Nobody ever applauded because the wheel didn’t fall off.
That’s another lesson I’ve been thinking about from my little circus book from 1997.
One of the seven lessons was:
Keep the wheels greased.
The old traveling circus was an incredible logistical operation.
They’d roll into town on railroad cars, unload everything, put up the tents, assemble the equipment, put on The Greatest Show on Earth, take it all down, load it back up and move to the next town.
Then do it all over again.
And while everybody was watching the show…
somebody was backstage keeping the wheels greased.
Literally and figuratively.
Inspecting things.
Repairing things.
Maintaining things.
Getting everything ready for the next move and the next show.
Nobody bought a ticket to see that.
Nobody sat in the audience and said:
“Wow. That bearing appears to be exceptionally well lubricated.”
You don’t notice maintenance when it’s working.
You notice it when it stops.
That’s true in almost every business.
Nobody celebrates because the website stayed up.
Nobody sends flowers because the database was backed up.
Nobody rings a bell because the follow-up happened exactly when it was supposed to.
Nobody gives you a standing ovation because the equipment was serviced before it broke.
But let one of those things stop happening…
and suddenly it becomes the most important thing in the building.
I think entrepreneurs are especially vulnerable to this because emergencies are exciting.
Something breaks.
Everybody jumps into action.
We solve the problem.
Save the day.
High fives all around.
We feel productive.
Meanwhile, the person quietly preventing 50 emergencies doesn’t look nearly as heroic.
But maybe we’ve got that backwards.
The best emergency is the one nobody ever gets to solve.
The best emergency is the one nobody ever gets to solve.
That’s what keeping the wheels greased is really about.
It’s taking care of the boring things while they’re still boring.
Because once they become exciting…
it’s usually too late.
What in your business is quietly depending on somebody remembering to grease the wheel?
Don’t wait for the applause.
Because if people are applauding the repair…
the wheel probably already fell off.
Larry, if you’re reading this, please check the elephants before you go home.
Dean