Squeaky Wheels Aren’t Always Bad

We have all heard the expression “The squeaky wheel gets the grease”. Given that most wheels these days ride on bearings that are “sealed units”, meaning you couldn’t apply grease to them even if you wanted to, many people today may not really understand why the saying exists. For those who don’t know what grease guns are for, the saying itself arose out of the fact that, in “the old days” wheels had bearings that required maintenance, i.e. – grease.

If poorly maintained, i.e. – if they were low on grease, they would squeak. If the squeak was not addressed, the bearing would fail. A failed bearing could bring catastrophic consequences, not the least of which is a wheel that stops turning or a machine that shuts down or burns up.

Of course today, we know the saying to mean that the person who makes the most noise (squeaks), gets the attention (the grease). Unfortunately, the saying is most often, in my experience, used with a somewhat negative connotation. In other words, “Oh boy, here he goes, complaining again”.

While it may be true that some squeaky wheels are simply “bad wheels” (i.e. – they complain without merit), in my experience most people who have complaints or are otherwise “making noise” are simply directing attention to a valid point or issue. Further, people who squeak more than others tend to be more assertive and less afraid to “speak their mind”; they are not necessarily overly negative people. I have found that many of those people are actually very concerned about the firm they work for and the people they work with.

So why do I believe that squeaky wheels aren’t always bad? Isn’t it true that squeaky wheels can be a pain in the you-know-what? Yes, that’s true. Isn’t it also true that these wheels seem to squeak at the most inopportune times, when you have the least amount of time to address the squeaks? Yes, that’s also true. But here’s why I think they aren’t bad – consider the origin of the expression. A squeaky wheel was a wheel that you forgot to maintain; it wasn’t the wheel’s fault! Applying that logic to a person who is drawing attention to an issue, in all likelihood, it’s an issue you should already have been paying attention to. When you think about squeaky wheels from that perspective, you should be thanking that person!

You are probably thinking that it’s easy to write about this, but it’s not so easy to be thankful when you have to deal with all of these issues in real-time. I agree completely, because I have been in those situations countless times. And I wasn’t always uber-excited to have to deal with whatever the issue was that was being brought to my attention. And, yes, in a few cases, the person simply was a chronic complainer. But, and here’s the “honest truth” (is there such a thing as the “dishonest truth”?), I don’t believe I ever made the squeaker feel that their concerns weren’t important. After all, do you really think it’s a good idea for a wheel that needs grease (and I am speaking of the actual wheel here) to never give you a sign that if it doesn’t get some attention it will simply fail? That could be catastrophic. The same applies to people in your personal and professional life. It’s all about communication, which is extremely important to have in a firm. You just have to understand that it doesn’t always come at you at the most opportune times.

In my experience your body language will probably be the biggest sign to a squeaker that you are not enthused by another one of their concerns. Picture this: you have an employee, Bob, who squeaks a lot. In fact, you are pretty sure that the majority of the time that he drops by your office it is purely to voice a concern.

You are at your desk and he walks in and says "do you have a minute"? If you are like most people, your immediate reaction to seeing him and hearing those words will be a frown or a similar look of mild displeasure, because you are pretty sure he is “just there to complain”. Unless Bob is completely oblivious, he will pick up on those signs.

Eventually Bob will stop coming by with his concerns. Great! you say?..... not so great, I say, because you will have reduced the communication in your firm. Its starts with Bob, then it’s Janet and eventually nobody bothers to talk to you about things, some of which could have a dramatic impact on your company. You will have succeeded in doing the one thing that every management consultant, executive coach or leadership expert will say is the worst thing: closing down the lines of communication between your staff and management (you).

Instead, I recommend that you pay attention to the squeaky wheels, with the exception of those chronic complainers who probably aren’t as numerous as you might initially think. When people come to you with their concerns, don’t think of the concerns as “complaints”, but as "information". If you don’t have the time right then, make an appointment to hear what the person has to say. If you don’t listen, you may close the door on that person ever sharing information with you which could be vital to your firm’s success.