#415 Drains. Someone else’s neglect.

A clogged drain doesn’t stay polite—it spreads. We take that everyday frustration and turn it into a clear playbook for working inside shared systems where your habits touch mine and mine touch yours. Using the image of an apartment line that backs up across units, we break down why small neglect becomes big mess, how to keep your “pipe” clear, and what to do when someone else’s choices create a flood in your lane.

We start with the core idea: shared drains require shared responsibility. From team projects to households and communities, systems behave like plumbing—inputs accumulate, capacity is finite, and maintenance matters. I walk through two simple rules that keep everything flowing: first, don’t neglect your own drain to the point it impacts someone else; second, have a plan for how you’ll respond when someone else’s neglect impacts you. That plan beats blame every time, and it sounds like triage, transparent communication, and a quick retrofit of the process so the same clog is less likely to recur.

We also get honest about emotions. When our oversight creates work for others, guilt can pull us off-center. When we inherit a mess, anger can make us reactive. I share how I work through those spikes, shifting from self-attack or outrage to design thinking: name the issue neutrally, describe the impact, fix what’s immediate, and build a small safeguard. We translate this into practical moves—weekly “maintenance moments,” visible ownership, and early pings that surface hairline cracks before they become breaks. Along the way, you’ll hear prompts to map your own shared drains at work and at home, plus simple scripts that keep dignity intact while restoring flow.

If this sparked a new way to see your systems, subscribe, share with a teammate, and leave a quick review with your biggest takeaway. Your story might be the nudge someone else needs to keep their line clear.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome & This Week’s Theme
• 0:35 Shared Drains, Shared Responsibility
• 1:16 Two Practical Rules for Teams
• 1:51 Listener Reflections & Call-In

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Welcome to the Growth Instigators Hotline. I'm Aaron Havinger, host and growth coach. This is message 415. This week we are talking about drains, an everyday normal object that we can assign deeper meaning to, something that can grab our attention and represent something beyond. What are some lessons we can glean from drains? Okay, talking about drains this week has been a lot of fun. Tune in to the weekend edition tomorrow to hear the item that we've picked for next week. Today, though, is part five of our drains edition, and it's this. Shared drains required shared responsibility. That's right, shared drains require shared responsibility. Think about an apartment complex. One clogged drain can back up into every unit on the floor. Whether it's playing for a team or putting your hand to the same plow with someone and you're doing something together, we all need to remember that what you allow or neglect affects everyone. Shared systems require shared care. Hey, it's all fun and games when my own drain is flowing well. It's a whole nother ball game when my drain is backing up because of someone else's neglect. Alright, here's a good thing to remember. Two things. One, don't neglect your own drain to the point it impacts someone else. And number two, have a game plan on how you will react if someone else's neglect backs your drain up. Alright, what are your thoughts on this? I have to do some deep work to come out okay in scenarios like this. Because I either feel one, super guilty that my neglect causes work for someone else, or two, I get super mad that I have to do work cleaning up a mess that someone else's neglect has caused me. Maybe I need counseling. That's about all I can handle on this topic. I'd like to hear your thoughts. That, my friend, is how a common everyday object can instigate growth. I'd like to hear some more of your observations. What growth lessons can you apply to drains? For those of you calling growth instigators hotline, I'd love to hear your thoughts after the beep. For those of you listening in on our podcast, visit growth instigators.com and send me your thoughts. Let's never see drains the same.