Ellen Rohr
Contributing Writer
Bare Bone Biz
While I work with lots of contractors, I have zero technical skills. I have a thimbleful of financial knowledge (which is luckily all you really need.) However, I do have the smarts to know that your team, the front line technicians, will help you fix whatever is broken in your company. As a consultant, with my aforementioned limited skills, sometimes I run into resistance as I work with clients and their team members. To break down some of the barriers, I started riding shotgun. (NOTE that this technique also works great on a side by side, which is riding shotgun, or sitting next to, someone in the office or on the store floor.) It was the smartest thing I have ever done, and continue to do. When I ride along, my intentions are…
- To make a friend.
- To learn something.
- To be of service.
When I hop in the truck, we make conversation and the resistance start to melt. I learn about his family. I discover that he is into Nascar or classical music or Wes Anderson films. Then, I ask questions like…
- If you were in my shoes, what would you think I should know, or do?
- What are we doing that is getting in the way of you serving customers or doing your job?
- What keeps you working here?
And he tells me. Every time I ride along I am struck by how powerful and important it is to spend time with your front line team members. They know what’s happening and they are the key to fixing problems.
When you ride along, you will find that there are one or two things that a technician is doing – or not doing – that is getting in the way of his being more successful. So, hop in the truck…and see what happens. At the very least, you could get to know each other a little better.
Then, you can build on that relationship. That’s when things get really good.
“Jack, how about if I ride shotgun with you today? Once we get to the customer’s home, I am going to be quiet. You’re in charge. After the call, when we get back to the truck, I will share my observations. If I find ONE thing that – if you were to do it – may make life easier for you and our customer, may I share it with you?”
“Yes. That would be great.”
Each tech is different. You won’t know what his doing or not doing until you see for yourself. When you ride along, you will spot one or more things that is causing him to fail, or work harder than he needs to. Most often, I find that technicians jump right into fixing stuff, and neglect to consider what the customer needs and wants. They can “fix” that problem by asking a good question or two before they start the diagnostic work. Take note of what he is doing right, and share that. When you are back in the truck, share one thing to work on.
Jack will help you improve, too. If you take one of his suggestions and implement it, he will appreciate it. You may even get his agreement to head up the project. Ride alongs (and side by sides) are an easy way to gain understanding and buy-in all around.
Xo$, Ellen
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