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<v Speaker 1>Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of

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<v Speaker 1>performance through strong human relations, team building and golachieving. This

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<v Speaker 1>is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host Paul

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<v Speaker 1>fella Aledo.

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<v Speaker 2>Hello everyone, and welcome to the seven Minute Leadership Podcast.

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<v Speaker 2>It's episode three eighty nine. Let's talk about the power

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<v Speaker 2>of shared responsibility. This phrase, everyone sweeps the floor, isn't

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<v Speaker 2>just a feel good slogan or a poster for the breakroom.

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<v Speaker 2>It's a culture statement. It's a leadership mindset and if

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<v Speaker 2>you're serious about building a strong team in a high

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<v Speaker 2>performance workplace, this is a concept you must not just preach,

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<v Speaker 2>but live. And let me break it down first, the

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<v Speaker 2>origin of the phrase. This phrase came out of a

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<v Speaker 2>story I heard about a founder who was asked, why

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<v Speaker 2>is the CEO of a successful company he was seen

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<v Speaker 2>sweeping the warehouse floor. His answer, because if I won't

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<v Speaker 2>do it, why should anyone else? And that's the essence

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<v Speaker 2>right there. This is not about cleaning. Let me be clear.

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<v Speaker 2>This has nothing to do with who's on janitorial duty.

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<v Speaker 2>This is about ego free leadership. It's about building a

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<v Speaker 2>culture where no one is above doing the small things.

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<v Speaker 2>The unglamorous, unseen, often thankless tasks that keep everything running smoothly.

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<v Speaker 2>And here's the reality. If you, as a leader, are

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<v Speaker 2>too good to sweep the floor literally or figuratively, then

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<v Speaker 2>you've just built a hierarchy that breeds entitlement, resentment, and disengagement.

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<v Speaker 2>So here's a culture check. Let me give you a

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<v Speaker 2>few quick questions to ask yourself off to see where

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<v Speaker 2>your culture stands. Do your managers jump in when someone

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<v Speaker 2>is short staffed or do they disappear into meetings? Do

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<v Speaker 2>your senior employees lend a hand to the new hire

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<v Speaker 2>during crunch time or do they say that's not my job.

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<v Speaker 2>When something goes wrong, do your people jump to fix

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<v Speaker 2>it or look around to see who else is available?

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<v Speaker 2>Because in a sweep the floor culture, nobody stands around

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<v Speaker 2>waiting for permission to act. Everyone sees the mess, and

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<v Speaker 2>everyone moves. And let's talk about the small task test.

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<v Speaker 2>Here's something you can do tomorrow morning, something simple. Pick

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<v Speaker 2>the smallest, most basic task in your operation, stocking paper,

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<v Speaker 2>refilling the coffee pot, clearing out the junk drawer, and

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<v Speaker 2>just go do it. Don't make a scene, don't announce it,

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<v Speaker 2>just do it and watch what happens over the next week.

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<v Speaker 2>Watch how your people start to notice and how that

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<v Speaker 2>quiet act chips away in entitlement. People will follow what

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<v Speaker 2>you model, not what you say, because this mindset builds trust.

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<v Speaker 2>When your team sees you willing to step into any

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<v Speaker 2>role at any time, even for a few minutes, it

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<v Speaker 2>builds enormous respect. It says, no job is beneath me,

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<v Speaker 2>I care about the details, and we're in this together.

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<v Speaker 2>It's leadership through example, not command, and it works. And

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<v Speaker 2>the real benefit is ownership. When everyone sweeps the floor,

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<v Speaker 2>ownership goes up. People care more, they notice more, they

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<v Speaker 2>step in more. You're not just creating a more helpful team,

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<v Speaker 2>you're creating a stronger business. You'll see fewer messes literal

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<v Speaker 2>and metaphorical. You'll hear fewer complaints, and when a crisis hits,

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<v Speaker 2>you'll have a team that says, let's roll up our sleeves,

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<v Speaker 2>not that's not in my job description. There's a reason

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<v Speaker 2>some of the best leaders in the world, from Navy

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<v Speaker 2>seal commanders to hospital CEOs, live by this actual rule

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<v Speaker 2>because it tears down silos, It crushes ego. It builds

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<v Speaker 2>a team that doesn't ask whose job is it? But

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<v Speaker 2>instead asks what can I do to help? So the

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<v Speaker 2>next time you walk past something that isn't your job,

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<v Speaker 2>remember this. Everyone sweeps the floor, not because they have to,

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<v Speaker 2>but because that's how winning teams are built. This has

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<v Speaker 2>been the seven minute Leadership Podcast and I thank you

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<v Speaker 2>for listening.

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<v Speaker 1>For more Paul Fell of Alito Podcasts, visit paulfellowalito dot com.