Victory HVAC’s training classroom

Record unemployment?  You wouldn’t know it from the number of business owners I hear from looking for employees.

“You just can’t find good, qualified help.”

Well, that’s just whining.  And it’s not true.  The world, your market area, is full of wonderful people.  If you are willing to create a great, honorable place to work, you will find great, honorable people to work with you.  They may or may not bring marketable skills with them.  If you are also willing to train them, the world is your oyster.

Here’s a picture of Victory HVAC’s training classroom.  This is where the team study the operations manuals and learn how to fix and install systems the “Victory Way”.  Oh yeah, there is an additional classroom with fully functional equipment to practice on, too.  Thanks, Victory!  And thanks, Al Levi for leading the charge on “full responsibility” training.

The Huffington Post has a cool page, “5 Things You Need to Know…”  Here are “5 Things You Need to Know  about Training your Team.”

  1. Hire nice people.  You really can’t teach nice.  You can train skills.  Be nice and attract nice people.
  2. If it isn’t written, it isn’t real.  Train on written procedures.  Have team members write the manuals with you and take turns following the checklists.  We are too old to remember stuff.
  3. You do it, then they do it.  Practice and role play in house.  Make scenarios as “real” as you can…and have some fun with each other.
  4. Ride Along or hang out on the shop floor.  Catch team members doing things right.  Once they demonstrate they can do a procedure, training is over for that procedure.
  5. Hold them accountable.   You can stop tolerating shoddy performance when you train people properly.  This allows you to hold to higher standards.  Be willing to let people go who cause you to compromise your integrity.

One more thing.  Maybe you are making excuses – “I can’t find good people.” – to cover up your fear.  It’s a risk, it’s scary to hire someone.  If you want to grow your company, you are going to need people to help you.  Hire part-time for starters.  Hire nice people and train them.  Let them go if they are not a good fit.  (I’ve been fired before.  Learned a lot and I am the better for it.)

Grow your own wonderful team.

“You can have it all if you don’t do it all.”  ~Nell Merlino