Don’t Lose A Contract Because You Parked Like A Jerk

We lay out how professionalism turns solid technical skills into trust, repeat work, and career growth. From credentials and background checks to site conduct, communication, and mentoring, we map the daily choices that build a reputation you can bank on.

• defining professionalism as trust, consistency, and mindset
• keeping credentials current and planning CECs
• avoiding license issues and social media pitfalls
• showing up clean, organized, and punctual
• respecting vehicles, site rules, and materials
• communicating clearly across email, text, and calls
• collaborating with other trades to smooth schedules
• building a reputation through neat, documented work
• committing to lifelong learning and mentoring
• following company policies and asking smart questions

Wednesday nights, 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, join the live stream on TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube where you get to ask your favorite RCDD your questions. If you find value in this content, click the QR code to schedule a 15-minute call or buy me a cup of tea.

Chapters

• 0:00 Opening, Livestreams, And Support
• 2:26 What Professionalism Really Means
• 4:29 Credentials, Training, And Staying Current
• 8:50 Licenses, Background Checks, And Social Media
• 11:20 Personal Image And Jobsite Conduct
• 17:00 Interpersonal Skills And Communication
• 20:16 Vehicles, Site Rules, And Phone Use
• 24:06 Reputation, Consistency, And Trust

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:00

Hey Waddle Monkeys, welcome to another episode of Let's Talk Cabling. Would you like a way to stand out amongst the plethora of low voltage installers? The plethora of low voltage companies? Today's the show for you.

SPEAKER_00: 0:16

Welcome to let's cable your cable.

