Any comic book fans?

I, for one, am a huge fan of comic books and the seemingly never ending stream of comic spin-off moves that have been coming out the past few years.  Recently, I've had my non-comic book friends ask me about the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice movie.  How can a regular human being (Batman) with no extraordinary powers possibly compete with an all-powerful alien from another planet who can catch bullets with his bare hands (Superman)?

The short answer isn’t news to many: Kryptonite. A little glowing green hunk of dirt from Superman’s home planet is enough to bring the man of steel to his knees.

Like the heroes in comic books, we all have our super powers and our Kryptonite. My super power(s) will remain an enticing secret, but for the purpose of this article I will reveal to you my Kryptonite: cleaning. Yes, seriously.  Ask me to wash your windows and you’ll be lucky if you can see beyond the window cleaner streaks when I’m done.  Me cleaning a carpet stain?  It’s twice as big upon completion.  And let’s not even talk about dusting.  Imagine Pig Pen from the Peanuts comic strip cleaning your house and you have an accurate picture of me cleaning. 

That’s another thing about our weaknesses: They may seem completely ridiculous to an outsider, but to us they’re very real challenges.

So a couple of weeks ago, I decided to overcome my cleaning weakness. I took an entire day and devoted it to figuring out how to properly clean my house. Google was my friend in this endeavor, helping me (finally!) properly clean my hardwood floors as well as accomplish a dozen other items on my project list.  The techniques I learned aren’t groundbreaking to people who are better at cleaning than I am (basically everyone), but I did learn a lot and was proud of myself for getting the house so clean.

Then I told my mom about my brand new cleaning super powers.

She asked “Did you clean the ceiling fan blades?”

“No, mom.”

Click.

This one realization quickly spiraled.

I got on top of the counter in my bathroom and looked around, seeing with clarity the nooks and crannies I had overlooked.  Same thing in the kitchen. I moved about the house, climbing onto sturdier surfaces and peering behind my furniture.  I got on the floor and looked down low in all of the rooms.

Within ten minutes I had gone from being elated at the fact that I’d sponged off my counter tops, to being concerned about dust hiding around corners I hadn’t considered.   

What had changed?  Simply, perspective.

Upon speaking with my mom, I came to a new understanding of what “clean” meant.  I kept our conversation in mind as my sense of wonder grew with each slightly different vantage point I took around my home. It was an interesting exercise in spite of the realization that I had a lot of additional cleaning to do.

It’s amazing how looking at something from a different angle can bring you an entirely new understanding—whether it be in the literal manner I described, by practicing taking someone else perspective in business dealings, or reconsidering something in your manufacturing processes, policies and procedures that you’ve been doing the same way for as long as you can remember without really knowing why.

To reach your full potential, whether in your personal life or in business, a fresh perspective can be a catalyst for gains.  The MAX Support team and our consultants specialize in offering perspective to manufacturers. These folks have years of experience walking shop floors all over the country helping manufacturers refresh their approach to accomplishing goals. 

Our strengths and weaknesses don’t define us.  What we do with each, does. 

Superman avoids Kryptonite.  I attempted to learn to clean, but what I really learned was the benefit in getting help tackling a long-time weakness.  For me, there was a payoff.  We’ll see how Batman and Superman do in when their battle takes place in theaters.

If you want to get the best of whatever Kryptonite your business faces, MAX is here with the software, ERP support and consultants to back you up. 

For more information about the ERP support and consulting services provided by MAX, fill out a contact form or give us a call at 1-855-EXACTMAX (1-855-392-2862).  To learn about our product click here.