Over the past several weeks, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting with groups of truck and equipment technicians. This is not particularly newsworthy since it’s all a part of the marketing responsibilities I have for ASE. What is notable, however, is the overwhelmingly positive attitude of the people I encountered at these events.
To set the stage, I’ll point to two examples. In June, I attended the Arkansas Trucking Association 5th Annual Technician Competition. Thirty-seven technicians competed at 10 hands-on skills workstations accompanied by a written test of technical knowledge; my job was to proctor the test. In addition to the competitors, local fleets, dealerships and independent truck repair facilities provided tools, equipment, awards and manpower from their management and supervisory ranks as judges and other volunteer workers.
There was a time at events like this, in the not too distant past, when I would hear complaints about how the workstations did not not fairly represent those encountered in the shop. More frequently, I’d hear how the test questions were flawed, had more than one correct answer or (worse) no correct answer. Also, I used to overhear comments in the hallways during breaks suggesting bad policy, poor equipment or inferences of other situations the technician had to overcome in order to complete the job.
Not only did I not hear any of that type of grousing at this event, but to the contrary, everyone I met had something positive to say. For example, supervisors from one company, which recently opted to increase recognition for certain training and ASE certifications, approached me with stories of how technicians at their locations were scrambling to sign up for more tests. Also, when it came to the written test portion of the competition, without exception, each competitor who expressed disappointment at his or her (perceived) performance took responsibility for it, rather than seeking to lay blame.
Next example: I attended a meeting of government transportation equipment maintenance managers, supervisors and technicians held a couple of weeks later. This is an agency that strongly promotes and encourages development of individual professional credentials throughout the maintenance organization, anchored around ASE certification for technicians, North American Transportation Management Institute (NATMI) certification for managers and supervisors, and structured and systematic training to support these certification goals.
In the past at this function, it would not be uncommon to hear complaints about how onerous such a policy is, how it places burdens in time and cost on the technician, etc. But not this time. In fact, in this organization there exists a healthy and friendly competition to outdo peers from the maintenance shop down the road, or to achieve the most recognitions. I believe the positive attitudes I experienced are contagious.
This is certainly not the environment I encountered in the past. What’s happening here? I think at least part of the answer lies in the changing attitude of those, shall we say, “enlightened” fleet managers responsible for setting policy. These people seem to realize that there is more value to technician development than increased productivity.
The “trick” is how to capitalize on that value. More on that to come.
