If you are a professional technician who cares about his work, you need only be good and embarrassed once to learn from this lesson. There’s no way you’ll leave a job site again before you check to make sure you left the power on.

Always make sure to turn the power back on and make sure the equipment is either running or can run, before you leave.

Not sure if I would do it, but I have had technicians tell me that they leave their truck keys by the breaker, thermostat or switch, so it will help them to remember to energize the system. Maybe there is another type of physical reminder that you can invent to help you in this.

Photo by blmurch on Flickr

But Dave, the technician is not even on the call and he’s already beginning to diagnose what the problem is?

You know, I am sure the breaker tripped from yesterday's storm.

Yep. It’s just human nature. And it’s the kind of human nature that can get you in trouble if you’re not careful.

There are two schools of thought on thinking ahead. One says it’s okay to do. The other says to not think about the call and once on site follow a systematic, practiced set of troubleshooting procedures. I think it’s okay to play out scenarios in your head on the way to the call, as long as once you get there, you stick to your standard troubleshooting procedures. Sooner or later, if you just address the obvious when on a service call, the customer will be calling your company back out to fix the problem that you overlooked.

One value to thinking ahead is if you are familiar with a particular system and run through the sequence of operation in your head, you’ll be better prepared to address the problem.

Photo from drumtoo on Flickr

This trait is revealed in a question all great technicians ask: how does this work? Most often this question is asked when the technician is trying to fix something. It’s surrounded by a statement made with attitude: If someone can make it, I can fix it.

Great technicians open their eyes to the environment around them. They pay attention to how things that are working, work. They take in the whole system, not just the component that they are working on. They learn how the system operates by paying attention. They do this because they are curious. A need to know grows in their gut until they can no longer do anything about it but investigate and explore.

This is a hard, cold fact cast in stone: If you are not curious about the stuff you work on or with, you will not be a great technician.

If you want to be a great technician but are not sure if you are curious enough, here’s what to do. Pay attention. If you are working on a system, spend five minutes that night reading more about it and its components. The more attention that you pay to something, the more likelier you are to be more curious about it.

Don’t give up on your profession without devoting the time to pay attention. If after twenty years it doesn’t seem to interest you, you might want to think about changing to another line of work. (Just kidding! Hang in there. Devote time to pay attention and see if you’re curiosity doesn’t grow.

Over the years I’ve had the privilege of observing a technician’s artwork in action.  One skill that continues to blow me away is a part of troubleshooting.  In particular, when a technician encounters a difficult problem.  He rechecks his diagnostic work to that point, making sure he followed prescribed methods to that point.  His brain is smoking and he doesn’t want to let go of the problem – like a dog who won’t let go of a bone.  But experience kicks in.  He puts the tools down and backs away from his work.  He gets a cup of coffee or something cold to drink and then takes a breath.  Maybe he thinks about his family, maybe he thinks about that chopper he is building or maybe it’s an upcoming hunting trip.  After a bit he goes back to his work and many times the answer he is looking for is right there.

The process of taking a breath is also a way of maintaining safety on the job site.  Often times technicians get hurt when they press on.

There are more aspects involved in excellent troubleshooting procedures, but the ability to step away, take a breath and clear your head is one of the best.

Photo by Stefan Koschminder on Flickr

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.