How are you motivating these six employee types?
Troubleshooting a paint problem may seem much simpler than troubleshooting a personnel problem; but, as with paint, there are tried tricks you can use to get the results you want. When it comes to motivating your employees to achieve the behaviors you want to see, you have to think like those painters. Art Snarzyk, founder of InnerView Advisors and a business management consultant in St. Peters, Mo., will tell you, “Motivation is an individual thing. If you ask somebody, ‘If you ran into $500 or wound up with an extra Saturday this weekend, what would you do with it,’ you’ll get an answer into how they’re motivated.”
Motivation is deeply personal, but you can start to build some strategies by looking at a few potential motivators. One strategy that works for marketing and HR teams is to think in terms of personas. Personas are fictional yet realistic “characters” that are created to represent a certain type of user or, in your case, employee. Creating these personas can help get you and your supervisors thinking more deeply about why your employees do the things they do and how to keep them happy. APC
Steve
The Lifter
Age: 68
You know you can count on Steve to be there for you. Even after he retires. He knows painting and has stories to tell, often starting with his childhood spent on job sites with his dad. Every time Steve considered veering into another career, painting called him back. Same thing both times he threatened to retire. Steve doesn’t like to sit still long, and there’s just something about the mechanical task and the focus it demands that appeals to him. He’s a part of the team and takes great pride in what he does. These days you find yourself cherry-picking the projects you know Steve’s aching back can handle, but you know your longest-term employee isn’t ready to stop working just yet.
Goals: To have a way to support himself during his retirement.
Motivation: Steady employment and job security
Frustrations: Lack of healthcare. After all, Steve has spent a lifetime tearing up his back and shoulders and now he’s paying for it daily. How he helps you: Steve has a lifetime of technical skill knowledge within him and is the breathing embodiment of your company. He may not be able to scale a ladder as quickly as he once did, but if you pair him with your new workers you can more quickly train them on technical skills.
How you can help him: Pick projects that give Steve some downtime and put him at less risk of muscle pain or falls. And although Steve may have a lifetime of knowledge, teaching doesn’t come easy to everyone. See about offering Steve some training and insight on how to be a mentor to an up-and-coming generation that is likely to do things a bit differently than he does.
Doug
The Low-Key Craftsman
Age: 38
Doug is all about the painting lifestyle: working outside with a schedule that shifts with the seasons. He’s not looking for a lot of responsibility. Still, he values the freedom and flexibility that painting has to offer, so he can be counted on to do his best. Because he enjoys his technician role and is happy to keep it, he’s easy to get along with. More valuable yet, Doug has spent enough time on the job to pick up some craftsmanship skills that are a benefit to your crew and, consequently, attractive to your competitors. But make no mistake, Doug is not living for work, but working to live. If a better offer comes along — whether from a competitor or a chance to live a new adventure — he’ll be ready to move on.
Motivation: Work-life balance, competitive pay.
How he helps you: Doug sees the major value of a career in painting so he’s willing to work hard to keep his position.
How you can help him: Doug isn’t looking to rise up the ranks, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take advantage of his knowledge. With his easygoing nature and the skills he’s picked up, pair him with more junior painters and trust he’ll get the job done.
Goals: Keeping steady employment.
Frustrations: Inflexible employers and leading a team.
Linda
The Climber
Age: 28
Make no mistake, Linda may be Painter I today, but this craftsperson has places to go — straight to the top of the chain of command. She’s discovered a passion for working with people and she sees your company as a place to explore management. Linda particularly enjoys interacting with customers, as this gives her an opportunity to share what she knows and the true value of the company. And she’s not shy to share her ideas on how your company could improve, whether you ask for it or not. Lately, however, Linda has been less eager to share those ideas, and you’re starting to wonder if this millennial asset might be moving to one of your local competitors.
Motivation: Personal and technical improvement, increasing pay, and benefits.
How she helps you: Linda is a team player, and she wants to make sure the entire team excels. This outside-the-box thinker needs to understand company priorities and goals so she can apply them in her day-to-day work. Put Linda to work recruiting more employees with her drive, and give her an opportunity to work with your apprentices or younger staff to show them how to live your company values.
