22Wash Your Hands! Developing a Culture of Accountability
“WASH YOUR HANDS!” Most of us have heard this refrain thousands of times throughout our childhoods. We were made to do so by parents who simply could not imagine our sitting down to eat after we had played outside all day long without first doing so. Our hands were dirty; they were covered in sweat and grime. Knuckles were scraped and bleeding after falls from our bikes. We had sand and mud stuck deep under our fingernails. Washing hands is one of the most important and effective ways to avoid getting sick or spreading germs.1
For Eric Kapitulik, the message remains the same, but the deliverer has changed. Eric’s wife now tells him to do so every time after feeding their chickens. Washing our hands takes some effort and time. It would be easier and quicker if we didn’t do it, but doing so makes us, and the team, healthier. As any parent knows, when one child gets sick, the whole family gets sick.
Many individuals will not willingly hold a teammate accountable. For most of us, it is easier to say nothing, to just sit down at the table and start eating despite the dirt and grime. Parents must at times force hands to be washed, but they make it easy to do so. As children, we may not enjoy doing it, but at the very least, we accept it. Eventually, we even come to realize that the person demanding it has both our and the family’s best interest at heart; they are ensuring that all family members are as healthy as possible. ...