Today, I’m recommending the whole darn book. Living in More Than One World by Bruce Rosenstein. Bruce’s book is based upon the teachings of perhaps the greatest management teacher of all time, Peter Drucker. Living in More Than One World is all about you, not your manager (though it would be to him in his own sense).

Bruce’s book is centralized around what he calls a total life, which consists of family, friends, work, education, associates and affiliation groups. What caught my eye is how this philosophy parallels what I described in It’s All About You.

In an interview with Bruce, Peter Drucker described people who were satisfied and content as those who lived in more than one world. A quick view of the book’s chapters will provide more clarity:

• Designing your total life
• Developing your core competencies
• Creating your future
• Exercising your generosity
• Teaching and learning
• Launching your journey

Early on in the book you will note that Bruce writes this book for knowledge workers, a term that Drucker coined back in the 1950′s. Here is his definition:

People who work with what they know and can learn and who thus own and control their own means of production. Their knowledge is portable and not dependent on any particular employer or industry.

You might have heard that knowledge workers are white collar workers. They are, but technicians who are frequently described as blue collar workers, also fall into this class. Maybe even more so, as continuing education is almost mandatory for technicians who must engage their minds before they can engage their hands.

Living in More Than One World is an excellent, MUST read book! By the way, Bruce’s book is hot off the press. Recommend a copy to your coworkers and manager.

*I have read extensively on marketing, writing, design, management, personal branding and leadership and would be happy to recommend books, learn your point of view or trade information away from this forum if you’re interested.

Image by NASA / Goddard Space Flight Center

I was actually with Scott when he told her this.  When I heard those two questions, the little guy in white who sits on my shoulder practically kicked me in the ear:  David!  Technicians need to ask their managers these questions!

The point is learning moments in one area of life often pertain to learning opportunities in another.  The key is to pay attention and keep your radar up at all times.  Do this a little bit and you’ll want to do it alot.

Did you ever have a conversation about last night’s ballgame with a friend?  Of course you did!  You talked about the pitching and he jawed back about the hitting.  You understood each other’s point of view – clearly.

Reading a Carol Fey book is like talking baseball with your buddy, except that Carol is teaching you about electricity and troubleshooting.  Carol is a technical trainer who worked many years for a company that is often confused with a furnace manufacturer.

One of my passions is reading.  I read a lot and I have for many years.  Carol is one of my most all time favorite authors.  Go here for a sampling of her stuff.

While there are unscrupulous managers out there who take advantage of the fact that their coworkers are footing the entire bill for continuing education, there are honorable managers whose coworkers are footing the entire bill for continuing education.  The manager’s challenge is, “where else can I send Bob, he’s been through all of the schooling…”

To begin with and at a minimum, technicians like Bob need to attend educational seminars on new product or equipment that their company sells.  The same holds true for new diagnostic or maintenance techniques.  Besides the fact that it is in the company’s best interest to have technicians who are familiar with new product, technicians like Bob thrive on new, cutting edge technology.  Think of it as a dose of oxygen after running ten, one-hundred yard sprints.  It keeps them going.

Okay, back to the original question. 

How can I convince my manager that he should send me for additional education?

You need to know why your manager refuses to pay for classes.  So ask him.  If he needs help choosing where to send you, offer suggestions.  If he continues to dance around the question or starts to use the term not in the budget, it’s time to move on and find another manager.  Period.

Try this: Lets say you enjoy hunting, fishing or photography.  Ask your manager to send you to a class on one of these topics.  A savvy manager will understand that he is helping the whole you, not just the part of you who comes to work.  Chances are if he sends you to an off-industry class, you’ll really appreciate it and bring an invigorated energy to work.  The upside of a happy, engaged you at work far outweighs the cost of a class.

We suggest for management to send technicians to a minimum of one off-industry class per year.

I am the lead technician for a residential – light commercial HVAC company.  Prior to starting at this company I received my associates degree from a technical college, obtained RSES CM status and hold current all NATE certifications.  I teach an HVAC class one evening a week at the local trade school.  I also average twenty minutes per day in self-study on various HVAC topics.  My manager, who is the company owner, keeps blowing me off when I ask him to pay for classes.  How can I convince my manager that he should send me for additional education?

One question, would that be the manager who you are working for now, or the one who you should soon be working for?  Short answer, reputable companies pay for a minimum of eighty hours of education per year.  This means they pay for your labor and the costs of classes.  And company meetings where policies, procedures and processes are discussed, do not count.

An immediate thought, given our desire here at The Technician Shop to progress and develop, is to tell you to find a new owner.  But we’d like to give your manager and others like him an idea to consider.  Before we do that however, we need to make sure of one thing, which is really directed towards our other readers.  Prior to asking your manager to pay for continuing education, make sure you are investing a minimum of twenty minutes per day yourself, on your own dime, in your own education.  Most serious technicians contribute more to their own education than their employer does.

Part II

Here, take this hammer and piece of wood.  Now pound the wood into the ground next to where you’re standing.  This is where you are right now.  Okay, turn around and look down the road.  See those large billboards?  That’s where you’ve been.  That’s your education to date.  Congratulations!  Great job getting to where you are at this time.

Do you need more education?

Lets suppose that you recently graduated from college or trade school and have been working for three months in an entry level position for your new company.  You love the entry level work.  You could do it for an entire career.  Do you need any more education?  Yes! You need continuing education just to keep your entry level position.

Do you need more challenging work?

You know where I am going with this.  Of course you’ll need to continue your education.

Back to Google

Before we turn around and look to the future, grab your notebook and go to the Knowledge tab.  Take a few minutes to list your schooling to date.  List high school, your area of primary study or favorite subjects.  List trade school or major topics you’ve covered in trade school so far.  List anything else you can think of, like a Microsoft Excel class.  Again, great job for getting this far!

Moving forward

The reason that we’ve went through this exercise is to have a place to reflect back to when we map out your future education.

A final note

While it might seem like I was being a wiseguy for mentioning that someone could love entry level work, I wasn’t.  There is pride, dignity and respect in all types of work.  If you love that type of work, cool.  But you had better do it better than anyone else.  And you better never stop pursuing education.