Skip the leadership self-help routine and get personal, real-time help becoming a leader and training leaders for your company. 
The cleaning industry is no different than any other when it comes to the need for training and education. Some might even argue that more is needed because of the lack of understanding regarding the necessity. I’m in that camp.
I think that it is generally understood and agreed upon that there is a real need to train our technicians in the areas of health and safety, the science of cleaning, materials and surfaces, cleaning methods and productivity, tools and equipment, customer service, and household furnishings. Unfortunately, while there has been a lot of focus on training technicians, there has been relatively little on two other arguably MORE important positions – the Trainer and the Leader of the company.
Our focus on creating and adding a Leadership component to the Foundations of Success program stems from our belief that the foundation of a company is the most important piece to tackle. A strong leader is obviously central to a strong company.
See a gallery of images from our most recent Foundations of Success week-long event at the bottom of this article.
Leadership training has added new depth to the business coaching program, taking it to a whole new level and increasing the legitimacy of not only each business owner, but the industry as a whole. It’s an area that has been lacking in our industry, and the Foundations program is robustly tackling it. The focus is on creating a program that makes the participants into more highly effective leaders with better outcomes, not just on giving out more or better information.
The leadership aspect of the program has been years in the making with training from many of the great leaders of our time. Participants will recognize popular information from John Maxwell, Jeff Bezos, Stephen Covey, Warren Buffett, Tony Hsieh, Dale Carnegie, Alan G. Lafley and more. But we have done more than just compile information. There’s plenty of information out there, but the goal is presenting it so that the information is absorbed and assimilated – making it actionable.
The Foundations of Success program has that goal at its core. It uses a set of metrics to measure results. It regularly addresses the needs of the students to achieve the optimum learning environment. The program provides the information and structure necessary to train others while also leading the company and its people. The program has a defined culture of continuous improvement with fully engaged participants. It was designed to meet people at their own levels and move them forward from there. It utilizes multiple sensory inputs including written, oral, hands-on etc. There are tests and evaluations. The program has quality assurance and accountability built into its ongoing processes. It has a beginning and an end.
Everyone goes home with an action plan that supports their wants and needs for the next year. Everyone goes home with a renewed passion for their business but also with the tools and support to make real changes, not just superficial changes that are gone in six weeks.
There is factual data to support the ideas and methodologies that have been used to increase the absorption levels as well as the transformative effects for the participants:
- Low ratio of instructor to student combined with one-on-one time
- Brainstorming opportunities among participants
- Breathing exercises routinely inserted into programming
- Abundance of balanced food options and choices
- Synergy inducing sessions
- Strong, defined culture from cohabiting to idea solicitation
Growing a cleaning business takes much more than just passion, drive or information. It takes leadership ability. While some people are more comfortable as leaders, the rest of us will find that the Foundations of Success program can teach us how to be the leaders we need to be.
Liz Trotter is founder of American Maid Cleaning as well as an entrepreneur and leadership trainer based in Olympia, Washington. She is also a former ARCSI board member, a partner in Cleaning Business Builders, creator of the HiPEP employee development system and a charter member of Cleaning For A Reason.
