Hi there I'm Angela Brown in this is Ask a
House Cleaner.
This is a show where you get to ask a housecleaning
question,
and I get to help you find an answer.
Today’s question comes from a guy who owns
a house cleaning company.
And he's responsible for motivating a team
of people to get up every single day and to
go to work and have a great attitude.
And his question is “how do you do that?”
Okay, that is awesome question and it is a
question that homeowners everywhere are asking
about their employees and teams of house cleaners
that they send out into the field.
Now if I had the answer to that question in
there was one magic bullet I would package
it all up and I would be rich.
Okay, with the reality is we are dealing with
humans.
And because we're dealing with humans or dealing
with a whole bunch of really variety style
problems, challenges, disappointments, excitements,
frustrations, anxieties.
Whatever.
Right?
We're not dealing with robots.
This is not something you can just systematize
and send out into the workforce.
When somebody's having an awesome day someone
else on your team is having a really bad day
and there are things that you can't control
like divorce.
One of your employees shows up in there going
through a divorce, and their head is down
and they're Solon and they're crying.
And they'll be cleaning a stove and your turn
around their eyes are bloodshot and tears
running down their face and,
you want to give him a really big hug and
you're on the clock and you like; “What
do I do?”
Right?
We're all dealing with different kinds of
stuff.
So what's really important for me and
has worked for me is to check in frequently.
Like frequently, whether it's every
day or whether it's multiple times a day,
to just kind of get a vibe and a pulse on
that particular person.
There are people that are just intrinsically
happy.
Nothing flusters them.
Stuff just rolls off their back and they’re
cool.
And then there are other people that wear
their heart strings on their sleeves.
And if you look at them cross-eyed will bust
up into tears
and they’re highly emotional people.
It’s like walking on eggshells around them
at all times, and so you have to tread very
lightly and you have to be gentle.
My first thing that I go for is the feel-felt-found
method.
Because I don't want to start pontificating
and giving advice when really all they want
to do is be heard.
And so “Hey, I noticed that you look really
sad.”
And I don't want to encourage them to like
mope and you know use me as a free therapist
but if it's me or it's the customer -- I would
way rather than tell me, right?
I want to be the one that receives that, not
the customer.
So, if you need to get something off your
chest go ahead and share that with me.
Let's make sure that we're in a place of coping
and being civil so that when you go out to
a customer's house you can actually provide
them to the best customer experience right?
Okay, so I understand how you feel.
Okay, yeah and you just listen, you know,
yeah, okay, um hum,
And then I know, I know how you feel or I
don't know how you feel, that must be very
difficult for you.
Many people have gone through divorces have
found that their life does continue but it
takes a little bit of time.
So my question to you is do you need some
time off?
Do you need to make sure that while you're
going through this particular, process that
you come in an hour late every day?
So that you can go work out in the morning
and get some endorphins
running through your body.
Is that is that something that you really
need to focus on right now?
And it may be that you have to adjust their
schedule so that you can be more accommodating
to them through a time of despair.
Because if I can bring somebody in an hour
late every day, but it gets them out the door
and gets them exercising, and they report
back to me and I'm their accountability partner.
Then at least they're going to show up to
work an hour late rather than not at all because
they called in stressed out and moping and
crying and in just a huge state of depression.
So there are case-by-case basis there are
some things you're going to have to do.
But as an employee owner, as a boss, as the
guy that's in charge of managing everybody
on your team your job is you are a motivational
coach every single day.
Every single day (Laughing)
There are people you're going to have to motivate
every single day.
You're going to have to give them a pat on
the back every single day.
You’re going to have to give them a swift
kick in the butt every day.
Every single day you're going to have to rip
off that mask, of tears and whining and crying
and frustration and a customer looked at them
cross-eyed.
The customer had complaints.
They got called back for a satisfaction guarantee,
whatever it might be.
Every single day you're going to end up being
a motivational coach to these people.
And so get really good at reading motivational
books.
Get really good at listening to motivational
podcasts.
And get really good at creating a little barrier
around you so that when all of that comes
in, it doesn't stick.
Because you can't turn around as a motivational
coach and go home to your family and take
all of that and spew that on them, right?
You have to leave that there at work and go
“Whew.”
Peel off that mask.
Hang it up, and then turn around and go back
to your own happy family.
It takes a really dedicated person to be able
to deal with the high-strung emotions that
we run into so many times in this business.
And so the people that just think they're
going to run off and steal all your customers
they're going to run a business and grow bigger
and faster than you there a lot of things
they don't understand like the motivational
coach part.
It’s a huge part of your business and if
you can't maintain your employees and you
can't maintain the vibe of your business.
You won't have a business.
I mean it's pure and simple.
So, my suggestion to you is be caring.
Listen.
Feel-felt-found.
Listen first.
Try to identify with the person.
Let them know they're not the only person
in the world that has felt this way.
I hate to say this, and it’s going to sound
really callous.
But when somebody's going through divorce
they're not the first person that's ever gone
through a divorce.
Right?
We all know people that have made it through
on the other side and has been successful.
They live full developed happy normal carefree
lives on the other side of this emotional
breakdown that is going on right now that's
a divorce.
I feel-felt-found.
“People found, and these are the solutions
they found…” and then help them find a
solution.
Help them find a solution that is specific
to them.
Like I said if the girl can come in an hour
later but it means she's exercising everyday,
she's going to be in better shape for the
job, and she's going to be
in a better mental place.
And I would rather have her for seven hours
a day then have her skip out whole days at
a time because she's not “there.”
Alright, that's my tip for today.
Best of luck to you.
You’ve got the show notes.
You’ve got my email.
You’ve got AskaHouseCleaner.com
Keep me posted.
I want to hear how this goes for you okay?
Cool.
So, until we meet again,
leave the world a cleaner place than when you found it.