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WHEN YOU’RE A CLEANER . . . . . . You don’t compete with anyone, you find your opponent’s weakness and you attack.

A Cooler does a good job and waits for a pat on the back.
A Closer does a good job and pats himself on the back.
A Cleaner just does a good job, that’s his job.

When you’re a Cleaner, there’s no such thing as a meaningless game a Cleaner shows up to play.

When you’re the guy at the top, it’s on you to pull everyone else up there with you, or everything you’ve built comes crashing down. Not so easy for a Cleaner who demands excellence of himself and has no tolerance for those who can’t or won’t rise to that level. Does he dumb himself down so he can fit in, slap people on the back, tell them they’re great, and hope everyone can rise together? Or does he stand up there alone, set the example, and make everyone else work harder? The answer seems obvious, but you’d be surprised by how many people don’t want to stand alone under the glare of the spotlight, because as soon as you reveal what you’re capable of, that’s what everyone will expect of you. But when no one realizes how good you are, you don’t have to be the guy making miracles and running the show, no one will expect much, and everything you do will seem heroic. Easier that way. Easier, that is, if you’re okay being average.

A lot of gifted people will lower their skills to close the gap between themselves and those around them, so others can feel more confident, involved, and relatively competitive.

But don’t be fooled: a true Cleaner isn’t thinking about making you better for your benefit. He’s happy for you if you get something out of it, but whatever he’s doing, it’s for his sake, not yours. His only objective is putting you where he needs you to be so he can get the result he desires.

A great leader knows the best way to get people to raise their performance is to put them where they can truly excel, not just where you want them to excel. Cleaners don’t block others from reaching the top with them, if they’re capable and ready.

Successful people compensate for what they don’t have; unsuccessful people make excuses, blame everyone else, and never get past the deficiencies. A true leader can see past those deficiencies, identify the abilities, and get the most out of that individual.

A Cooler wonders what’s going to happen.
A Closer watches things happen.
A Cleaner makes things happen.

Work with the strengths, and everything else you get beyond that will be a bonus. You control this. Take charge of the situation and make it work in your favor.

When you hit someone with a negative attack, it doesn’t energize him, it just brings him down. You’re not going to win these guys over by making them feel worthless.

Remember, when a Cleaner gives you an opportunity, be ready, because he won’t ask you again if you blow it. It’s easier for him to just do the job himself, and if he’s going down with the ship, he’s going to make sure he’s the captain.

A Cleaner’s job is to take control and determine what has to happen to get results.

The only way you can light other people on fire is to be lit yourself, from the inside. Professional, cool, focused. If you had a bad night and you can’t show up the next day ready to go, or you can’t show up at all, that doesn’t affect just you, it affects everyone around you. A professional doesn’t let other people down just because of personal issues. If you need to show up, you show up. You might detest every individual in the room, but if your presence makes them all feel better, if it pulls the team together, if it results in better performances, then you’ve helped yourself to get one step closer to your own goal. That’s how you get others to come up to your level: show them where it is, and set the example that allows them to get there.

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