What Makes PMPs Happy Professionally?

Our team always enjoys working on the January cover story, which for the last nine years has featured research conducted in partnership with the National Pest Management Association and sponsored by BASF. We look forward to hearing from many of you on topics that are so critical to your business’ success. For these surveys, we dig deep into business topics du jour like recruitment and retention, wages and benefits, and diversity.

Last fall, when discussing potential topics for this survey, I was feeling a bit frazzled and overwhelmed. (Don’t we all feel that way these days?) Perhaps that’s why I was intrigued by the idea to ask PMPs about a wide range of topics, which is different than how we’ve done these surveys in the past. Historically, we’ve done a deep dive into just one subject. But there is SO MUCH going on in the pest management industry right now, that I couldn’t stop wondering about so many interesting topics. And with the economy all over the place and new business trends popping up all the time, it just didn’t feel like the time for a single-topic survey.

Together with NPMA, we decided on the topics we were most interested in. The result was a 43-question survey covering everything from sustainability and economic trends to new marketing techniques and employee productivity. Thanks to the 430 of you who took the survey!

We also included two questions that were not about business or pest management trends. We asked: “What does ‘personal’ and ‘professional’ success mean to you?” (Visit this issue’s “online extras” for the answers to the first part of the question.)

How do your fellow PMPs define professional success? The top three answers — enjoying work on a daily basis, financial success and making a difference — had roughly the same number of affirmative responses. I too value all of those. The fourth most popular answer — “working with a good team in a good environment” — came in at 62 percent. That’s higher on my personal list. While I enjoy what I do, and I certainly love working in the pest management industry, the people I work with every day, well, they make coming to work fun. They always say it’s about the people, right? It very much is for me.

Anne Nagro, who is not a PCT staffer but who has written for PCT for almost 20 years, enhances my work life with her friendship as well. We email almost every day (no exaggeration) and we talk on the phone regularly. We’ve shared happiness and heartache like old friends.

For this month’s cover story, Anne talked with PMPs about this topic of success. “Life is short,” Luke Lewis, president, Native Pest Management, told her. “Basically, you’re successful if you focus on being grateful and focus on the journey instead of the destination.”

Family was the focus for Marillian Missiti, president, Buono Pest Control. Success for her is “making sure my kids are healthy and happy. I feel that health is wealth. It really doesn’t get richer than that.” Likewise, she makes sure members of her work family are given autonomy to do their jobs and are recognized for their accomplishments. “If they’re happy, the customer’s going to be happy,” Missiti told Anne.

I couldn’t agree more with the sentiments from Lewis and Missiti. I’m going to try to be less frazzled and happier in both my professional and personal lives in the months ahead. Here’s to a great 2023! I wish you both personal and professional success in the New Year!