Fleet Safety -­ How To Manage the Utilitarian Driver

“I want a raise.”

If you're a manager,you've heard that; and we've all said it.

Let's face it. We need money to survive. So, you'd think everyone would be passionate about having a lot of it. Some people are driven by making money; others are content with just enough to get by (believe it or not).

Drivers who score high in the Utilitarian value are driven to make a lot of money. Even more than that, they're motivated by getting a return on investment of their time, talent and resources. They are practical people who want utility in all areas of life. They may have a high need to surpass others in wealth.

Drivers, and others, high in the Utilitarian (Economic) value are good at setting and meeting goals and they’re highly motivated by economic incentives. They will measure their work effort and success in terms of how much money they make. They’ll work long and hard to achieve success.

Value to Your Company
People high in this value are good workers. They’re:

*Able to multi-task
*Able to keep important projects moving
*Competitive
*Highly productive
*Highly responsive to competition, challenges, and financial rewards

Managing the High Utilitarian Driver
Keys to managing and motivating these drivers are:

*Realize that it’s not just money that motivates them, but also personal payback from the job.
*Assure that economic rewards are fair, clearly communicated, and provide a high-end return for those willing to work for them.
*Be aware that for those who score in this very high range there is a potential for low company loyalty.
*Be certain to reward performance and encourage participation as an important member of the team.
*Be certain they are balancing their professional and personal life as much as possible.

Professional Development
When training those driven by the Utilitarian attitude:

*Make group competition part of the activities.
*Provide monetary rewards and incentives for continuing professional development and training.
*Provide information and means for them to increase bottom-line results and effectiveness.

Continuous Improvements
Areas in which managers may need to guide and mentor these drivers are:

*Understand they may have an insatiable desire to achieve goals and need encouragement in not being so attached to the outcome of their efforts.
*Help them hide the dollar signs in their eyes so they can establish better rapport with others.
*Help them bring balance to their workaholic tendencies.

These tips come from the Workplace Motivators™ assessment developed by Target Training International. It was done on someone who ranks #1 in the Utilitarian attitude.

It’s vital for fleet managers to understand the behavioral styles and values of their team members in order to manage them effectively as individuals. It’s important not just for managers, but for all team members. Values team-building training is one of the best investments you can make in your people.

Research shows the safest drivers are high in the Social (Humanitarian) value and low in the Individualistic (Power) value. Utilitarian drivers are high risk takers, which may be a detriment to safe driving.

If you want to increase your odds of keeping good drivers, hire those low in the Utilitarian value. They'll be less likely to jump ship for higher pay.

If you'd like more information on driver behaviors and attitudes, subscribe to our free newsletter at http://www.hiresafedrivers.com and visit our blog at http://www.hiresafedrivers.blogspot.com Annette Estes is a Certified Professional Behavoral and Values Analyst and author of the award-winning book, Why Can't You See It My Way? Resolving Values Conflicts at Work and Home. © Copyright 2007. Annette Estes. All rights reserved.