< Previous20 AUGUST 2019HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYwhat several members say about their experience so far:“I consider the Trailblazer Coaching pro-gram, as well as the entire NCI team, as my champions. They stay in touch with me be-tween Trailblazer sessions to make sure I am successful and staying on the Perfor-mance Path. I love how these sessions re-inforce what I learned at Summit as well as what I learn in NCI train-ing.” – Mike Greany, Ser-vice Manager, All Pro Plumbing Heating, Air & Electrical, Ontario, CA.“Attending Summit and this Trailblaz-er Coaching has really shown me the im-portance of consistency and has been very helpful in keeping me and my company on the path. “Over a five-year period, Control Point’s atmosphere and attitude is so different than when we started. What I’ve learned and continue to learn is that by staying consis-tent and by explaining the ‘why’ to our team and our customers, we were able to change our culture and have be-come unstoppable.” – John Fullen, Oper-ations Manager, Control Point Mechan-ical, Shrewsbury, MA.Trailblazer Coaching was designed to bring the concepts taught during NCI’s High-Performance HVAC Summit to you all year. For as little as $35 per month, you can participate not only in the upcoming sessions, but you can listen to the past sessions as well. There will be 12 monthly High-Per-formance Trailblazer Coaching sessions. You can participate with fellow HVAC contractors from across the country and either learn or refresh all the concepts taught during the 2019 Summit event.NCI’s David Holt and David Richardson are the coaches.To register and participate, just go to ncilink.com/TrailBlazeReg today. Seriously, don’t miss this tremendous opportunity.New Online TrainingIn our continuing mission to add to and improve the training content avail-able to members, NCI is pleased to an-nounce two new courses: zFundamentals of Fan Airflow – Learn the three rules of airflow and the six steps of fan operation in a system, and more! zBalancing Hood Basics – Learn the basic functions of balancing hoods as well as proper positioning and how to accurately measure grille and register airflow.These two courses join our other in-expensive Online University training for your employees and target NCI-spe-cific training. The University includes modules covering testing and measur-ing HVAC systems as well as best High- Performance business practices.Now NCI’s Online University is more af-fordable than ever! Take advantage of our new more-competitive pricing on all online training - and as a member, you save even more! Plus, Learning Excellence Online, Learning Excellence Premium, and High- Performance HVAC Alliance members have unlimited access to all online uni-versity courses for all their employees!Check out all our online courses by going to ncilink.com/OnlineU.The August PowerPack is Now AvailableLast month’s PowerPack focused on helping you integrate testing and diag-nostics into your company’s culture.This month we focus on: zSystem Temperature Measure-ment Basics (Online Training) zEnthalpy Chart (Download) zCoolMaxx Report and Procedure (Download) zTech Tip: Measuring Wet Bulb Tem-perature (Download).Plus you can still access the video of the first Trailblazer Coaching session and sign up for the monthly sessions.We think you’ll find these tools and training materials very helpful as you continue to grow your High-Perfor-mance HVAC business. Be sure to share your PowerPack with your entire team! Go to ncilink.com/PwrPak.If you have any questions, or if you are unable to access any of the tools in this program, please contact our Customer Care team at 800-633-7058.Trailblazer Coaching Is A-Rockin! Now in its third month, the High-Per-formance Trailblazer Coaching 2019-2020 program is in full swing and is rock-ing the world with those who are already participating.Don’t take our word for it. Here are NCI MEMBER UPDATEAUGUST 2019 21HVACTODAY.COMHVAC SMART MARTAdvertiser IndexHIGH-PERFORMANCEHVAC TODAY TMAD INDEXArzel Zoning Technology, Inc. | ArzelZoning.com ................................................................... 21Baker Distributing Company | BakerDist.com ........................................................................... 9Dwyer Instruments, Inc. | www.dwyer-inst.com ...................................................................... 2Goodman Manufacturing | www.GoodmanMfg.com ............................................................ 4Jackson Systems | www.JacksonSystems.com ......................................................................... 6Lazco Corp. | www.LazcoCorp.com ................................................................................................ 7R.E. Michel Company | www.REMichel.com ..............................................................................10The New Flat Rate | www.TheNewFlatRate.com .................................................................... 