Maintenance Myth 1
"The Squeaky Wheel Gets the Grease"
The first maintenance myth I have heard all my life. It is this one: "The Squeaky wheel gets the grease"!
The truth behind this expression is that there is a reason that the wheel is squeaking. The problem is that metal is rubbing against metal causing friction. Eventually the wheel will wear out and will either fall off or quit rotating. For the maintenance man the idea is to grease the wheel which reduces friction and causes the squeak to cease and the wheel to perform better and last longer! This expression is also used as a comment on behavior. People respond to problems in several ways. The most natural response to problems is to tell someone. "The Squeaky Wheel" is the person who notices a problem and tells someone about it. The response to problems varies among people. Some people have the habit of complaining until the problem is solved. Some people, when they hear or see the problem, try to be the solution. Others help by pointing out the solution.
For the maintenance tech, hearing a squeaky wheel should cause an action to remedy the noise. Stopping a squeaky wheel is one of the easiest fixes that a maintenance tech can do! However, many service companies rely on the "squeaky wheel" to notify them of service. The result of waiting on the wheel to squeak is that much damage is done before the squeak is quieted. Many service companies and many Christians use this approach to business as well as to life itself. Their mistaken thinking is to wait until a crisis appears before they act! Another way they look at it is to only take care of the person who is complaining. "Whoever yells the loudest or complains the most gets the first service." In my leadership training, I refer to this as "crisis management". Crisis management should only be used for a crisis. When things are going well a different kind of leadership style should be used.
The idea of waiting to apply grease until the wheel is squeaking is not good practice. What should be done on a regular basis is to clean the bearings and re-pack them with grease. This will keep the wheel from squeaking and will allow it to live out its life productively. This approach is the correct approach. The reason it is not used is that the maintenance tech is not noted as a hero because his actions seem routine and are not noticed. I tell people a good sign that I am doing my job is that I am sitting in my office with my feet up on my desk! That is because everything is running smoothly, and all things are working properly! There is no "squeak" to take care of. This doesn't happen very often.
The maintenance man that wants to be the hero is not the maintenance man that you need! When you try to make your job or your life all about yourself, you have failed miserably. The good maintenance man is seldom noticed. The important thing for the doorkeeper is that the doors function and no one ever notices that they are not opening or squeaking!
Additionally, the problem with the expression: "The Squeaky Wheel gets the grease" is that it is not always true! Some people respond to the squeaky wheel by ignoring it! I don't know how many times I have heard the excuse, "It has always done that!" Or I will ask someone, "How long has it been making this noise?" And they will say something like, "I don't know. Months? Maybe a year?" To which I respond, "Why didn't you tell someone?" Ignoring a problem will not fix it!
I know a lot of people who ignore the main problem in life. The main problem is that they are going to die some day! They prefer not to think about it. Or they come up with excuses to deal with it later. It is really sad because I learned a long time ago that until you are ready to die, you are not ready to live out your life properly.
Notice what the Bible says about this:
Hebrews 9:27 "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment."
Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."
Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death;…"
These three verses make it plain. Everyone dies, all are sinners, and the penalty for sin is death. I am glad that there is a "rest of the story!" The rest of the story is as follows:
The rest of Romans 6:23 is "…but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Romans 10:9, 10 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised him for the dead, thou shalt be saved.
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
The rest of the story is that salvation and eternal life are a free gift. It can't be earned. It is given to those that believe what Jesus did on the cross, and trust Him as Savior!
Some people actually do not hear the squeaking wheel! They don't see the problem or hear the squeaky wheel. I was over at my sister's house and my brother in law was running a vacuum cleaner. It was making a very loud whine! I asked him, "How long has it done that?" He said, "Done what?". To which I replied, "Made that noise?" He said, "What noise?" I explained, "It sounds like the motor has a bearing going out." He said, "Ever since I worked on the flight line at the Air Guard base, my hearing is not that good." Apparently, he couldn't hear the problem!
Some people don't know what to do when the wheel is squeaking. They know the expression but they don't know how to grease the wheel. Ignorance leads to disaster.
Some people reject the admonition to grease the wheel and end up throwing away the whole mechanism instead of properly maintaining it. The city dump is full of wasted, worn out devices because proper preventative maintenance was not done.
Probably the better way to say this expression is "The Squeaky Wheel needs the grease!"
There is a big difference between needing something and actually obtaining it. To obtain it is very simple. Someone with the grease and that knows how to apply it is essential.
Sometimes the squeak is not a squeak or sounds different than a squeak. The following funny story is an example:
I was delivering a code book to Mark, the building maintenance tech at the Northwest Quad Residential Hall. When I went by the CRE's office, the door was open, so I looked in and said, "Hi." CRE stands for 'Counsellor of Residential Education'. They are the people that manage our residence halls. I think it is the cushiest job on campus. They are given a place to live, a meal allowance, and a good salary. They in turn manage the buildings and programs for the residents. Anyway, this CRE came from behind her desk and approached me. She said, "I hate to bring this up. It seems so small, but I have a problem with the Computer Lab door. When someone opens it up, it whistles!"
This was a new one on me. I asked her to show me and we got Mark, and headed down the hall to the door. On the way, I gave her my two theories: The first one was that women seem to have a better sense of hearing than men and that they can hear higher frequencies better. The other thing I thought about was that sometimes the air conditioning system is not properly balanced and she may be hearing air rushing out the door when it is opened. On the way down she said, "This may sound a little crazy, but sometimes it sounds like the theme song to 'Andy Griffith'"! I didn't tell her, but it did sound a little crazy to me!
When we got there, we opened and shut the door. Sure enough, it made a sound. To me it sounded more like a squeak. But it sure enough was making noise. It was coming from the door closure and was a little irritating. I convinced Mark to take care of it and reassured the CRE, who told me that she could hear it in her office and it was irritating.
I tried it several times, and you know what? It did sound a little like the theme to 'Andy Griffith'! Now I wish I had recorded it!
I am always amazed by the easy solution that is obtained by adding the grease. The squeaking stops and the wheel runs smoothly. This is true not only physically to the wheel, but spiritually to the life that applies the grace of God!
How about you? Does your squeaky wheel need grease? It is available and will do the trick! How about your soul? Have you applied the grace of God for salvation?
