Eric Kaiser and Ty Branaman return to the podcast to talk about the progression from technician to service manager and if a good tech always makes a good service manager. They discuss career paths, differing skills between technicians and service managers, and how HVAC/R companies can support techs who wish to remain techs.

In many cases, top technicians are pulled into service manager positions to keep them with the company. Sometimes, older technicians who have lost some mobility and strength over the years end up going to managerial positions to stay in the industry. Some people genuinely want to acquire managerial positions. Not everybody is motivated by promotions, and HVAC business managers would benefit from knowing what their employees value and want for their professional lives.

Just as we have to teach technicians hard skills to be good at their jobs, we have to teach soft skills to service managers. We can't expect skilled technicians to enjoy or feel comfortable in leadership positions without knowledge of the expectations and required skills. When people genuinely want to go into service manager positions, they can benefit from having a clear path supported by goals and frequent performance reviews to keep them on the right track. However, some people may want to stay technicians; we can do right by them to keep their bodies in good shape so that they can get the most out of their careers and be able to enjoy all types of activities after they retire.

Ty, Eric, and Bryan also discuss:

• Leadership training
• Setting expectations for positions
• Keeping technicians happy
• Residential vs. Commercial HVAC soft skills
• Taking care of employees over customers
• Making room for different personalities and providing opportunities for them

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