In the past, when I let cynicism get the best of me, I would call this person a fire hydrant.

In an other life, I used to be a …

Read this most excellent story here.

I get it. Work is a hassle and the boss is a pain. But that first day of hunting season, visions of that twelve point crossing your cross hairs a half hour into the wait…heck, you get to the tree early.

Lets assume that you work for a pretty decent company. This means that you are recognized for your efforts, receive above average pay and benefits, tools, equipment and vehicles are in above average shape, have a multitude of educational opportunities and very few of your coworkers are slackers. The problem seems to be in your manager. It seems as if he’s always picking on you, that he’s got it in for you.

Now your manager is a very busy person. But he has been punctual with your annual performance review. And you’ve followed The Technician Shop protocol by requesting and getting additional time to discuss your education, professional development and performance issues throughout the year.

Your manager knows the problem, you know the problem: you are always late. You put forth a little effort and get to work on time, but you always slip back to your old ways. The problem with being late all the time is not your only problem. Your tardiness jades your performance. This means that you are not going to get the benefit of doubt when it comes to performance and behavioral issues with your manager. If, in the eyes of your manager, you are borderline between average and below average in a certain category, you’re more than likely to receive the below average mark.

Showing up for work on time is a mindset. You realize that it’s the right thing to do. You realize that you are going to cut down on work related hassles. You realize that your work related life is going to get a whole lot easier and you’ll notice how better your manager is treating you.

All you have to do is to be on time, just like getting to that tree stand or getting to that softball game or getting to the start of the fishing tournament on time.

The company described above needs a focused product to sell, smart business systems and competent people to make the company go.

As a hard working technician who wants to professionally develop on board a ship with a destination, how do you know whether or not your owner is capable? Or, if you are trying to hook up with a company to get you there, how will you be able to recognize a competent captain?

Read Built to Sell. This is an easy to read story about a business owner who desperately wants to sell his business and enjoy his family and life. To help envision what sort of shape his business is in think: 1973 Ford Pinto for sale. Proceeds to finance my daughter’s education at Harvard. What does Aerosmith say? Dream on, dream on, dream on.

While this is a work of fiction, it is an example of real life businesses and their often misguided owners. The business owner gets a family friend to help him turn his company around and make it into a desirable and sellable company.

The process in which this company turns around is the map you need to help identify a competent company to work for. The author, John Warrillow, weaves this process into eight steps. While some of the steps will not pertain directly to your quest, the ones that do are enough. Here are the first five:

1. Create a Standard Service Offering. This means selling a service that your company is really good at.
2. Create a Positive Cash Flow Cycle. You’ll hear it on the street if the owner doesn’t have positive cash flow. “Sorry Bob, XYZ Mechanical is three months behind payment. You’ll have to get a check if you want this item today.”
3. Hire a Sales Team. John recommends at least two salesmen. Competition upholds a healthy atmosphere. Consider it a humongous red flag if the owner is the company salesman.
4. Stop Accepting Other Projects. This one might be the key. Your company needs to do what it is wired to do. If you are trying to perform work you are incapable of, everyone suffers.
5. Launch a Long-Term Incentive Plan for Managers. This is a very cool one. You need your manager to be engaged and relatively happy at what he is doing (remember he is your career’s primary ally).

Items six, seven and eight are not really relative to your mission.

For the most part, owners are sincere people who want to do right by their family, self and you, their team member. To be brutally real however, many are not cut out for this role. This doesn’t mean that you disrespect them, make fun of them and talk about them behind their back. It simply means that you shouldn’t be working for them.

Pick up a copy of John’s book today and get yourself on a ship with a destination that helps your family, personal development and career.

If you are a technician, you are in one of the most noblest professions in the world…no matter your trade. Never stop trying to be better today than you were yesterday and remember: A career isn’t something you ride, it’s something you guide.

Dave

The Technician Shop @ Twitter

I’m not too fond of the word train unless it has something to do with dogs or monkeys. I like the word educate. Managers teach. Teachers educate. While you look to your manager for education, you should also look to make sure he brings his sawzall to work everyday. The imaginary sawzall represents his ability to understand your learning needs and his ability to cut away whatever is covering up your potential.

Very few managers invest themselves enough to understand your strengths and potential. If you have a manager who is reaching out to you, attempting to understand you and suggesting or providing learning resources, do not take his gestures lightly. Follow his guidance. And make note of his actions. You’ll want these characteristics in your next manager.

