Mike AndesFounder, Augusta Lawn Care and Homeworks · Founder of Homeworks and Augusta Lawn Care

You Can’t Force People To Care

4 May 2026 · 1 min

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1:04

In this monologue, speaker Mike Andes reflects on the challenges of leading young blue‑collar workers who often lack positive role models and view their jobs as the only viable option rather than a chosen career. He argues that leaders should present the company’s mission and opportunities uniformly to every employee, ensuring equal access to growth paths. Andes stresses the importance of patience, noting that individuals may only embrace broader aspirations—such as ownership—after time and personal experience. He advises against imposing a forced agenda, instead recommending clear communication of goals, transparent opportunities, and supportive guidance that allows workers to come around at their own pace.

Chapters

Again, a lot of the young guys in the blue-collar work that we do, they haven't really had any kind of, a lot of times they haven't had positive role models. They're doing blue-collar work typically not because it was a first choice, but because it was just the only option available. So I think it's important to kind of lay everything out for everyone the same way. Every employee that comes in, they have the same opportunities. The mission is still the same. They can all be a part of it. I think that's about all you can control. As the leader. And then ultimately, you know, you can guide and support them along the way. Some people come around at varying times. Like, you know, it took me close to a year after working in the field to open my mind to something else, like to open my mind to becoming an owner, because for that whole first year I was literally just like, want to drink energy drinks and get jobs done, you know what I mean? So a lot of guys come in like that. You can't force your agenda like down their throat, you know what I mean? They come around at their own speed. So I think that's really all you could do is just be clear with the, the goals of the business, the opportunities that it presents for them, how they fit into that, how you can guide and support them.