Put three good tradespeople in front of the same problem, and you may see three different kinds of enthusiasm. One wants to understand why the system behaves that way. Another wants to get the failed part out and make the repair. The third is already thinking about the layout, access, and details that will make the finished job work well.

We need all of that.

When Bert and I discussed technicians, mechanics, and craftsmen, we were trying to understand what people enjoy, what frustrates them, and how to help them grow. These are overlapping tendencies, not a personality test or three permanent assignments. You may recognize yourself in all three. Your interests can also change as you gain experience.

And yes, we call almost everybody in this trade a technician. I'm using the word a little more narrowly here.

What part of the work pulls you in

The technician inclination is drawn to diagnosis and underlying causes. Why is the reading changing? What else could explain the symptom? How do the equipment, building, weather, and customer behavior fit together?

That's where my mind tends to go. I'm attracted to the principles behind what we can measure. It is useful, although my ability to keep thinking about a problem can outlast everybody else's desire to hear about it.

The development opportunity is to connect that curiosity to a clear decision, a completed repair, and verification. Understanding the problem is valuable. The customer also needs the system working.

The mechanic inclination is drawn to repair and assembly. There is satisfaction in engaging with the equipment, understanding how the parts fit together, and getting the physical work done.

In our conversation, I remembered working alongside someone who kept moving a project forward while I kept stepping back to analyze it. I appreciated that difference. Sometimes another plan is needed. Sometimes there is simply work to do, and somebody needs to do it.

That willingness deserves respect. It also benefits from preparation, sound methods, and checking the result. Enjoying hands-on work tells us nothing about someone's ability to learn theory or diagnostics.

The craftsman inclination is drawn to layout and refinement. This person may enjoy anticipating how the work will come together, preparing carefully, and getting the fit and details right.

I think of a carpenter who worked on our house and could take a few measurements, picture the result, and make everything fit. I really admire that ability.

In HVAC, that care can show up in thoughtful routing, service access, or a well-planned installation. Appearance is part of the picture, but a beautiful job still has to function properly. Refinement needs a purpose and a clear standard for completion.

Keep the standards the same

These preferences overlap. Someone can love chasing an electrical problem and take equal satisfaction in a carefully laid-out installation. Someone else may enjoy fabrication far more than diagnosis while being perfectly capable of both.

There is no podium in this diagram.

Everyone needs to work safely, follow sound methods, verify results, and respect the customer. Calling yourself a technician doesn't excuse sloppy workmanship. Calling yourself a mechanic doesn't excuse guessing. Calling yourself a craftsman doesn't make appearance a substitute for performance.

The same goes for planning and communication. Those are skills we all need to develop.

Help people discover what energizes them

Bert told a story about an apprentice who was headed toward pipefitting. An electrical troubleshooting opportunity changed the conversation. With a meter in hand, the apprentice became curious and engaged, even continuing to explore after finding the problem. Bert noticed and asked about it.

That is much more useful than deciding somebody's future because they struggled with one task.

Give apprentices varied, appropriately supervised work. Let them troubleshoot, assemble, lay out, and refine. Notice what they return to, what questions they ask, and what they want to show you when they finish. Then ask how the work felt to them.

A useful conversation sounds like: “Which part made you want to keep learning?” or “What was frustrating, and what would have helped?”

Their answer may surprise you. What looks like disinterest could be confusion, poor instruction, missing tools, or fear of making a mistake. What looks like talent may reflect practice they had before you met them.

Keep teaching the fundamentals across the board. An interest gives us a place to build motivation; it doesn't give us permission to neglect everything else.

Ability and energy are different questions

Bert made a point I want to underline: we don't get to decide someone's limits from these tendencies. People develop impressive skills through effort, including skills they don't especially enjoy using every day.

That's why “You're good at this” is only the beginning of a conversation about assignments or promotion.

Try looking at the actual tasks in your week. Which can you do reliably now? Which do you usually find energizing? Some fall in both groups. Others fall in only one, or neither.

The overlap may offer a useful direction for growth. An exciting task you cannot perform reliably yet calls for training and supervision. A task you do well but don't especially enjoy may still be a reasonable part of your job. The question is how much of your week it occupies and how the whole job feels.

Also look at workload, expectations, time, tools, and support. Nobody's enthusiasm survives every possible set of conditions. Frustration can tell us something worth investigating without proving that the person or the job is wrong.

Build a team you can appreciate

On a crew, different interests can complement one another. The person who enjoys digging into measurements can learn from the person who sees an efficient repair sequence. Both can learn from the person who spots an access problem before anything gets installed.

There is no universal staffing ratio here. The work, the skills available, and the people involved determine what the team needs.

Growth also doesn't have to mean moving everyone into management. An experienced tradesperson may find real purpose in mentoring, demonstrating a difficult skill, reviewing work, or helping someone plan. Ask whether that work interests them, and give them support in learning to teach.

We will still have frustrating days and necessary tasks we wouldn't choose. Knowing ourselves a little better can help us make better decisions without expecting a perfect job.

I want to get better at appreciating the person whose strengths differ from mine. I can learn from their work without turning it into a competition or deciding I need their career.

Notice what you enjoy. Keep building what you can do. Help the people around you grow. And when somebody brings a skill you don't have, take a moment to be glad they're on your team.

—Bryan