In my mind, it is absurd for a cleaner to be dirty and unkempt. I have always thought cleaners should be cleaner. I would not feel confident asking an unkempt cleaner to clean my house even if they clean well because I would think "charity begins at home." You cannot love me your neighbor more than you love yourself. So, if you are unkempt and dirty, you are not likely to make my space really clean. Even if the surfaces are cleaned well, you will probably leave a bad odor behind.
Ghandi said we must be the change we seek in the world and that does not have to be a philosophical concept. As cleaners, the change we seek is cleanliness. We want the spaces we clean to actually be clean, to look clean and to smell clean. How can cleaners "be" the change they seek? Be clean, look clean, smell clean.
Showing posts with label Practice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Practice. Show all posts
Friday, November 11, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
If you can clean
I have always thought that cleaning may be one of the humblest activities in today's world but (and I know I am taking a risk here) what it takes to be a good cleaner is what it takes to be a good teacher, banker, president or home maker.
I believe strongly that at the most fundamental level in the human psyche, diligence is diligence, creativity is creativity, wisdom is wisdom, trustworthiness is trustworthiness, attention to detail is attention to detail regardless of occupation.
I am convinced that those fundamental qualities needed to lead or manage at any level of complexity remain the same and if you have them as a cleaner, you can run a country. I am convinced also that if you do not have them as a cleaner, you will probably not suddenly develop them if you move from cleaning to teaching.
This morning, I read this statement made by Jesus Christ, "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much."
I think if you can clean well, you can run a country well, you can teach well, you can be a good pianist, you can be a good consultant, a good nurse, a good carpenter or a good CFO. If you can clean, you can do anything.
This quote is also apt:
"I have always regarded manual labor as creative and looked with respect - and, yes, wonder - at people who work with their hands. It seems to me that their creativity is no less than that of a violinist or painter." - Pablo Casals
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Cleaning as Practice
Cleaning is a humble activity but it can be a rewarding activity. Personally, I do not think anyone should do cleaning full time for the rest of their lives and we encourage our staff to have something else going on in their lives than cleaning as people who do, do better in cleaning. However, while engaged in cleaning, I think it is worthwhile to do it as a practice, a place to hone skills that are required in other domains. At Zenith Cleaners, we have always maintained that cleaning is much more than cleaning. As someone engaged in every aspect of cleaning, I think it can be a practice that helps develop vital skills, if one is attuned to learning even from humble activities and one does not think that the cleaning activity somehow diminishes them..
In cleaning, there are opportunities to stretch yourself mentally, physically and spiritually. Recently, we started a new cleaning engagement which I assigned to myself. I was almost certain at the beginning that it was impossible to complete the tasks within the time that we needed to complete them to have a profitable relationship. But I decided to take a risk by allowing myself to think that I could complete the required tasks in about 60% of the time it would normally take without compromising on quality. I set that goal for myself and was able to achieve it consistently, without compromising on quality. This required stretching myself - improving my speed while remaining present so as not to miss anything. Achieving that goal required practicing how to do more with less (less time, less resources, etc.)
I am presently in transition to a new project and I am glad for the opportunity to practice much needed skills: concentration, operating under a tight time and resource budget, improvisation, practicing presence, testing and stretching my limits. I think of Karate Kid, learning how to fight by waxing cars. It seems to me that approach is much more rewarding for everyone than if he simply went to the gym or a training arena to train his hands.
Cleaning is not just about keeping someone else's space clean. Depending on one's perspective, the cleaner may benefit much more from the process than the beneficiary of the cleaning task and I think understanding and experiencing ways a cleaner may benefit from the activity makes it much more rewarding for everyone. As a cleaner, you probably will not be cleaning for the rest of your life but while you are doing it, why not fully participate and experience what makes cleaning rewarding for you.
In cleaning, there are opportunities to stretch yourself mentally, physically and spiritually. Recently, we started a new cleaning engagement which I assigned to myself. I was almost certain at the beginning that it was impossible to complete the tasks within the time that we needed to complete them to have a profitable relationship. But I decided to take a risk by allowing myself to think that I could complete the required tasks in about 60% of the time it would normally take without compromising on quality. I set that goal for myself and was able to achieve it consistently, without compromising on quality. This required stretching myself - improving my speed while remaining present so as not to miss anything. Achieving that goal required practicing how to do more with less (less time, less resources, etc.)
I am presently in transition to a new project and I am glad for the opportunity to practice much needed skills: concentration, operating under a tight time and resource budget, improvisation, practicing presence, testing and stretching my limits. I think of Karate Kid, learning how to fight by waxing cars. It seems to me that approach is much more rewarding for everyone than if he simply went to the gym or a training arena to train his hands.
Cleaning is not just about keeping someone else's space clean. Depending on one's perspective, the cleaner may benefit much more from the process than the beneficiary of the cleaning task and I think understanding and experiencing ways a cleaner may benefit from the activity makes it much more rewarding for everyone. As a cleaner, you probably will not be cleaning for the rest of your life but while you are doing it, why not fully participate and experience what makes cleaning rewarding for you.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Trading Places
A few years ago, a thought came to me while cleaning at one of our commercial clients, that there may be people like me, who want to clean, not because they have to, but for other reasons. I thought that like me, there may be people who consider cleaning to be therapeutic, meditative and physically exerting. At a Santropol Roulant board meeting, I proposed the idea to fellow board members and Tana Paddock, who was a board member then, took me up on the offer to work with Zenith Cleaners, not as a "cleaner" but as someone who wants to experience cleaning for reasons other than needing a job. Tana worked with Zenith Cleaners for about one year and it was a great experience for her. Tana ended up cleaning for organizations she had either had either led or consulted for. I thought that was really exciting.
For me, cleaning is not just about cleaning. It is about relationships, it is about working out, it is about meditation, it is about seeing the world through a different lens and being in a different role than my training and background has prepared me for. I cannot describe what it feels like to be a cleaner doing high dusting in a clothing store one night and the next morning be speaking to a graduating MBA class at HEC Montreal. It tends to enlarge your frame of reference, at the very least.
We are open to people who want to trade places, meditate, work out, lose weight - everyone who was slightly overweight when they joined Zenith Cleaners get to lose weight without having to pay a dime to do so. Instead, they get paid. One thing to note though is that when we are cleaners, we are cleaners and we are present with the work that needs to be done. We are present with the need to satisfy our clients and ensure they have a great experience with us.
For me, cleaning is not just about cleaning. It is about relationships, it is about working out, it is about meditation, it is about seeing the world through a different lens and being in a different role than my training and background has prepared me for. I cannot describe what it feels like to be a cleaner doing high dusting in a clothing store one night and the next morning be speaking to a graduating MBA class at HEC Montreal. It tends to enlarge your frame of reference, at the very least.
We are open to people who want to trade places, meditate, work out, lose weight - everyone who was slightly overweight when they joined Zenith Cleaners get to lose weight without having to pay a dime to do so. Instead, they get paid. One thing to note though is that when we are cleaners, we are cleaners and we are present with the work that needs to be done. We are present with the need to satisfy our clients and ensure they have a great experience with us.