Where am I Going with you?

Losing key people in your business is always difficult. It could be a senior Technician, a Service Manager, or an important Office Staff Member. They may leave your business for any number of reasons. Many of those reasons you believe you do not have any control over and so you just to “buck it up”. Here is a partial list of reasons employees leave our type of businesses:

·        Moving out of the area  

·        Family issue such as divorce, new baby, or family illness

·        Pursuing another career

·        Health issues

·        Distance from the office

·        9 to 5 Hours

·        Not really suited for the service business

·        Pressure for change from the spouse

·        Benefits

·        Pay

·        On call

·        Going into business

·        Being a stay at home parent

·        Conflict with other Team Member or Members

I know there are others that I did not include but these are the ones I hear about the most. From owners I hear that it is often a total surprise that the employee is leaving. They had no idea it was coming. I don’t accept that in many cases. To me it is a fundamental issue the owner has failed to address in their business. That issue is communication with each and every employee on a regularly scheduled basis to discuss that employee’s performance and future with the company. Every employee should know how well they are performing and what the future for them with the company looks like. These are not the sit downs to discuss a pay increase, although those do need to occur. These are quarterly sit downs to discuss the progress the employee has made in the previous three months and what is expected in the next three months, one year and even five years. At these the owner should get a sense of where the employee is in their position at the company. Employees want to know how they are doing, what they can do to be better, and what the future holds for them.

Here is a method you could use. Get out your calendar and write in a ½ hour block of time for each employee sit down each quarter for the next twelve months. On your calendar mark ten days prior to each sit down with a note to give that employee an evaluation form for them to fill out and return to you at least two days prior to your sit down. Your will review the form and add your comments (constructive comments) and a plan of action for the next quarter, year and perhaps five years to the form. When you have the sit down with the employee you will review that form together, come to a consensus of the review and plan and have the employee sign the form and provide them a copy. Regular communication about their future will provide a way for the employee to be more open about what’s up in their head. Each time you meet you will use the previous meetings form and the new form to conduct the review and plan. This process goes hand and hand with a specific blueprint for each employee’s progression within your company in career development and pay. I call it “Blueprint for Success”. Between the reviews and the blueprint the owner will have reduced much of the “Where am I going” uneasiness of the employee. There are no magic bullets but regular communication and a plan will provide a more stable environment for the employee thus reducing the chances they will seek other opportunities and be lost to your company.

If you would like a copy of a form you could use in these sit downs and a sample of a “Blueprint for Success”, email me at Dan@SayYesToSuccess.comDan@SayYesToSuccess.com and I’ll send you a copy.  

Dan has been in the service industry for nearly 50 years. He has operated a large plumbing, heating and air conditioning service company and for the past 12 years has helped small companies in the service business to grow and prosper. Contact him at Dan@SayYesToSuccess.comDan@SayYesToSuccess.com.

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Are You An Addict?

Just a few days ago we celebrated the 40th anniversary of the cellphone. It has revolutionized communications in just 4 decades. The Internet, texting, email and other new modes of communication own their birth and explosive growth to the cellphone. Dr. Martin Cooper, the inventor of the cellphone conceived the idea after seeing a military walkie-talkie. You probably remember "the brick".

The cellphone is so common that there are nearly 6 billion worldwide and by next year there will be more cellphone subscribers than the population of the world! Little by little landlines are disappearing as people no longer view them as needed. Have you seen a pay phone lately? But there are also several downsides to cellphones.

Bills for cellphones can easily exceed $100 a month and for many $200 a month for an individual or a family. A business may spend $1,000 or more per month. At one time we complained about a home telephone bill of $25.00 a month or a commercial telephone bill of a couple of hundred dollars. It's an expense of the instant communication society that did not exist in the past. There is also the cost of the cellphone itself partial paid upfront and in the monthly charge. There are charges for internet access, insurance, text messaging, and other add–on services.

Dr Martin Cooper with first cellphone

Instant communication devices have caused your Technicians to have created a dependence on you! They don’t need to think for themselves of solve problems on their own. Why should they take any responsibility if they can call you and let you make the decision or solve their problem? You have become an enabler for them.

We have all heard about the dangers in using the phone while driving. Then there is texting while driving. And for some surfing the internet on the cellphone while driving is happening. Recently a helicopter pilot crashed and died along with the others on the helicopter because the pilot was preoccupied with texting while flying.

Yesterday I was shopping at Lowe’s for some brackets to hang in our utility room and passed four different employees all talking on their cellphones as they were being paid by Lowes. Perhaps, some were on calls from customers or associates but I doubt that. How many lost hours does your company have from your employees spending countless hours on their cellphones talking, texting, or surfing the internet? Must of the touted efficiency gains of cellphones have been lost to misuse by employees.

Now on to my major point of the article, have you become a slave to that handful of plastic, chips, and buttons? A year or so ago, I had a business owner in my NATE review classes and then take the NATE test. All through the review classes he was a wreck because he couldn’t be constantly watching the screen of his phone. He barely made it through the test without his phone. He was an addict to the instant communication age. He actually had the shakes after the test as I checked his paperwork for submission to NATE. I see people constantly checking for texts, calls or the internet in restaurants, stores, malls, walking, and every other activity. I’m not talking an occasional check but every 2 or 3 minutes. Some of my family members can’t sit and eat a meal without checking their phones. It has become an addiction for many. This new addiction will cause us to hear about CA (Cellphone Anonymous). "My name is Dan and I'm a cellphone addict. It's been 1 hour since I last used my cellphone." There are very few calls or texts that are so critical that they must be responded to within seconds.

Cellphone Anonymous?

