If there is one tried and true rule I’ve discovered in my time in the contracting world, it’s to expect the unexpected. You’ll always get busy when you least expect it, and it seems you’ll always lose someone from your team when you can least afford it.
Although losing a technician is hard, you can at least hire someone new and have them up to speed in a month or two. But what happens when you lose one of your managers? Or worse, what happens to your business if something happens to you? If you’re like most owners in this industry, you’d be in a tough spot if your general manager decided to leave you suddenly.
To combat that scenario and keep my company growing into the future, I’ve developed a unique program to ensure I always have people ready to step up when the unexpected happens.
Training is job one
Basically, every manager or field supervisor in my company is required to constantly be training two possible replacements for his or her own position. Wherever you are at in my company, you must be training at least two people under you to do your job. For example, if you were the service manager, you would be training our top two field supervisors to take over your position in the future.
Everyone also takes an active role in learning how our business operates. One thing that helps is having an open book philosophy. Anyone in our company can see our financials at any time they choose. More importantly, all of the managers must understand financial statements and how they contribute to the profitability of the company.
To keep this program going, we stress the importance of training and education. The result is everyone on our team is excited about training opportunities. We also support outside educational opportunities. Managers can take any educational course they choose. The only requirement we have is that, after they complete the course, they must do a presentation to the rest of the company’s management team so everyone can learn from the class.
Why do I do it?
It’s not to keep my whole company looking over their shoulders, but one of the benefits of this program is that it does keep everyone on their toes. They know there is always someone capable of taking their position behind them, and that keeps everyone focused on what we need to do to be the best.
It’s not all about peer pressure, though. In a fast-growing company like ours, the only way you’ll be able to move forward is if you have someone who can take your place. By training two people at every position, we often have a choice of whom we want to move up into an open spot, allowing us to promote from within and keep our best people growing.
If you implement this type of program, your people will be nervous at first that you’re replacing them. That’s only natural. But in a growing business, they’ll soon see how this program creates more opportunity for them.
Value proposition
In short, this “training two” program keeps my business running like clockwork. If something should ever happen to me, I have two very dependable managers trained to step in and fill my shoes. This not only offers insurance against the unexpected, but it also changes the culture of your company. Suddenly, everyone is excited about the opportunities they have. Your team will be more motivated to succeed once they see that the best really do rise to the top.
But that culture shift is only one of the benefits of this program. In the end, everyone wins.
• Customers: When you have a culture of growth and opportunity, customers receive better service because everyone is looking forward. Your team will be looking for every opportunity to provide the best service possible.
• Employees: Obviously, your team will prosper with this type of system. For those who want to advance their careers, they will have no better opportunity than with your company under this program.
• Managers: This type of program will also keep your managers at an incredibly high level. When your managers are training those under them, your team will be offering tremendous service, and if you have a bonus program in place, everyone will benefit from that attention to improved service. Plus, when the time comes for your managers to move up to a higher level, they’ll be ready.
• Owner: As the owner, this program provides you with tremendous flexibility. Now, you’ll have the opportunity to take a vacation without worrying whether or not your business will crumble while you’re gone. Plus, when the time comes to expand your business, you’ll have a core group of managers ready to get a new location up to speed quickly. Having others in your company trained to take over takes some of the pressure off of you to do it all.
Overall, the “train two behind you” method of management training is an effective way to ensure your company always has the managers and superstars it needs to grow and prosper. And when the unexpected happens, you’ll be ready.
Kennedy started Mister Sparky in 1996 in Atlanta. That location is now one of the largest and most successful residential electrical service companies in the Direct Energy Services portfolio, based on sales volume. Kennedy currently owns and operates the Mister Sparky franchise serving the greater Sarasota, Fla., area. He can be reached at [email protected].
