Business Card Reward

Century Cable: Sherman Oaks office, serving Hollywood, San Fernando Valley, etc. The Mid 80s

I was a chief tech and had about sixty installers and technicians working for me. I was a working Chief tech. Of course, I did all my management duties, but I was not bashful about helping the techs out in the field whatever the issue was.

One of my management tips, tricks, or techniques was leaving my business card in unusual places. For example, there were some trunk amplifier locations that are about inaccessible. Bald pole next to a mountain road on the edge of a cliff, in a yard with a bunch of vicious dogs and unfriendly homeowners, and so on. Whatever the reason the amplifier was difficult to get to if I found myself working on that amplifier when I finished, I would pull out one of my business cards and right good for the afternoon off redeemable with Frank. And leave it stuck inside the amplifier housing.

It wasn't long after I left the first one till some tech came in grinning and holding his car in his hand, "So do I get the afternoon off?" And I said, " Yes, sir you do! Excellent job, keep up the excellent work!"

After that, it didn't take long for the word to get out that I was doing this and suddenly people started opening these difficult locations instead of just coming up with some excuse or reason why they weren't able to finish the job.

This technique may not have come out of any management book but it sure was an incentive.