So what to do? Review you cellphone bills for ways to save costs. When your Techs call you to solve their problems, ask them how they would solve it. When they answer, hang up. Have a company cellphone use policy in place and active. You can be an example to your employees by not being connected 24/7 for every call. If there is an emergency, I guarantee you that you will hear about it quickly. Decide to turn your phone off after hours. Get a life! The world will not end! You won’t miss the blah-blah of most calls and texts!

Dan has been in the service industry for nearly 50 years. He has operated a large plumbing, heating and air conditioning service company and for the past 13 years has helped small companies in the service business to
grow and prosper. Contact him at Dan@SayYesToSuccess.com.

Are You a Half-Hearted Kamikaze?

This term “Half-Hearted Kamikaze” comes from Tim Elmore a Christian Pastor and Speaker. I think it is relevant in today’s service business. First let’s look a definition of Kamikaze. As Tim Elmore puts it,” A Kamikaze is someone who (whether for good or evil) puts everything into one purpose.” Wikipedia defines the Kamikaze, literally: "God wind"; common translation: "Divine wind", were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy warships more effectively than was possible with conventional attacks. Numbers quoted vary, but at least 47 Allied vessels, from PT boats to escort carriers, were sunk by kamikaze attacks, and about 300 damaged. About 14% of kamikaze attacks managed to hit a ship.

So what is a Half-Hearted Kamikaze? My definition as relating to business is a service business owner who talks the story of improvement, change, and full commitment but does not consistently strive to achieve the goal of an extremely successful business with time for the owner to enjoy life.

So why are so many service business owners half-hearted? My observations of dozens and dozens of service businesses demonstrate several reasons.

1.   I often see is the owner has little or no experience to run a business. They are great technicians but have little skills to operate a business. They fail to hire the skills needed to operate profitably or to get the skills themselves. It could be as simple as working with an expert consultant to help him.
2.  Another reason is the owner just does not have the drive to take the business to success but is satisfied with a paycheck equal or less than they could make as a technician for a successful company. Perhaps their spouse works and provides the additional income and even benefits for the family.
3. Often an owner becomes distracted by the technical side of the business and shies away from the hard decisions, the “books”, margins, waste, and the changes needed to more the business to the next level. Not necessarily larger but more profitable.
4. Sometimes the distraction is something too big and too close to overcome easily. This could be a sick spouse, parent, child, or his own health. This is understandable and the owner needs to find an individual to operate the business while he gives his attention to the health need.
5. One last one I’m going to mention here is burnout. The business owner is just worn-out from the grind of business. If the business is barely making it, the stress and pressure is great. He needs time away and a regular plan to get some rest and relaxation. If he does not, the business withers away, or he relieves the stress with alcohol, gambling or other diversions to forget the stress and pressure.

The owner probably has little or no retirement fund when he retires. He may take cash under the table thus compromising his integrity. His business may be supported by his vendors who provide credit too easily. He owes more than the business is worth. He may have stress related illnesses such as heart trouble, high blood pressure, diabetes or another health issue. He retires to a life much less than a business owner deserves, if he is able to retire. Perhaps he works at a big box store like Walmart or Home Depot instead of enjoying retirement, hobbies, and the grandkids.

So what’s the answer? Either become fully engaged or work for someone who is and avoid the downside of being half-hearted. Don't be a Half-Hearted Kamikaze, make the decision today!

Dan has been in the service industry for nearly 50 years. He has operated a large plumbing, heating and air conditioning service company and for the past 12 years has helped small companies in the service business to grow and prosper. 
Contact him @ Dan@SayYesToSuccess.com.

Minor Leaguers

Spending the spring in Florida, there is a lot of talk on television, radio, and in the newspaper about the local spring training teams. They cover the players, are their stats, the schedules, the injuries, and the various teams expectations. Among the players are both “big” leaguers and the “minor” leaguers. The big leaguers are trying to get in shape for the season and keep their jobs. The minor leaguers are also getting into shape for their season and hoping to make it to the big leagues. But when I visit service businesses, I find something a little different.

In baseball, players are drafted just as we “draft” new employees into our businesses. Then the differences begin. In baseball, the new player is evaluated on his strengths and weaknesses and assigned to a farm club to improve his skills so he can play at his maximum capabilities. In many service businesses, we send the new “player” to ride along on a truck with another tech for a few days. We get a little feedback from the tech and then put the new “player” out to take care of customer problems and provide the excellent customer service we expect. Somehow we think the new player will do the job as well as we would ourselves.

We need a new paradigm; one in which we have a career plan for the new employee at least 3 to 5 years out. We do this by setting out expectations from the new employee to meet throughout their career at our company. We set increases in their income on gaining new skills that make them more valuable to the company. We expect them to achieve success in state and national accreditation such as a Master Plumber’s license, NATE certification, a manufacturer’s training program, or a degree from a college or association training program.

This career plan needs to be written and specific. It should be clear what needs to be done by the employee to move to the next level. Each level has a pay range, a list of skills need to be in that level, and what training or skills are needed to get to the next level. There is a pay range since an employee may be at a level for several years but after six months or a year has accomplished many of the skills needed for that level. There can also be automatic increases as a Technician becomes NATE certified or gets his trade licensing.

There are numerous benefits to a career plan for an employee. They know what they must do to gain a raise or move to the next level. There is a sense of a future at your company for the employee. There are some written metrics to evaluate an employee by at review time. When you hire a new employee, your company shows the employee is important and there is a future at your company.  You can direct an employee to the skills your company needs to better serve the customer and be more profitable.

Contact me if you would like a sample of a plan that you can use as a template to write your own career path for your employees.

Dan has been involved in the service business for over 50 years operating a successful plumbing heating and air conditioning business and consulting service businesses. He can be contacted at Dan@SayYesToSuccess.com.