How you can help her: Create a clear career path with training opportunities along the way to help Linda achieve her goals. Regular touch points, including performance reviews or quick discussions after your regular crew meetings, let Linda know you value her and are acting on
her feedback. Your feedback will make sure you’re getting
ideas that can add real value to the company.
Goals: A clear path to the top. Linda has her eye on a fulfilling career and comfortable retirement, and she’ll get it with your company or not.
Frustrations: Not being recognized for what she brings to the table. Linda works hard on her craft and is a source of many ideas for how to improve the company. If you’re not showing her that you’re acting on those ideas, she may take them elsewhere.
Joe
The Plodder
Age: 35
Joe somehow found himself painting a building back in the ’00s and decided painting was as good a job as any. He follows the lines laid out by management close enough to keep employed, but he isn’t really looking to take advantage of any of the skills training you offer. Joe is happy enough on a summer day to be working alongside a team who doesn’t mind his ribald sense of humor, although you tend to assign him to projects where you know the customer won’t be home. He wants to come in and do the work, following the directions to the letter and absolutely no more. He’s not taking responsibility or risk, and don’t expect him to talk to a customer.
Motivation: A paycheck.
How he helps you: You’re short on painters, right? Joe knows the job and can be counted on to get it done, even if he isn’t exactly wowing the customer. Take advantage of what he knows, particularly during your busy season. As you take care of Joe by giving him regular work and understanding the personal interests that make him tick, you might find you get more loyalty — and, consequently, productivity — out of him.
How you can help him: Give Joe a solid checklist to make sure he gets tasks done as expected. He won’t shirk the jobs you give to him, but expectations need to be clearly outlined. More frequent performance reviews that keep those expectations front of mind can also help.
Goals: To keep a job.
Frustrations: Getting pushed out of his comfort zone.
Aiden
The Gen-Z Kid
Age: 28
Aiden started out as an apprentice and decided your company was as good a place as any to enter the workforce. He’s one of the hardest workers on your team and eager to learn more but seems to need nearly constant feedback to complete any task. Despite that, he’s not shy about speaking up when he sees a problem. In fact, it’s hard to believe the number of texts you’ve already received from Aiden about the unfairness to the team of a co-worker who shows up late on a regular basis.
Motivation: Frequent feedback, competitive pay and a desire to do something that matters in the world. Expect Aiden to be your first Paint-It-Forward program volunteer.
How he helps you: This digital native lives online, and you can benefit from that. Encourage your recruit to post positively about the company and turn from selfies to promotional marketing pics on every project. Just make sure you first institute a clear social media policy that clearly lays out do’s and don’ts.
How you can help him: Frequent feedback and a clear promotion path can help turn today’s apprentice into tomorrow’s vice president. Also consider embracing a digital strategy for connecting your team. Facebook’s collaboration spaces and other platforms might be a great way to gauge progress and give this recruit the regular praise he needs. But don’t focus on digital support alone — this green painter can blossom with the right mentor.
Goals: What goals? This youth is just entering the workforce and is looking for something or someone to help him figure out what he wants to do with his life. His parents, on the other hand, are looking to set their kid on a career path and want to know how painting will support their son.
Frustrations: Unfairness on the job and a chain of command where he doesn’t have a direct channel to the top.
George
The Complainer
Age: 36
George does a decent enough job of painting, but it’s tough to assign him to a crew. You’ve got one supervisor and two technicians who have told you they just can’t take his negativity anymore. With George, the site’s always too hot, the customer is too demanding and the equipment problems are too much to handle. Somehow you’ve been able to look past it … until today, when you got the first calls from your customer’s neighbor demanding an explanation for the overspray covering their car. All signs point to George, yet he vehemently refuses to take responsibility for the mishap. How could you let this get so far?
Motivation: This personality seems to thrive on negativity.
How he helps you: Well, there’s a labor shortage and he is able to lift a paintbrush.
How you can help him: Try to listen to George to see if you can get to the bottom of his concerns. Once you recognize those concerns can’t be addressed no matter how hard
you try, you can safely assume it’s not you, it’s him. Let him know the complaining must stop. Ultimately, you may find you’re helping everyone if you just let George go.
Goals: To get a regular paycheck while doing the bare minimum.
Frustrations: Team members who are always trying to pin problems on him. After all, it’s not his fault you’re always buying the cheapest equipment for your painters!
