I learned a lot of life lessons from my time in the Navy that have served me my entire life. These lessons have also helped me to be successful in business and in life.

Like any worthwhile activity, this should start with a plan. I recommend creating a monthly schedule of who you will ride along with and when. Be realistic about the time you can commit and stick to it.

You may have read my colleague Gresham Ard’s blog post, “Training: Where to Start?” If you haven’t, start there, like the title says! Once you’re familiar with the foundations of great training, here are three more things to do that will help boost the effectiveness of your training sessions.

How do we get new products or services to take root? The key is to find a champion. By having at least one tech who is excited about the potential of the offering, you can get a lot of traction. This technician will set the bar high by offering the item consistently and sharing their happy customer stories. This enthusiasm is contagious and will spread throughout the team. That champion also becomes the resident subject matter expert and supports the rest of the team, so they become more comfortable.

Communicating in rhythm means we have a consistent and organized approach for connecting with our employees. To get better at this, the first thing you need to do is identify what you need to communicate to the company in daily goals, processes, and expectations. I put an emphasis on a communication process, because this can become crippling as your company continues to grow.

Your daily goal doesn’t have to be static, and in fact it should not be the same year round. Look at your plan for the year, and look at reality — set your numbers based on the fact that things may have changed in the business in terms of weather, personnel, or outside events. Only then can you define your win.

Do all of your service technicians provide service that is repeatable and consistent? Think about your service department for a moment. It is profitable? Staffed properly? Is it steady in workload? Are you growing? Is it a department you’re proud to run? 

I’m talking about 2016. Where did it go? We started with so much promise and expectation. Each year is a new race full of promise, hope, and challenge. Some of us exceeded the previous year, and better yet, our plan. That is a beautiful thing because it means we had a plan.

Regardless of which trade you are in, using an inspection checklist is considered to be a best practice. When we go into a home as a residential service contractor, there is an overwhelming amount of things to look at. Using a checklist keeps our eye on the big picture.