21To Your Success | ToYourSuccess.com ........................................................................................ 21United Refrigeration Inc. | www.uri.com .................................................................................. 19To Subscribe to High-Performance HVAC Today:ONLINE: Visit HVACToday.com/subscribe for a FREE digital subscription.PRINT: 1 year/$72; single copy $7. Canada: 1 year/$92; single copy $9. Payable in advance with U.S. funds. Prepaid subscriptions may be sent to: High-Performance HVAC Today, PO Box 147, Avon Lake, OH 44012. Phone: 440-949-1850; toll free 800-633-7058; FAX 440-949-1851, or visit HVACToday.com/subscribe to order online.PublisherDominick GuarinoEditor-in-ChiefMike WeilArt DirectorConnie ConklinOnline Development DirectorBrian RosemanCirculation ManagerAndrea Begany- GarsedEditorial AssistantMarge SmithEmail us at contactus@hvactoday.com with your comments and questions.22 AUGUST 2019HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY1. Build a “Pilot” team. Choose one techni-cian, one salesperson, and one installation crew. Your service and sales team should test perfor-mance on every service and sales call they can. Task your install crew with performing and “test-ing out” system enhancements, both as part of equipment installation and stand-alone. 2. Use the experience you gain from these initial projects to hone your process. It’s very important to document what was done, what worked, and what didn’t. What might work in one company may not work in another. Your suc-cesses and failures will help your team determine what works best in your market - and for your company. This experience will help you make good course corrections as you move forward.3. Learn from others. There are hundreds of NCI members in various stages of implementa-tion. If you are a member, reach out and ask ques-tions on our online forum, High-Performance Talk. If you’re not a member, start with a 30-day free trial. In addition to the support available with your membership, during these 30 days you can reach out to other members and learn how they overcame the inevitable challenges of imple-menting this new process in their companies. Go to NCILink.com/trial to learn how to get a trial membership. 4. Keep going. As your pilot team improves their processes, you will generate new opportu-nities for performance improvements and take on bigger and more profitable projects. Most im-portantly, the team will start to “rub off” on their peers within your company.This baby-steps approach allows you to grow a High-Performance culture organically with-in your organization. The good news is you don’t have to do it all at once. Remember, you don’t need to go it alone. You can access the wisdom of hundreds of High-Per-formance contractors plus NCI instructors and support staff as you embark on this exciting and worthwhile journey. At least once a week I talk to an HVAC con-tractor who has taken NCI training and is trying to figure out how to integrate measured performance into his or her business. NCI’s dozens of instructors and customer support staff get similar questions every day.As we examine how companies we’ve trained over the years have made the transition, we found a common thread in three key areas: 1. Technical knowledge and skills 2. Investment in tools and instruments 3. Consistent systems and processes.Many of the contractors we talk to have made significant strides in the first two areas. They have a pretty good grasp of the technical knowledge to test, diagnose, and improve systems. Many have the tools and instruments to get the job done. How-ever, most share that their biggest weaknesses are lack of systems and processes. Roughly 20% of those we talk to have made the leap from the “potential” to deliver measured per-formance, to actually doing it. The common de-nominator is they already have good systems and processes in place. They have a good grasp of how their companies run, and good documentation of how they do what they do. While they focus on great customer service, and installing high-quality systems, most companies are still working on creating consistent, document-ed processes. As a result, they find it a lot tougher to implement new offerings like measured perfor-mance improvements.SO WHERE DO YOU BEGIN? BABY STEPS!The secret to implementing something as new and revolutionary like delivered performance is to take small steps and build momentum. The old ad-age, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time,” truly applies here. Here are some Baby Steps you can take as you begin to integrate measured performance into your compa-ny culture. These steps assume some of your people already have the needed knowledge, skills, and tools:Dominick Guarino is publisher of HVAC Today magazine and CEO of National Comfort Institute, Inc. He can be reached at domg@ncihvac.com ONE MORE THING...By Dom GuarinoBaby Steps!Next >