Watching the highlights from last evening's stunning NHL playoff upset that saw the Montreal Candadiens defeat the Washington Capitals, I heard an interesting comment from ESPN hockey analyst Barry Melrose. "The Capitals were built for the regular season. They had the league's best record locked up since February. They haven't played a meaninful game since January." When asked why that mattered against the Canadiens, he responded succinctly. "They've had to play 10 meaningful games just to get IN the playoffs. They're battle-tested. They were willing to go in, scrap, work hard, win the one-on-one battles. And that's why they won the series."
I started thinking about this in the context of many of the HVACR service contractors and technicians that I've had the pleasure of meeting and interacting with over the past 2 1/2 years as Editor-in-Chief/Publisher/Director of Publishing with RSES. To me, many of you out there epitomize the hard work and effort that Montreal exhibited in winning that series. Your company might not be the biggest. You might be going up against competition that is well established, or has deeper pockets to put toward marketing and promotion. You may be a relative newbie to the trade working your way up the ladder by putting in long days, dealing with callback issues that leave you more angry than anything else.
So that means that you go out and win those one-on-one battles. I've heard (and seen) the guys out there who are attending HVACR seminars and educational programs on weekends or evenings in the midst of a 70-hour week. I've talked with industry executives who are amazed at the resiliency of those in this field and the work they put in. And I'm excited about the prospects for the future as I get inquiries from contractors and techs interested in solar, geothermal, wind and even water-related technologies that can improve efficiency - and help them continue to build their career.
So for those contractors out there who think their on top of the heap, don't ease up. There are a lot of guys out there doing things the right way, training themselves and their employees to get ready for the next century of new technology. And if you're looking for a quality person to join your team, make sure you ask how committed that individual is to the trade, training and education. Because that also will give you a very good indication of just how committed they are to themselves - and ultimately, how committed they'll be to you.
Now I have one more reason that I love playoff hockey: inspiration.
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