Hello there, SGI members!
My name is David Boyle, and I’m a client success manager for ESI and AirTime.
You know, when a younger version of me entered the trade, I was given a list of required tools. I purchased the “minimum requirements” and reported to work. Then I was amazed to find that the journeyman had a truck full of literally thousands of dollars of tools capable of handling any task that I could imagine and some I had no idea even existed.
When we got to that first job, I jumped out of the truck, grabbed my shiny new tool belt stocked full of stiff shiny tools, and was ready to head for the job.
I noticed the journeyman, with his thousands of dollars of tools in the truck, put two screwdrivers, a pair of Klein’s, and a pair of needle nose pliers in his back pocket and was ready for work.
Over time I learned that he had perfected the use of the basic tools and rarely needed to reach for those specialized tools. He was wise enough to know when he needed to reach for something more and was prepared with those resources when they were needed.
Just as a wise technician has perfected the use of his basic tools, wise, successful contractors also must perfect the use of their basic tools…
Our first tool was planning. This will keep you from simply reacting to the winds of chaos which are part of your day. All decisions can be made more simply on the basis of …. What leads me toward accomplishing my plan?
The next tool we added was organizing. This skill makes it easier to complete all tasks without “needless” clutter. It is a companion tool to planning.
Today we want to add staffing to your essentials tool kit. (Your back pocket tools)
Staffing is a general term for making sure you have the best available human resources to complete the plans you have for your business. Once you know what you want your company to look like (your plan and organization), you are ready to put together the right team to accomplish your goals.
Sometimes managers make the mistake of making their plan based upon the individuals who currently are part of the organization. You can’t do that and expect to succeed. It can doom or greatly slow your chances of making real, needed changes. A staffing process is to make your plan, determine the organizational structure… and then staff to the plan.
You should look at your existing team and see who already fits your future needs, who can be trained to match those needs, and possibly who may not be a good fit for the revised direction you are heading.
If you are transitioning from new construction or industrial work to residential service work, not every team member will want to, or be able to, make that transition. You will need to develop the skills to evaluate team potential, communicate change, recruit for your needs, and transition other humans into places where they have the best chance to be successful.
Major changes cannot always happen overnight. Your team must be built, piece by piece, with desired results in mind.
Until next time, this is David Boyle with your Coach’s Corner!