My gentleman and I went paint shopping at Home Depot last weekend. As we waited for the paint expert to complete our order, I noticed a smiling young man in a Home Depot uniform, close by. The paint expert lifted the tin of paint from the mixer and presented the color to the customer, who nodded gleeful acceptance. As he sealed the tin, my eye caught the color – a vibrant orange.
“Wow! What color is that?” I asked.
“Don’t worry” replied the paint expert “This is not yours. I’m mixing yours now.”
“Well, I just love orange – it’s my favorite color. I’d paint my entire home orange, but boyfriend here, thinks I need to tone down a bit.” I smiled. Boyfriend was right, as he often is.
“As much as I love orange working here,” the hovering young man interjected, pointing to the orange Home Depot vest, “I never wear it outside of work.”
The paint expert concurred, and strode off to help my gentleman select paint accessories. The young man and I continued ..
“You love working here don’t you? ” I said, more a statement than a question as I noticed the light beaming from his eyes. My joy-dar is rarely wrong.
“Yes I do. I really love this company. I even got a tattoo of the logo” he added, emerging from behind the counter, rolling up the leg of his pant to show me, lest I didn’t believe him.
Austin loves this company. He’s worked there for 7 years, and never wants to leave. He has plans to move up the ladder but wants to stay in the store, because he really loves helping people. His grandmother worked there too – indeed it was she who recommended that he apply when he got laid off from another job. I could have chatted with him all day, this blog already taking shape in my mind, but he had to excuse himself to care for other customers needing help with their weekend paint projects.
What makes a person this loyal, this passionate and committed to a company? There must be something going right with their culture, I surmised. So I checked the Home Depot Values on their website, and noted the very first one:
“Taking care of our people:
The key to our success is treating people well. We do this by encouraging associates to speak up and take risks, by recognizing and rewarding good performance and by leading and developing people so they may grow.”
(Click here for the other 7 Values)
I hold no brief for Home Depot. The few times I have been there the service was OK, but I wasn’t blown away. Google searches reveal mixed reviews on their culture, so I don’t know to what extent these values are consistently taken seriously I.e. lived, and not just posted on the wall
What explains Austin then, and his unconcealed delight at working there? He obviously has the right attitude, is clear and focused on his aspirations, and has found a place that aligns with who he is. I hope Home Depot realizes what a treasure they have in him, takes care of him and helps him to be the best he can be.
And I hope that this story inspires you to ask yourself a few questions:
- Where are the Austins in our organization?
- How can we focus on finding, hiring and developing them?
- What would we need to do to so inspire love and loyalty in our team members that they get, and show off, a tattoo of our logo?
I love this article. There are many employees like Austin but unfortunately, unlike Austin, they are overlooked by their organizations and they leave if they remain unfulfilled and unrecognized for too long. Many bounce around in frustration and unrealized expectations all the way through to retirement!
I believe recognition of such an employee begins with their immediate supervisor. Management at this level should be trained to recognize, acknowledge, encourage, and reward talent that aligns with the organizations’ values and visions. It would be a win/win for employers/employees.
Thanks for your comment Eve. I believe there’s an Austin in each of us … yes, the supervisor is important (is he/she an Austin?) but so is the person. What struck me about Austin is how clear he is about what he wants – to move up the ladder, but stay in the store. He knows he’s in the right place. Many many people stay in the wrong organisation, which spends oodles of money to get them to fit – square pegs need to find square holes!!!
Gratefully and joyfully
Marguerite
Thanks for your response Marguerite. I agree with you…at the end of the day, the individual has to not only know and believe in what they want out of life for themselves, they must be self-motivated to take the necessary steps forward…and upward. Thanks for sharing the story of Austin, and the message.