The Loose Lug Nuts Fiasco
My wife’s Honda CRV started making a rhythmic thumping sound on the way to Church. The rhythm matched our speed. When she pushed the brakes, it stopped. I said, “It must be the brake pads.”
She said, “It sounds like loose lug nuts.” You should know, my wife doesn’t have mechanical ability. I do. But her assessment was the result of a trip to West Virginia about three years ago.
We were driving home from a speaking engagement when her car started making a rhythmic thumping noise. It stopped when she put on the brakes. We stopped to inspect the tires. I couldn’t find the problem, so we called a tow truck.
We Ubered to the garage. By the time we arrived, the Honda was fixed. It was loose lug nuts. The recent commotion sounded exactly like the West Virginia fiasco.
After lunch, I jacked up the ailing Honda and took off the rear tire. The lug nuts were tight. See! I knew it wasn’t the lug nuts. Everything looked fine. I returned to the house defeated. Monday morning, I would call a professional.
A couple hours later I said to myself, “You didn’t check all tires for loose lug nuts.” The driver’s-side front was tight. So was the passenger’s-side rear. But the passenger’s side front lug nuts were loose!
I told my wife, “You were right. It was loose lug nuts.” She shrugged and smiled.
3 Lessons from Loose Lug Nuts:
- Other people could be right, even when they don’t know as much as you believe you know.
- Look for the simplest solution first.
- Pattern recognition simplifies life. “Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it.” – George Santayana (We aren’t learning from the past when the same frustrations persist.)
What lessons can you learn from loose lug nuts?
Which of the above lessons is most valuable for leaders?
Still curious:
3 Lessons from Tires that Aren’t Flat and other Inconveniences
Why it’s Important to find Simple Solutions to Complex Problems – Gordon Tredgold