SPEAKER_01: 0:52

We are connecting at the human level so that we can connect the world. If you're watching this show on YouTube, would you mind hitting the subscribe button and the bell button to be notified when new content's being produced? If you're listening to us on one of the audio podcast platforms, would you mind leaving us a five-star rating? Those simple little steps help us take on the algorithm so we can educate, encourage, and enrich the lives of people in the ICT industry. Wednesday nights, 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, what are you doing? You know I do a live stream on TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, everywhere I can figure out a place to send this thing to, where you get to ask your favorite RCDD. You know that's me. You know I'm your favorite RCDD. Favorite questions on installation, design, certification, career path questions. I answer everything. But I can hear you, but Chuck, I'm driving my truck at Wednesday nights at 6 p.m. I don't want to get into an accent. Take a deep breath. Relax. I record them and you can watch them at your convenience. Also, while this show is free, we'll always remain free. If you find value in this content, would you click on that QR code right there? You can schedule a 15-minute one-on-one call with me after hours, of course. You can even buy me a cup of coffee or maybe even a cup of tea, because I drink tea when I drink coffee. Actually, let's be honest, I don't drink coffee. But yeah, you can buy me a cup of tea. Absolutely. So I want to talk about a subject that's probably been beat to death that you're probably thinking, well, since I say the one words associated, we're probably gonna be thinking, yeah, I already know everything all about that, Chuck. Professionalism. It isn't about just about looking the part, it's about earning the trust of your boss, earning the trust of your customer, even when nobody's looking. But like I said, professionalism isn't about just wearing a clean shirt or or even having a business card. Although, who carries business cards in today's environment with all the ways that we can exchange business contact information without a paper card? It's all about how you show up for the job, how you represent your company. How about you, how about you the the way that you build your personal reputation? Yes, your personal reputation. Your company has a reputation, and you have a reputation. Now, this is gonna be good for you, whether you're a an installer in the field, a project foreman, maybe even a project manager or an estimator. Professionalism is the currency that buys the trust, it buys the repeat work, and also maybe even future leadership opportunities. Let's break it down what this looks like in real life. So here's the rub: it starts with you. Yes, look in that mirror right now. You see the person you're looking in the mirror, it starts with you. It starts with your credentials, your training, your behavior, and your attitude. It all sets a tone. And trust me, if you don't think you don't have one, ask the ten people near you, and they will tell you what they think about you. And I'm telling you, it professionalism can make or break a career. It could be the difference between having having uh chocolate cake or having chocolate cake and ice cream at the same time. I don't know why I'm thinking about chocolate cake tonight, but just I am, right? So professionalism is like chocolate cake with the icing. With the ice cream, not the icing, right? So let's talk about a few of them. First one, let's talk about credentialing and training, your ability to do the work. Keep your professional licenses, keep your certifications and your credentials current. Don't let them expire. I can't tell you how many times, how many times I've had people reach out to me. Chuggus November, yeah, it's December, I need CECs. Uh my my my Bixie credential is going to uh it's going to expire, and I can't get, I don't have enough to renew it. Um whose fault is that? How does how does your problem also become my problem? Here's the thing. You have years to get those CECs. Years. And in today's environment, they're absolutely easy to get. Between manufacture classes, between uh cable installation maintenance magazine webinars, uh Bixie classes, going to Bixie credentials, going to Bixie conferences, there is absolutely no reason you should allow your credential to expire. Now, let's you know, we gotta have that conversation. Chuck, why do I even need a credential? I know people who who are better than credential people without a credential. Yes. And I also know the the exact opposite as well, too. But remember, a credential is going to show the world, your employer, your supervisor, your potential customer, that you're treating this as a career, not a job. A career. That's that's actually a show topic for a different day. I'll dive into it then. But if you don't have a credential, you should be either a con you should always be a constant learner, but you should be always working towards a credential or certification, whether it's you're any one of the Bixie credentials, any one of the FOA certifications, like the CFOT, or maybe even if you go into the little the uh fire alarm side, you know, a little thing about your nice set. You should always be growing and moving towards one of those end goals. Never be stagnant in your career. And the the most dangerous person that I meet on a daily basis is the person who says, But Chuck, I got 10 years' experience. I already know everything. Yeah. No, you don't. No, you don't. I've been in this industry for four decades, and I still don't know everything. I still am always learning and reading. So keep those credentials current. Another thing you want to really think about is, and a lot of people overlook this one. A lot of people overlook this one. Don't do anything stupid to jeopardize your driver's license. Right? Now you probably think, well, Chuck, why does that matter? You well, you might if you come, if you get a DUI, a DWI, if you get you know excessive speeding tickets, what will happen is your company can't your company can't allow you to drive company vehicles. Now, what are they gonna do if they need somebody to drive a vehicle back? Or what if you're issued a company vehicle? Well, then you're probably gonna have that taken away from you. And another thing you might run into is if you get if you have a really bad driver's license, when you go work on some large new construction sites, that's part of the background check that they do. They check to make sure that everybody on the site has a valid driver's license. Now you can't even drive onto a job site if you have a bad license. So those actions, you, those choices that you make on Friday nights and Saturday nights and Sundays will definitely affect your ability to make money on a Monday or Tuesday or a Wednesday. So always have that going in the back of your mind. Always. Also avoid action, other actions that can hurt your background check. I already mentioned the one, the driver's licenses, but there are other things that you could be doing. In today's environment, social media. Social media. I get it, you know, social media, freedom of expression, all that fun stuff. It's your Facebook page. I get it. I get it. But you know what though? Your employer, your customer may also be looking at that. Somebody may pass it on. How many times have you heard in the last couple years people losing their jobs because they do something stupid and then the internet finds out who they are because of their social media presence and then they lose their job? So don't do stupid things. That could be anything from anything from you know the how you participate to to party and enjoy yourself to sometimes even your political views. Now, I get it, the First Amendment rights, yeah, yeah, yeah. But I'm telling you, people were always judging you. That's why when you go look at my posts, whether my company posts or the my personal social media presence, you will rarely, rarely ever see any kind of a political post. And it's not because I don't have a political opinion, it's because it's my opinion, it's my business, not yours. But you know, you might be working for a company that might be uh left-leaning, and you might be a conservative, or vice versa, and you might post something, somebody might take offense to that, and they might call your boss, and now you're looking for a job in an environment where it's getting harder and harder to find qualified people. There's lots of openings in the trades, don't get me wrong, but there's a huge need for people who are credentialed in being in this needs. Every action that you do after, even after hours, can affect your background choice and your security checks.

SPEAKER_00: 10:08

Let's take a short break. Are you trying to reach the technicians, project managers, and decision makers of the ICT industry? Then why aren't you advertising on Let's Talk Cabling? With over 150,000 impressions a month across podcasts, YouTube, and social media, this isn't just a show. It's the go-to resource for the low voltage industry. We spotlight the tools, training, and technology shaping the future of structured cabling, and your brand could be front and center. Don't just get noticed, get trusted. Email Chuck at advertising at letstalkcabling.com and let's connect your brand to the right audience today.

