Seven characteristics of lousy technicians

In this blog post ‘Seven characteristics of lousy technicians’ I’m sharing how to better work with lousy technicians, and be able to make it for a successful install. Through out my experience installing Avaya Products I have met great technicians, and not so good ones. As anything in life, we unfortunately remember the bad ones and not so much the good ones. 

Not so long ago, I got assigned to help with a deployment of a new IP Office installation of which, it was already in-progress. When I arrived to the customer site, the system was already racked and stacked, but there were a lot of loose ends.

Before going out to the job site, have a conversation with the project manager and sales engineer to see why they don’t feel comfortable continuing working with the existing engineers or crew. Once the conference call has taken place, you need to look for the following characteristics=

• 1.- Not enough confidence
• 2.- Assuming they know it all
• 3.- Bad task management
• 4.- Lack of communication skills
• 5.- They don’t include others
• 6.- Not accountable
• 7.- Dress codes
• What can we do to make it a successful-cut?
• Resources

1.- Not enough confidence

The best way to find out if the technician lacks confidence it’s by looking at the way they conduct themselves. For example when I met the crew onsite, the lead technician wasn’t able to articulate or give me exact responses to regular questions asked.

2.- Assuming they know it all

While reviewing the ongoing project you can tell if they lack humility by the way they express their ideas.

3.- Bad task management

You need to ask how will the technicians execute the installation, and which procedures will they be following. A lousy technician will have no exact procedures in place. In my case these group of guys had a general idea of how they were going to do the job without taking into account the basics.

4.- Lack of communication skills

A lousy technician won’t be able to communicate her or his ideas to the rest of the team with  efficiency.

5.- They don’t include others

These type of engineers, specially the lead technicians/engineers will assume that the rest of the team will follow them, and not allowing them to take part of the decision making.

6.- Not accountable

This is when a lousy lead technician won’t take responsibility for errors or mistakes.

7.- Dress code

This is another bad quality easy to identify. Always follow your company’s dress code. If not sure always contact your HR representative to confirm what’s allow within your organization.

What can we do to make it a successful-cut?

I employed the following techniques:

Assess the project.

As you arrive the project already in-progress it’s always a good idea to take a big picture of the entire installation.

The big picture

Here you will summarize the installation by running an inventory of the equipment to be deployed and the existing equipment in production.

Don’t be a micromanager

When working with other technicians, you need to understand how to talk and interact with them. From asking the right questions, to allow them to comment and make recommendations.

In my case, I gave them the choice of leading the installation or having me to take the lead. 9 times out of 10 they will choose to take a the backseat and have you lead the project.

Allow for comments

For this particular installation I had developed a plan, and asked them to collaborate.

Set yourself for success

With your team aligned, it is time to talk to your site contact and translate the new installation procedures. Always ask them if there’s anything they would like to change or add.

Get my fresh content

Resources

Ease installation techniques

Implement products with no experience

8 Ways to Be More Confident: Live the Life of Your Dreams by Lori Deschene

Question – How do you handle working with lousy technicians?