The New Zealand All Blacks are the most successful rugby franchise of all time. They have a legacy that rivals the great teams in nearly every other sport, from the San Antonio Spurs to the New England Patriots to the U.S. women’s national soccer team. How have they done this? By being tough, of course. By being extremely talented, obviously. But there is a lesser-known and counterintuitive element to their success as well: they clean up after themselves. In his book Legacy, James Kerr portrays the team tidying up the locker room after a game: Sweeping the sheds.
Doing it properly.
So no one else has to.
Because no one looks after the All Blacks. The All Blacks look after themselves.
If you want your kids to clean up after themselves, you have to teach them why it matters. If you want them to look after themselves, you have to teach them to find pride and satisfaction in that. If you want them to sweep the sheds, you have to teach them that it isn’t just a chore. It’s a statement of priority. A statement of character and commitment and self-sufficiency—an illustration of who you are.
How we do anything is how we do everything is the lesson parents have to pass along to their kids. Leaving a mess isn’t just a mess—it shows that you’re a mess.