Joy Mangano is an American businesswoman, inventor, and creator of the self-wringing Miracle Mop. Like everyone else, Joy started with a dream. She became an inventor at a young age when she dreamed up a fluorescent flea collar to keep pets safe. At the time, she was a teenager working at an animal hospital in New York. Although that invention never saw the light of day, years later, in 1990, she developed the Miracle Mop, a self-wringing plastic mop. The mop was quite unlike any before it. The head was made from a continuous loop of 300 feet (90 meters) of cotton that can be squeezed out without the user touching it and getting their hands soiled in the process. Using her savings and investments from family and friends, she made a prototype and manufactured 1000 units. She began by selling the mop at trade shows and in local stores but soon had an opportunity to sell on QVC. At first, it sold moderately, but once Joy was permitted by QVC to go on-air to sell it herself, 18,000 mops were sold in less than half an hour. That was a significant breakthrough that took her business to a whole new level. A decade later her company was selling $10 million worth of Miracle Mops every year. Joy went on to produce other items including the velvet no-slip hangers which Oprah Winfrey endorsed (Wikipedia). In 2015 a movie, JOY, was made about her life, and although it is fiction many parts are factual, and even those parts which are not based on facts contain powerful lessons which are beneficial to the woman pursuing her purpose. As such they will be mentioned here.
Leadership Lessons from the Life of Joy Mangano
- Everyone starts with a dream of what life will be like for them. But as people grow older and are surrounded by those who find it challenging to accomplish their own desires and who will make it their business to let them know at every turn that their dreams are beyond their reach they begin to believe that it is impossible to accomplish their goals and so they settle for less. They give up the desire to live and begin to make a living like everyone else.
- Dreamers need a team to work with them to fulfil their dreams. Joy had an idea, but she couldn’t achieve it alone. According to John C. Maxwell, one is too small of a number to achieve significance. We need other people if our dreams will become tangible. We need those who believe enough to invest in our ideas, whether it is their money, time, or skills.
- Our pain often leads to the discovery of an idea. In the movie, Joy cuts her hand while trying to wring a mop she was using to clean a surface that was covered in liquid and broken glass. It was a painful experience, there were fragments of glass in her palms, but it caused her to think of the possibility of a mop that could wring itself. And as they say, the rest is history.
- Ask for help. You need people; you need their help, their money, their time, and their skills. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you need to make your dream a reality. In the movie, Joy helps everyone in her family without making demands on them in return. But when it was time to bring her dream to fruition, she politely but firmly requested a return for the favours she had given. When we need help, we should not be ashamed or afraid to ask for it. We must know when to ask for support. Great women do.
- Don’t let others speak on your behalf. In the movie, Joy’s sister spoke on her behalf and almost ruined her company. It is essential to state here that Joy has no sister in reality, but the lesson from the movie is vital, nonetheless. People who have not been authorised to speak on your behalf have no business doing so, and you have no business honouring any arrangements they made on your behalf as they were acting without your permission in the first instance.
- There will be dark days. Night precedes day. Get ready for rejection. Not everyone will receive your ideas with open arms, and they don’t have to. But if you keep going the yes will begin to come, the doors will start to open, the day will break, and the darkness will disappear.
- When you begin to pursue your dreams, look out for petty jealousy. In the movie, we see Joy face plenty of petty jealousy from those close to her. People will not necessarily hate what you are doing; they will just hate that it is you doing it. They will undermine what you do and say there is nothing special about it and that anybody can do it. Ignore the distractions and keep moving in the direction of your goals.
- Naysayers will tell you that you can’t. Oh yes, prepare for that too. As you begin to act on your dreams, naysayers will spring from everywhere and tell you that you can’t embark on the journey. They will give you the reasons why you will fail. But please understand that often it is not that you can’t, as much as it is that they couldn’t. They will project their failure and regrets on you.
- You will have to fight for what you want. It will not drop in your lap. You will have to make sacrifices. You will lose some things. In the movie, Joy almost lost her home, and she signed the papers declaring she was bankrupt. The pursuit of dreams is not easy or cheap, and that is why not everyone can see their ideas come to fruition.
- You will have to demonstrate to those investing in you that you have what it takes. Ideas simply are not enough, no matter how good they are. There is a person that you must become to see your dreams come to fruition. If you don’t become that person, your ideas are never realised. It’s as simple as that.
- Sometimes you must reject rejection. You have to say no to the nos. That’s what Joy did. In the movie, when the first attempt to sell her mops on QVC failed, she was informed that there was nothing more they could do for her. It was over. But she had made thousands of mops and re-mortgaged her house at this point, so she wasn’t taking no for an answer. She demanded a second chance and an opportunity to go on air to sell the mops herself. She got what she wanted. When you reject rejection, you will invariably get a second chance.
- You will be embarrassed. Prepare to be humiliated. People are cruel, especially frustrated people who have not realised their dreams. They will laugh at you; they will mock you, and they will ridicule you. They will tell you that you are a bad wife, bad mother, bad daughter, etc. You will encounter these things. In the movie, Joy had to face humiliation before she had her big break. And I am confident that there was nothing fictional about that part of the film.
- Sometimes you will throw in the towel. Oh yes, life will test you before it lets you have your dream. You will reach your breaking point and more often than not, you will break down and cry and throw in the towel. But you know what? That’s okay. When you’re done crying, pick up the towel, wipe your eyes, and get back in the race. That’s what Joy did.
- Be careful when you take advice. Not everyone can give you sound advice. Don’t seek medical advice from a lawyer or legal counsel from your doctor. Do your homework. Don’t let people intimidate you because of what you don’t know. Don’t let them twist your arm to do things their way. Do your due diligence. In the movie, Joy makes costly mistakes at the commencement of her business because she accepts counsel that was given to her without doing an investigation to determine if those advising her were right. She eventually corrects the mistake but only after she has done her homework.
What happened to you? What has become of the dreams you had as a child? What would your younger self say to you? Would they thank you?
