We hire quality cleaning technicians. Most don’t come to us with experience as professional cleaners. But they do come with an attitude well-suited for success—they want to clean for Top Mops, but they don’t have to. They want to do active work that brings value to others. But they don’t clean because they’re desperate or because they have to. They choose to clean. They choose Top Mops!
This have-to-versus-want-to attitude difference has everything to do with a technician’s perception of locus of control. Is my life controlled from the outside? Or am I in control of my destiny? Can I shape my own life? Or do I just fit into some else’s mold?
Your Attitude Can Deplete You or Energize You
A want-to attitude goes beyond semantics—it reveals the motive. A rule follower, who doesn’t want to work, can do a good job. But following rules is a have-to proposition—it fulfills someone else’s expectations. It wears you out. It strips you of creativity. It short circuits original thinking. It heartlessly limits engagement. It depletes.
But the want-to attitude energizes. It still takes discipline and self-regulation, but now there’s internalized ownership. Now we look at the work of cleaning with interest. We want to do it better. We strive for efficiency. We want to manage our supplies and equipment with care. We want to satisfy our customers.
The Want-To Attitude Leads to Flourishing
The want-to attitude always leads to flourishing. The child who wants to play a musical instrument excels over the long haul. But a have-to student burns out. A have-to entrepreneur puts in as little as possible but then is often disappointed with the results. But a want-to entrepreneur loves the adventure of building something great out of nothing. She invests everything—time, money, and endless dreaming. She’s all in without reserve. She does whatever it takes. And she loves every minute of it.
Do our cleaning technicians always want to clean? Do they love every minute of it? Of course not. But overall, they’re fulfilled. Satisfied. They find meaning in what they’re doing, which, in turn, fuels their want-to attitudes. And the more they focus on their work—doing a good job to please customers—the more they like their jobs.
Want-To Attitude: 3 Times Higher than Money
Top Mops pays its cleaning technicians very well. We want our employees to make a good living wage. But we don’t want the money to be the primary motivator—wages are external rewards for performing a task like cleaning.
Research by Yoon Jik Cho and James Perry suggests that employee engagement levels are three times higher for intrinsic motives versus extrinsic rewards like money.
We hire people with want-to attitudes. But we also try to teach them to focus on the task and the positive parts of the cleaning process. This task-process focus brings so much more enjoyment than just the reward of money.
If you want a technician with a want-to attitude to assist you in cleaning your home, give Top Mops Cleaning Service a call: 859-276-2222. Or email us at info@topmopscleaning.com.
We’d love to give you a free estimate.
