THE HVACR MANAGEMENT MAGAZINE
EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK
BY PETE GRASSO TERRY Tanker Publisher ttanker@hvacrbusiness.com PETE Grasso Editor pgrasso@hvacrbusiness.com MEGAN LaSalla Art Director mlasalla@hvacrbusiness.com BRUCE Sprague Circulation Manager bs200264@sbcglobal.net
ADVERTISING STAFF ERIC Hagerman National Sales Manager Tel 216-409-3246 Fax 440-731-8750 ehagerman@hvacrbusiness.com TERRY Tanker Publisher Tel 440-731-8600 Fax 440-731-8750 ttanker@hvacrbusiness.com
BARBARA Kerr Executive Assistant bkerr@hvacrbusiness.com
HVACR Business, founded January 1981, is a monthly national trade magazine serving contractors, mechanical engineers, manufacturers, manufacturer representatives, wholesalers, distributors, trade associations, and others in the heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) industry primarily in the U.S. The editorial focus and mission of HVACR Business is to provide business owners and managers with the very best business management concepts available. Critical topics covered include leadership, management, strategy, finance, sales, marketing, training, education, staffing, operations, human resources, legal issues, customer service and more. We are dedicated to helping contractors master these key management skills and provide them with the resources necessary to build strong, profitable companies. Every effort is made to provide accurate information, however, the publisher assumes no responsibility for accuracy of submitted advertising and editorial information. Copyright©2020 by JFT Properties LLC. No part of this publication may be reproduced or retransmitted in any form or by any means, including, but not limited to, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or any information storage retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Unauthorized copying may subject violators to criminal penalties as well as liabilities for substantial monetary damages up to $100,000 per infringement, costs and attorneys’ fees. This publication should not be utilized as a substitute for professional advice in specific situations. If legal, medical, accounting, financial, consulting, coaching or other professional advice is required, the services of the appropriate professional should be sought. Neither the authors nor the publisher may be held liable in any way for any interpretation or use of the information in this publication. The authors will make recommendations for solutions for you to explore. Any recommendation is always based on the authors’ research and experience. The information contained herein is accurate to the best of the publisher’s and authors’ knowledge; however, the publisher and authors can accept no responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of such information or for loss or damage caused by any use thereof. Subscription Rates: Free and controlled circulation to qualified subscribers. Non-qualified persons may subscribe at the following rates: U.S. and possessions: 1 year $48; 2 years $75; 3 years $96; Canadian and foreign, 1-year $108 U.S. funds only. Single copies $8. Subscriptions are prepaid, and check or money orders only. Subscriber Services: To order a subscription or change your address, write to HVACR Business, 31674 Center Ridge Road, Suite 104, North Ridgeville, OH 44039 or call (440) 731-8600; or visit our Web site at www.hvacrbusiness.com. For questions regarding your subscription, please contact bkerr@hvacrbusiness.com. HVACR Business (ISSN 2153-2877) Copyright ©2020 is published monthly by JFT Properties LLC,31674 Center Ridge Road, Suite 104, North Ridgeville, OH 44039, Phone: 440731-8600. Periodicals postage is paid at North Ridgeville, OH and additional mailing offices. (USPS 025-431) POSTMASTER: Send address changes to HVACR Business, 31674 Center Ridge Road, Suite 104, North Ridgeville, OH 44039.
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What’s Your Management Style?
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We’re good. We’re done. We’re friends again. Everything’s clean. I don’t look to hold onto things like that. Trying to create my leadership skills has been hard, but I’m focused on that process and want to continue to get better.”
Our conversations revolve around a variety of subjects, but often times the topic of leadership and management come up.
“I am not someone that’ll micromanage someone’s job. I use the expression quite candidly that if my son told me he brushed his teeth, I don’t go check the toothbrush to make sure it’s wet. We live on the honor system. If you say, ‘It’s done,’ it’s done. If you say, ‘It’s not,’ be honest with us. Nothing’s perfect.”
ne of the great joys of my job is when I get to speak with contractors — the entrepreneurs of this industry. Whether it’s through research for an article I’m writing, an interview for a feature or our 20 Questions column, or simply a casual conversation at an industry show, I learn the most when I’m speaking with you.
It’s a topic which always garners the most readers whenever we feature it in the magazine or online — and is always at the top of the list when we poll our readership on what they’d like to learn more about.
David Indursky, Encon Mechanical
We all have a management style, but we often don’t think about what that might be until we’re asked to describe it.
One of my favorite questions to ask is one that always seems to give pause (which means I know I’m going to get a thoughtful answer): What’s your management style?
We all have a management style, but we often don’t think about what that might be until we’re asked to describe it. And while everyone has a somewhat different approach to management, there are common threads throughout the styles of those leaders who are most successful. Sometimes, when you really think about your management style, you end up taking a closer look at how you lead your team — and how you want to lead your team. I have no doubt that hearing how other successful contractors describe their own management styles can have a profound impact on how you shape your own. So I thought it would be nice to pull some of the answers I’ve gotten from this question over the past year and reprint them here.
Eric Knaak, Isaac Heating & Air Conditioning
“It’s evolved. I like to be hands off and allow our managers and leaders to make decisions and to make the mistakes the same way that I did. I’ve learned that, as a leader, once we give you thoughts or opinions, it seems like a lot of people will start to shut down because you’ve already said what it should be.”
William “Bill” Lewis, Southern Air Pros “I’m more of a team player. Anybody we hire, we hire them based on their attitudes and then we train them up from there. It’s pretty much a two-way street. If one of the guys catches me shortcutting, they’re welcome to speak up and say, ‘Hey, that’s not how you taught me to do it.’ So that’s the style. I don’t do a lot of micromanaging, but I spend a lot of time training up front.”
Eddie McDonald, Zen Air Heating & Cooling
Take a look at them. Then ask yourself what your own style is, before someone else asks you.
“I prefer to delegate and have the right people in place that can do the job, and I let them run with it. At times, I do tend to delve into the details and do a little micromanaging, but that’s not the best way to be successful.”
Mike Grassle, Hetter Heating & Cooling
Rob Minnick, Minnick’s
“It’s very grassroots … I try to keep my finger on the pulse of this company throughout the day. I’m a huge ‘numbers guy’ and I believe numbers don’t lie. I watch all of the numbers every day.”
“We have operation manuals for every position that we have here. That was one of the things that the consultants brought on board and it makes it really simple. It takes away from all the, ‘Well, I told you this, I told you that. Why are you calling telling me this or that?’”
Corey Hickmann, Comfort Matters “I should be more flexible, because I’m sometimes a little brash. I’ve learned to really hold back on a ton of stuff. It’s pretty amazing what toleration can get you. I don’t take things personal, so I can have a hard conversation with someone and we’re done after that conversation. That’s it.
Michael Rosenberg, Rosenberg Indoor Comfort “I like to communicate with the individual and tell them, “This is what I expect and this is what your goals are,” and then I leave them alone and let them do what they need to do. I don’t micromanage.” u HVACR BUSINESS NOVEMBER 2020
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