Any good salesman knows that before he can market a problem solver, he must first establish a baseline that there is in fact a problem that needs to be resolved. Insert dramatic infomercial music, black and white shot for extra emphasis, and that over-acted disgusted face as we walk into your bathroom right now. Do you use bar soap? Have you ever noticed how even the best grooved bathtub holders for bar soap collect a residue that is a cake mixture of hardened soap and dead skin cells? Ever picked up a bar and there's the wet gooey layer because the bar of soap sat in the moisture that never fully drained or dissipated?
Here's where IKEA's ingenious plastic invention comes in! Similar to the product you see in the title, this $2 plastic holder suctioned to the shower wall, holding the bar upright so that gravity could do it's work and allow all that moisture to drain! This would also keep the bars of soap from ending up on the floor like they so often do.
Having seen this revelatory item, eyes have now been opened to this epidemic that must end! So, someone I know purchased several of these, attached them to the wall, and placed the individual bars of soap in them. The story is told that every day when the purchaser got in the shower, one particular bar of soap was not in it's new place; It always found it's way back to its old spot.
One reported they followed the cycle: After the purchaser would get in the shower, the soap was it its new spot. After the owner of this particular bar would get in the shower, it was always out...until one day, all evidence of the soap container magically disappeared; All in one swift move, both the problem and the solution disappeared for good. Here are some takeaways:
1. People Won't Always See What You See.
Someone saw junk, and the other saw treasure. Someone saw a collection of dead skin cells, used soap, and bacteria, while someone else examined a difference in routine placement.
The world needs Visionaries, driven to look toward the future, calculate the risks, and affect change to generate momentum and growth. If it can be better, then why should it stay the same? If we can do something new and effective, why stick with the status quo? The visionaries of the world are those IKEA inventors, church leaders, writers, and communicators who keep the world moving. Without visionaries, we will still be living without electricity, cars, and the technology that makes life a blend of complicated and fun. Don't be discouraged if people don't see what you see; that only means you will go places others cannot go.
2. You Cannot Not Force A Solution.
Left to themselves, the managerial type would take what they were given, and ONLY what they were given, and make it as comfortable as could be. ( AKA. the regular soap shelf. ) Visionaries hate "comfortable" just as much as Managers hate "new." This tension, though irritating at times is necessary to a steady flow of life. If you are to be an effective visionary, you must first understand that change cannot always be forced. "A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still." You will lose the heart and buy-in of those you seek to lead if you mandate change on a "if it a'int broke don't fix it" personality. Take a step back and utilize your opportunities to communicate. As you communicate, either your philosophy will change, or your followers will change. Both of these can be listed as success.
3. Problems Must First Be Personal
Sometimes as leaders we must sell the problem before we can ever sell the solution. Habits and routines do not change until the issue begins to hit close to home. Maybe you're a Christian who can look back and see how grace did not seem so amazing until you realized just how much of a wretch you were. Maybe you were an addict who finally publicly admitted, "My name is_____ and I am_____." There can only be a solution where there is first a problem. Vision casting in a sterile, universal manner if rarely effective; But communicating the personal issues will continue to decide leaders, elect presidents, and graduate AA members. Someone is going to change the world. The question is, will it be you?
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