Think of progressing through managers this way. Your first car was a basic model that included a couple of options that you liked. When you went to buy your second car, you made sure it had these options and then looked to upgrade with other features and options.

In the future you might have to make trade-offs when choosing managers. But never trade-off the manager who has a history of reaching out to his technicians, the one who educates and the one who unleashes the potential of his students.

Do you make waves at work? I’m not talking about whining, morale-depleting, soul-sucking technicians who hate being a technician. Or the type of technician who complains without trying to make things better. I’m talking about:

• Dave, we should do this
• Dave, I don’t think you’re on the right track
• Dave, let me try this
• Dave, I gotta stay here until I fix it
• Dave, you gotta get me in more classes
• Dave, we need more training
• Dave, we’re sick and tired of pizza

I love the technician who is making waves like these! Hands down, working with technicians who are making the right kind of waves, is more work – a lot more work. But the rewards are so worth it.

As a technician, you know when you are being a pain in the behind. The manager who recognizes when your being a pain is all about trying to improve and make things better, is the manager you want to keep.

As a manager, my one of my greatest obstacles over the years was getting techs to adhere to a baseline set of policies and procedures. While one could question my ability to assemble a quality team, almost all managers deal with this. For the record, I am not a big believer in too many policies and procedures. Some important ones are techs arriving at work on time, completed paperwork turned in on a timely basis, clean trucks, wearing clean and proper uniforms, proper care and handling of company tools and documentation of additional work to name a few.

When managers’ time becomes occupied with policing adherence, it takes time away from both business and employee development. I would much rather spend time helping a coworker with career development than I would making sure his truck is clean or chasing after him to clean it.

You are working for a decent manager and with a great team if your manager is not spending too much time on making sure the policies and procedures are being followed (as long as they are being followed). Feel good in knowing that you and your coworkers are doing a good job. At this point your manager should be totally involved and immersed in business and personnel development…unless you work for a large corporation that has their managers heading down too many rabbit trails, chasing too many rabbit tails…but we won’t go there right now.

In Part II I’ll talk about making waves…

The company provides four ways to apply these consumer trends. While the words are directed to your company’s owner, as a technician, its good to understand directions that they could be taking.

1. Influence or shape your company’s vision.
2. Inspire you to come up with a new business concept, an entirely new venture, a new brand.
3. Add a new product, service or experience for a certain customer segment.
4. Speak the language of those consumers already living a trend.

Perhaps the greatest benefit to your owner from watching and trying to apply trends is that the practice will keep his mind open to possibility.

Go here to sign up for the free monthly trend briefings.

Matt Michel, author of Comanche Marketing and CEO of the Service Roundtable, pens an article titled “Creating Positive Imprints on the Self-Image.” Matt tells a story about how Lanny Bassham, an Olympic athlete created positive imprints on his self-image and went from a silver to gold medal performance.

We’ve spoken quite a bit here about how important our physical image is. Matt provides a different perspective on image, one which is every bit as important. Place yourself into Matt’s story. Think about the action and process you will take to produce an enhancement in your own game, the game of the professional technician.

Lenny’s company is called Mental Management Systems. Check it out when you have a chance.

Also, keep this story in the back of your mind. In the future I am going to write about ideas to help you along in the process of making that desired self-image come true.

If you’ve been reading along at The Technician Shop you know that I think existing management in the trades is in a world of hurt. There is a huge difference however, between the asshole manager and the incompetent manager. While the asshole manager is always incompetent, the incompetent manager is not always an asshole. There are thousands and thousands of well-intentioned, decent people who are in management roles, but shouldn’t be. I will also add that there are thousands and thousands of owners out there, who shouldn’t be. This is another story but does offer an explanation as to why so many people have been cast in management roles.

I am going to transport you to the article “Is Your Future Boss an Asshole?” written by Bob Sutton. Bob wrote the book, The No Asshole Rule and has an absolute wealth of information that will help you with asshole managers.

Although for many of you it is too late, Bob says that one of the most effective ways in dealing with asshole managers is to avoid them in the first place. No worries. Bob’s article (and his site) is still a boatload of help for those who deal with assholes. Make sure you read Bob’s list 15 Things I Believe, located on left hand side of page.

Go here for Bob’s article “Is Your Future Boss an Asshole?”

Visit Bob at his site Bob Sutton Work Matters.

Note to all you managers who have been my handler over the years: I can honestly say that I have never worked for an asshole. Note II: This does not pertain to those I worked with over twenty-five years ago, prior to entering the HVAC industry.