Whether you’re a plumber in the field, or an owner/operator with 50 plumbers on your staff, you should wake up every day with an attack plan as if you’re going to war and be aggressive.
But that could mean different things for a plumber in the field compared to an owner.
IN THE FIELD
Being aggressive in the field means paying attention to details, identifying opportunities, being decisive, taking the initiative, doing homework and attacking each job.
There are too many missed opportunities in the field by people who are passive, disinterested and disengaged with the job at hand — being a professional means taking yourself seriously.
Do you have an installation tomorrow? Do your homework. Take the initiative and read the installation manual. Go through some of your plumbing book collections on the subject. Ask co-workers with a lot of experience in that respective field, ask fellow plumbers online in private groups, research standard practices, know the applicable code, etc. Take notes in a notebook, and keep a binder of past jobs with lessons learned. Be fully in control and fully engaged in your daily work. By committing yourself to become the “go-to” person, you will be surprised how much opportunity comes your way.
Being aggressive can also mean turning the dial-up on a job. You are digging up a broken waterline; it’s coming to the end of the day when you must decide to wrap it up for the day and tell the owner they will be without services or pushing on and trying to get it done. Be aggressive. Get a sense of urgency and quickly send a guy for parts. Stay and dig around the connections and push hard to get it knocked out.
The commercial water heater must sit somewhere in the mechanical room, but no one can decide exactly where it should go because it’s an odd retrofit. Make an informed decision, mark an “X” where you want it to go and start piping. Mistakes are going to happen. Things are going to be in your way. Adaptations will have to be made. It’s OK. Don’t confuse recklessness with aggressive action, but someone must take charge and take decisive action at some point.
There’s nothing more wasteful than a talented plumber who has become complacent and is coasting through the day trying to do the minimum.
AS THE OWNER
If you are an owner, you have a lot more risk. Being aggressive and taking a considerable risk on a “bet it all on red” approach is not intelligent. On the other hand, being on autopilot will run you straight into a mountain. So, what does being aggressive look like? A good rule of thumb is this; if taking a risk could put you and your business under, you should not consider that risk. If the strategic decision has no risk, it’s not a decision. Keep things simple for the stuff in between.
If you see an opportunity, take aggressive action and act. That doesn’t mean going all in. It might mean making a phone call to get a price on that new tool. Getting a price can lead to finding a hole in the market where you could get an advantage, which could lead to the purchase, which could lead to more jobs, which could lead to more interactions, and you’ll run into someone worth hiring. This could mean talking to the potential new hire about what they would want to come aboard. If they say they would consider it, be aggressive and make an offer. You get the picture.
As old-fashioned as it sounds, think about showing up early every day and coming to work with a plan of attack. Be on top of things. An email that goes out before Monday morning’s meeting about what you’d like to accomplish this week. You’d be surprised how quickly a culture can turn around by you being the one to take control. The counterintuitive part, however, is once you give everyone the weekly game plan, actively listen, get the team engaged in the weekly process, and adjust plans after talking with your staff. Being aggressive doesn’t mean shoving the way you want it done down everyone’s throats. It means setting a bold plan, making your intent for this week known, and then giving everyone the room to be heard and consider what they say.
It also means breeding a culture of action. Employees need to know that inaction is not acceptable. In the absence of orders, make things happen. After knocking out your weekly meetings, explain that taking aggressive action is not only acceptable but also expected and will be rewarded. The best way to kick this off is to praise someone who recently made a decision, whether it was right or wrong.
Someone in the field is faced with a situation where they took action, made a decision, and it turned out to be the wrong move. The next day in front of everyone, everyone should discuss the decision. Follow this with praise for at least making a decision and taking action. Explain to everyone that decisive action and initiative will lead to more freedom, increased responsibility and less micromanaging.
Push the schedule, push company progression, push positivity and create a culture of showing a bias for action by leading from the front. Be fully engaged, have a game plan, attack each day with purpose and keep pushing.
