Working in the HVAC industry is challenging. Have you ever stopped to count your successes?
People like Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, founder of Guideposts and author of “The Power of Positive Thinking,” stopped to count his successes so often that he started teaching others how to do it for themselves.
“Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities,” he said. “Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers, you cannot be successful or happy.”
Peale was also cautious in teaching people to balance their mistakes with success.
“We’ve all heard that we have to learn from our mistakes, but I think it’s more important to learn from successes,” he said. “If you learn only from your mistakes, you are inclined to learn only errors.”
We here at The NEWS spend a lot of time researching and informing you of best practices, future trends, and things you should be doing in your business to increase your success. Taking a page out of Peale’s book, let’s talk about what you have already been successful at this year. After all, the year is half over, and I think a success inventory is the perfect way to celebrate. Rate yourself from 1 to 5 on the following statements, 5 representing “strongly agree.”
1. You’re still in business — That might seem like a no-brainer, but there are a lot of companies, both in and out of the HVAC industry, that had to call it quits. Take, for instance, my previous garbage company that up and closed its doors this year. No warning, no money back, just a stinking pile of garbage cans and a customer scramble to find new service. But that’s not you, and that makes you a success.
2. Your staff is stable — You have a core team of workers that are committed to the company and its ethics. They rally around you when things get tough and find a way to work through the challenges the company faces. You are developing an excellent work environment where people want to be, and that makes you a success.
3. Your obstacles have changed — Face it, life is not without its obstacles. Stop and take a minute to look at the obstacles you are currently facing. If they are different than last year’s, then there is an element of success to that. You are navigating the choppy waters of service business with forward movement, and that makes you a success.
4. Your technicians are well-trained — Be it in-house or sending them to special sessions or schools, you’ve made investing in your technicians’ skills a priority. They aren’t all certified or up to speed yet, but they are on their way. A culture of training and learning is growing at your business, and that makes you a success.
5. You continue to engage the digital world — From websites and social media to the IoT and smart technology, your company is pushing further into the digital realm. You don’t understand it all, and it has caught you off guard more than once, but this hasn’t deterred you from continuing on. Your attitude to embrace technology, adopt it, and continue to ride the learning curve makes you a success.
Total your score. If the number is between 5 and 25, then you are a success. Did you catch that? Those of you running an HVAC business are a success. Now that you have reminded yourself of that, look back at the inventory and see the places that you didn’t quickly write down a 5. Those are the areas that you can set some goals, get some help, and continue to improve your business. Success is an attitude that can be trained to focus on the positive instead of the negative, and that will get your business even further in the second half of 2019.
“Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it, for that determines our success or failure,” said Peale.
Believe in yourself, and you will continue to find success.
Publication date: 7/1/2019
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