Consumer Trends
Do you suppose the owner of your company or its managers, follow consumer trends? Most are so busy trying to obtain business and keep you busy they do not have time. Others might say, “we deal in the trades, consumer trends don’t apply to us.” I am going to link out to a site that follows trends. They send out an e-mail newsletter once per month that contains information on trends. It’s a quick read. As a technician, you would like to work for a company that has its eye on not only what’s going on today, but where it could go.
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.
- Influence or shape your company’s vision.
- Inspire you to come up with a new business concept, an entirely new venture, a new brand.
- Add a new product, service or experience for a certain customer segment.
- 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.
Is Your Manager an Asshole?
I’ve been writing online since the mid 90′s and have used profanity less than five times. The term asshole however, is so accurate in describing a certain type of manager, I have no choice but to use it here.
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.
His Head, the Door and Your Room
You’ve heard it before. This guy has such a huge ego his head won’t make it through the door. Maybe that guy was you. Maybe not. If that guy was you (and you never changed), chances are you’ll never figure out how to get this guy into your room. Make that you’ll never even try to figure it out.
The trades are so short on talent that it’d be a shame to not at least consider trying to work with a technician whose ego is bigger than a 500 ton air conditioning chiller. Pointed in the right direction, engaged and packing a degree of civility, the technician with a large ego can be an invaluable asset…providing he really is talented and knowledgeable.
If our super tech degrades, is cruel to other techs and is causing morale problems, then all bets are off. But let’s continue this discussion based on a I am God’s gift to technicians and am master of the technician universe technician.
The problem that I’ve seen with most managers in dealing with their super tech is their inability to hang up their own technician boots. The manager seems to become enamored in the detail and takes his eye off the outcome. Most managers and their super techs will not argue about the outcome. They agree on satisfied customers, repaired systems and installed systems that work. One key for the manager is to let his super tech work his own way to the desired outcome.
Many super techs with huge egos are walking gold mines of knowledge. The fact that they tell the universe how great they are, should not deter the manager from letting them help other techs. Matter of fact, the manager should coach the other techs on how to mine the gold mine.
The less experienced tech needs to adopt a learning mindset. His goal is to learn. Yes, he will have to here how super tech brought the main chiller on line just in time for the Queen of Sheeba’s visit to the Gradisson Luxury Hotel and stories like it, but it’s a small price to pay for technical knowledge. The key is to ask good questions and make notes or use a small tape recorder. Most super techs love when one asks them good questions.
Super techs loved to be praised. While you think that the praising they are doing to themselves is enough, it isn’t. As a manager, dole out praise when the super tech does something good and of value. Remember to focus on desired outcomes and not on processes and how they get there.
A good manager learns how to modify the door. A great manager learns how to coach coworkers to expand the room, making it a rich, learning environment. And by the way, the world always needs people to rescue the Queen of Sheeba. Take pride in your hero.
Social Business by Design
This is a little off topic for The Technician Shop. It’s more applicable to business owners and managers. The reason that I am bringing it up is for technicians to get a feel as to whether or not their company (or prospective company) gets it. And by gets it, I mean, are they taking steps to compete as a business in this century?
Following this slideshow I offer a few points to consider.
Slides:
4 – an excellent visual of the various types of social media
22- if your company is not using social media, their attempts to do so will look like this
31- no doubt the wall of separation are preventing your company from moving forward
32- if you have a bunch of bosses running around telling everyone what to do, your company will look like the guys stacked up on the left hand side of this screen
73-74- okay, these two screens are a tad bit corporatey (like you’ve stepped in a big steaming pile of cow dung), but they do demonstrate a solid social business foundation and what it takes to make it work
80- changes pushing business to be more social
90- it’s how we do business. Most owners thing that social business is just a fad. It is not…any more than the fax machine or computer was just a fad.
Feel free to contact me for help in determining whether or not your company gets it.
Thanks to David Armano and his company the Dachis Group – they get it.
Game Films
If you know your opponent’s tendencies, you will increase your chance of success when you square off against him on game day.This is why the most successful coaches and players study game films.
Aside from managers who who care only about themselves and their numbers, most managers are not your opponent. When it appears that your manager is opposing you, most likely it’s when they are not reviewing their own game film. But that’s another story. Today it’s about you reviewing game film of your manager.
For you to succeed you must know what your manager expects out of you. These points can be found on your manager’s game film. Who exactly is filming your manager you ask? You are. The film is rolling when you discuss your performance or when you’re getting direction on a project or at service meetings when you share dialog with your manager. You should collect and record this intel.
I’ve suggested elsewhere at The Technician Shop that you keep a notebook. Truth of the matter? I’ve recommended the practice of keeping a notebook to hundreds of techs over the years. All top notch, high level techs have them. I was trying to reach those who didn’t. I bet not more than ten ever took me up on my advice.
Okay, I’ve got another idea! Create your own film…for real. Sit down in front of your computer’s webcam and record yourself telling yourself about the intel that you’ve collected. Follow along here while I pretend to be a tech and shoot a quick film on myself…
Dave looking into camera: “Wassup holmes? You look like a pack of feral managers ate half of you for lunch son!”
Dave being serious: “The light bulb went off today. After two years I finally figured Jim out. When he sees that I am taking a class on my own or I am spending time on the internet trying to learn something – he goes out of his way to make my life easier. I can’t believe it. He even offered to give me a half day off on Friday with pay – no strings attached. I gotta keep doing this. But I gotta make sure I’m telling Jim what I’m doing.”
Dave’s mom in background: “Who are you talkin’ to Davo?”
Davo: “I’m talkin’ to myself Essay!”
Dave signing off as he winks to himself: “Okay now you good looking brother, this was fun! Who needs Reality TV when you got Reality You dog?”
To keep track of your films you could set up various categories like the ones I listed in the above link. You could have a blast with this! You could even invent a make-believe personality, shoot films about how this cat is succeeding with his manager, and post them to You Tube.
