To The Point - Home Services Podcast

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Are You Being Held Hostage By Your Technicians?

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May 27, 2025

Kevin Comerford, Founder of Service Champions, and Jonathan Bancroft, President of Morris-Jenkins, dive into solving the skilled labor shortage in home services. They discuss their innovative internal training academies that transform technicians into managers. The duo highlights the importance of continuous development, team dynamics, and structured educational frameworks. With insights on overcoming organizational conflicts and using KPIs for accountability, this conversation is a treasure trove for anyone in the home service industry looking to scale and enhance workforce capabilities.

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ADVICE

Start Your Own Training University

Build internal training universities to solve the skilled labor shortage in home services.
Hire for attitude and train for skill, starting with communication before technical training.

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ANECDOTE

Jonathan Bancroft's HVAC Journey

Jonathan Bancroft started in HVAC at $9/hour, learning on the job with little formal training.
He then founded Morris Jenkins University to guide incoming technicians better and create leadership training.

insights

INSIGHT

Simple Systems Scale Better

Scaling a home service business requires building systems that are simple and consistent like Jiffy Lube.
Complex, highly skilled models like Bob's Auto Shop are harder to scale universally.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Revolutionizing Technician Training

01:44 • 6min

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Transforming Training in the Trades with Innovative Solutions

08:01 • 2min

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Transforming Leadership in Home Services

10:02 • 16min

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Navigating Management Transition

26:21 • 7min

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Navigating Financial Meetings and Grants

'When Goliaths Clash' provides insights into managing conflict within organizations. It addresses the challenges that arise when different departments or individuals with strong personalities clash. Howard Guttman offers a structured approach to understanding the root causes of conflict and implementing effective strategies for resolution. The book emphasizes the importance of clear communication, mutual respect, and a focus on shared goals. Guttman's framework helps leaders foster a more collaborative and productive work environment by transforming destructive conflicts into opportunities for growth and innovation.

#52169

Bringing out the best in people

Aubrey Daniels

Aubrey Daniels' 'Bringing Out the Best in People' is a practical guide to improving employee performance through the application of behavioral science principles. The book emphasizes the importance of positive reinforcement and feedback in motivating employees and shaping desired behaviors. Daniels provides a step-by-step approach to designing and implementing effective performance management systems. It focuses on creating a culture of positive reinforcement, where employees are recognized and rewarded for their contributions. The book aims to help leaders create a more engaged, productive, and positive work environment, leading to improved business outcomes.

#254

• Mentioned in 54 episodes

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

A Leadership Fable

Patrick Lencioni

This book explores the fundamental causes of team failure and organizational politics through a narrative about a fictional company, DecisionTech, Inc. It outlines five dysfunctions: absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results. The book provides practical advice and real-world examples to help teams overcome these dysfunctions and become high-performing teams.

#4267

• Mentioned in 6 episodes

First Break All the Rules

Marcus Buckingham

Curt Coffman

First, Break All the Rules is a self-help book based on extensive research involving 80,000 interviews with managers across 400 companies. It emphasizes the importance of treating employees as individuals, focusing on their strengths rather than weaknesses, and measuring outcomes rather than processes. The book provides actionable advice for managers to improve employee satisfaction and performance by challenging conventional management norms.

#2128

• Mentioned in 12 episodes

The Motive

Patrick Lencioni

In 'The Motive,' Patrick Lencioni delves into the critical reasons behind a leader’s motivation through a narrative involving two rival CEOs. The book highlights the difference between reward-centered leaders, who seek personal gain, and responsibility-centered leaders, who prioritize the needs of their teams and organizations. Lencioni identifies five key responsibilities that leaders often neglect: developing a leadership team, managing direct reports, having tough conversations, running effective meetings, and consistent communication with employees. The book encourages leaders to reflect on their motives and adopt a service-oriented approach to leadership, emphasizing that true leadership is about serving others rather than seeking personal rewards.

Struggling to find skilled HVAC technicians or plumbers? Facing the home services labor shortage head-on? In this episode of the To The Point Home Services Podcast, Kevin Comerford (Founder of Service Champions) and Jonathan Bancroft (President of Morris-Jenkins) reveal how building internal training academies and technical trade universities helped them overcome the skilled labor gap, scale operations, and build a leadership pipeline within their companies.

🔧 Whether you’re in HVAC, plumbing, electrical, or any home service business, this episode is a masterclass on workforce development and scaling through in-house training and manager development systems.

⏱️ Timestamps:

00:00 – Why create a home services university?

00:02:28 – "Sweat in peacetime" mantra & its impact

00:04:34 – Building Champions University: Solving the HVAC tech shortage

00:06:14 – Training curriculum: What worked and what didn’t

00:07:29 – The real reason Morris-Jenkins started their university

00:10:04 – Turning plumbers and HVAC techs into managers

00:12:15 – Solving organizational conflict with real training

00:14:52 – Jiffy Lube vs Bob's Auto Shop: The scalable model

00:18:32 – How to start small with leadership development

00:21:15 – Overcoming the "ceiling of complexity"

00:24:23 – Monthly bonus structures that drive growth

00:26:22 – KPIs, team incentives & positive reinforcement

00:27:18 – Are your leaders reward-driven or responsibility-driven?

00:28:09 – Weekly accountability meetings: Structure & success

00:30:09 – Why your business might lack urgency and accountability

00:31:21 – Real-world financial meeting frameworks for trades

00:35:11 – Grants for company training programs (and the red tape)

00:37:01 – Final thoughts on scaling home services companies

📚 Resources Mentioned:

First, Break All the Rules – Marcus Buckingham -

https://shorturl.at/YgSql

When Goliaths Clash – Howard M. Guttman -

https://shorturl.at/tvyGm

Bringing Out the Best in People – Aubrey C. Daniels - https://shorturl.at/XwcpB

The Motive & Five Dysfunctions of a Team – Patrick Lencioni - https://shorturl.at/kIx6z

💬 Got questions or building your own HVAC or plumbing training academy?

Drop a comment below. 👇 We’d love to hear about your journey and answer your questions.

⭐️ Thank you to our Sponsors!

Rilla: https://www.rilla.com/tothepoint

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