach is more detailed, specific, intimate, and personalized.
There’s a place for both in your interactions with others.
It’s your opportunity with each person you’re leading to know which method of serving them, helping them accomplish their goals, dreams, and aspirations, works best for them.
Often, it’s a combination of the two.
One last thing on this topic.
Our habits, like an automated car wash, are designed for consistency. They are designed so we do the same things, the same way, over and over again. For much of what we do to lead ourselves and others, that’s okay…to a point.
But when we are a creature of habit, and we keep doing the same thing the same way, over and over again, nothing changes in our lives. We remain stuck, where we are, as we are.
Maybe, just maybe, we need to subject ourselves to a good hand washing from time to time. We might just uncover some areas in our lives that need some extra cleaning, scrubbing, and polishing. This can be the difference between being a just a leader, and a Black Belt Leader.