Tool Box Talk: Lessons from a Janitor, Getting to our Goals

“Getting to our Goals —– “Lesson from a Janitor”

Of the many stories that came out of NASA’s Apollo space program, one of the favourites is the story about the janitor who upon being asked by a reporter what his job was in the organization replied “I’m helping to put a man on the Moon”. Now, whether this story is true or not doesn’t really matter as it exemplifies the general sentiment shared by everyone involved in that project; that regardless of how large or visible their contribution was, they all felt a genuine and direct connection between the work they did and that moment when Neil Armstrong took that first step on the Moon.

In many ways, this prevalent feeling of connecting to a shared purpose and sense of being active contributors to the Apollo space program is as much a noteworthy and admirable accomplishment as their collective feat of sending men to walk on our celestial neighbour in the night sky. So what can this anecdote of the NASA janitor teach us about driving innovation and fostering a strong sense of collective purpose within our own teams?

In the case of the NASA janitor, he was doing his part in helping to land a man on the Moon by taking care of the day-to-day tasks of keeping the place clean, so those above him could focus instead on meeting the long-term needs of the science, engineering, and administration teams as the program moved ahead. By making this vision his own personal story, the janitor could easily see the connection between his contributions and the organization’s goals. We too have our organizational goals; zero-injury work environment, safe and efficient production, effective maintenance and cost management, environmental preservation, etc. but these goals will not be realized unless we all see ourselves playing a part through our daily activities.

One important lesson we can learn from this story is to provide employees with opportunities to take the organization’s vision and transform it into their own story in which they play an integral part. In addition to creating an environment that fosters creativity and innovation, this will also allow our employees to work with more autonomy and self-efficacy, become more safety conscious, which will encourage a higher sense of purpose for their efforts. Remember that while inspiration might get us in the door, it’s only through allowing others to make the story their own that leaders will truly be able to shape the direction their organization ultimately takes.

Whether it’s solving crossword or Sudoku puzzles, playing video games, or trying to climb to the top of a mountain, one thing we all share in common is the pleasure of taking on a challenge. Indeed, a common thread in most stories shared around the world is how the protagonist faces an insurmountable challenge which they overcome by the end of the tale. Granted, sometimes it comes with a heavy cost, but even in those stories, there’s a palpable sense of admiration for the protagonist for pushing ahead and winning the day.

In the case of the Apollo space program, it was viewed by many to be a near-impossible task, if not also a very expensive one. And yet, when faced with this daunting challenge, employees at the various organizations involved in the program didn’t feel as though too much was being asked of them. On the contrary, there was a clear drive to prove – both to themselves and to the world – that they had “the right stuff” to make this happen.

Clearly, these lessons are not straight forward, cut-and-paste tactics that leaders can drop kick into their organization in the hopes of fostering the creativity and innovation that was at the heart of the Apollo space program. If nothing else, though, they help to reinforce the importance of communication and listening to nurturing an environment where everyone in the organization feels they have something significant to contribute to the organization’s shared goal and that they are important to achieving the goals.

From this vantage point it’s easy to see that, in our own ways, each of us is just like that janitor – toiling away on what might seem like an insignificant task, that is until we’re reminded of how we’re doing our part in helping to put our own organization’s version of a man on the Moon.

And a bonus quote from Zig Ziglar:

“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.”

Thanks for the share, TO!