The Loose Lug Nuts Fiasco
My wife’s Honda CRV started making a rhythmic thumping sound on the way to Church. The rhythm matched our speed. When she pushed the brakes, it stopped. I said, “It must be the brake pads.”
She said, “It sounds like loose lug nuts.” You should know, my wife doesn’t have mechanical ability. I do. But her assessment was the result of a trip to West Virginia about three years ago.
We were driving home from a speaking engagement when her car started making a rhythmic thumping noise. It stopped when she put on the brakes. We stopped to inspect the tires. I couldn’t find the problem, so we called a tow truck.
We Ubered to the garage. By the time we arrived, the Honda was fixed. The problem was loose lug nuts. The recent commotion sounded exactly like the West Virginia fiasco.
After lunch, I jacked up the ailing Honda and took off the rear tire. The lug nuts were tight. See! I knew it wasn’t the lug nuts. Everything looked fine. I returned to the house defeated. Monday morning, I would call a professional.
A couple hours later I said to myself, “You didn’t check all tires for loose lug nuts.” The driver’s-side front was tight. So was the passenger’s-side rear. But the passenger’s side front lug nuts were loose!
I told my wife, “You were right. It was loose lug nuts.” She shrugged and smiled.
3 Lessons from Loose Lug Nuts:
- Other people could be right, even when they don’t know as much as you believe you know.
- Look for the simplest solution first.
- Pattern recognition simplifies life. “Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it.” – George Santayana (We aren’t learning from the past when the same frustrations persist.)
What lessons can you learn from loose lug nuts?
Which of the above lessons is most valuable for leaders?
Still curious:
3 Lessons from Tires that Aren’t Flat and other Inconveniences
Why it’s Important to find Simple Solutions to Complex Problems – Gordon Tredgold
This happens to me all the time. I am working on something in the garage and I can’t figure out a solution. My wife will walk out with minimal knowledge of what I am working on and suggest something…. after 35 years I have learned to listen carefully because the answer is somewhere in her suggestion.
Wonderful illustration, Paul. I respect your openness and humility.
I’ve learned to appreciate the gifts and talents of others. My wife is great at so many things. But, when I think I know more, I’m slow to listen. I might be polite, but when I make up my mind, I’m like a dog with a bone. Doh!
Look for the simplest solution first. “When you hear pounding hooves, look for horses and not zebras”
Nicely said, Todd. I’ll remember that one.
The person closest to the problem (your wife’s car–she is in the car much more than you) often has some good insights into what the problem is.
Thanks, Paul. It seems obvious that front-line people know the most about doing front-line work. Often leaders by-pass the people doing the work when trying to solve problems connected to doing the work.
“Workers know things” is a basic principle of Lean. I wonder why leader behavior is the way it is, even among leaders who agree with the idea. Is there something in the air we all breathe?