SPEAKER_01: 10:54

So let's talk about your personal image, your ethos, right? Some things you can do. Show up clean, show up organized, show up ready to work. I could dive in each one of those a half hour long. Show up clean. Again, try to wear shirts that don't have stains on them or holes in them, don't have holy jeans, wear work boots that don't look like they've been around the block a few or five times, right? You want to look clean and organized. Organized can be anything from having packout kits, or if you don't want to buy packout kits, organizing your tools, just being ready to work, being ready to do any task that your supervisor or your customer may ask you to do and be able to do it quickly, efficiently, to their satisfaction, without having to rumble through things. Another one, manage your time effectively and be punctual. Be punctual. Dad always used to say it's better to be 15 minutes early than one minute late. So always show up early. You can always show up right and get a cup of coffee. But also make sure that you treat the company's property, their work van, their work vehicles, their any tools that they may have been issued to you. Make sure that you don't use them, you use them the way that they're supposed to be used. Don't be using for things that you're not supposed to be using. Clean them, return them, return them in a better condition than you sign them out as. And hopefully your company has some kind of a tool sign-in and sign out process. But that also goes along with client materials as well, too, because when you win a project, there's always materials that go along with that. And sometimes companies will change the ownership of the material at the very beginning of the project, not the end of the project. So now it becomes the client's materials. So make sure that you lock the cable up at night so other trades don't steal your cable. Make sure that you know you don't leave scraps of it laying all around because nothing is going to give the general contractor a worse taste in their mouth than a low voltage guy who is just leaving trash around for his people to pick up. And again, this goes to them as well, too. I mean, like I said, you're you can be professional to your employer and your customer, but there are other trades that you're gonna be working with. Electricians, HVAC, Sprinkler, and even the general contractor. If you make it, if you make that relationship poor with them, they're gonna make that relationship rough on you. And when you need something, they're not gonna be there to help you. And I know this is gonna be one of the another one of those words that's gonna be really hard for a lot of people to understand. Ethical. Being ethical. Because you know, it's it's a it's a matter of opinion to some people almost. But make sure that you, if a customer gives you some information that might be sensitive information, confidential information for them, don't go blasting it out on social media. Don't the same thing with your employees. If you know that you may be winning or you're bidding a certain project, make sure that you don't go around blasting all your fellow peers in the low voltage industry because one of them may be also bidding on that project, and they may be less ethical than you. So always make sure that you treat everything through the fine scope of that ethical lens when it comes to information, when it comes to sensitive data, when it comes to, again, the materials or the equipment that's being entrusted to you. See, professionalism isn't just a checkbox, it's a reflection on consistency and self-respect. So let's go to act two and let's start talking about professionalism in action. It's not just about looking professional, it's about acting the way, that the same way, whether you're on or off the job site. So things we want to really cover in this particular section is number one, interpersonal skills. Be courteous and be calm under pressure. Treat everybody the way that you want to be treated and avoid those unnecessary confrontations. That's again, that's another topic for a whole entire show is conflict resolution. How do you how do you respond back to somebody who's who's taught who's complaining to you, or so how do you talk to somebody who's who's giving you a hard time? There's lots of different ways you can do that, but you need to make sure that you communicate clearly and you communicate professionally, especially over phones, text messages, and emails. Because again, those can be brought back up against you in a case, you know, in a mediation case. And while we're talking about those interpersonal skills, if you're issued a company cell phone or some kind of a laptop or some type of electronic device, make sure you only use it for company for company work. Don't be using it for your personal stuff, don't be using it to search websites, and don't be going to those bad websites. You know exactly the ones I'm talking about. Stay away from that kind of stuff. Don't do anything on the phone or in a text message or on a computer that you wouldn't be afraid for your mom to see, because it might come to light. So let's talk about some of the on-site, some of the daily activities. Make sure that you operate your company vehicle in a manner that's going to be proper and it's going to be courteous to other people around you. A lot of work trucks nowadays have signs on the back of them. If you see this truck driven in a in a poor manner, call 1-800, blah, blah, blah. And sometimes people will call those numbers because they perceive that you've wronged them when maybe you haven't. But remember, it paints a target on your back. It paints a target on the back of the company that you're working for in that vehicle that you're driving, that company van that you're driving is a billboard for the company. A billboard for the company. So if you're out there cutting people off and doing excessive speeding on it, that's going to give people the perception of not just your driving skills, but the decision-making capabilities of the company that you're working for. And that may cost you a project down the road.

SPEAKER_00: 16:56

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SPEAKER_01: 17:41

If on a new construction site and you get told to park in certain areas, follow those rules. Park in those areas. Follow those rules because again, if you if you say, ah, that's too far away, I'm gonna park closer. Somebody's gonna see it. Somebody say, hey, this person's not paying attention to the rules. If they're not paying attention to those rules, what other rules are they not going to be paying attention to? So always, always, always respect the on-site activities, respect the vehicles, and even respect on job on the job site. Make sure that you respect that job site because when you sit in when you're working on a job site, you might have certain rules that are instituted by the general contractor or maybe even your company, the use of phones. Personal phones or even cell phones, company cell phones, more personal cell phones. If you have a personal cell phone, the only time you should be touching that phone is before you get to work on your lunch break, on your way home. Don't be surfing TikTok videos, even if they're mine. Don't be surfing TikTok videos all day long when you're supposed to be working because you are distracted. You're not making, you're not, number one, you're not setting a professional image. Number two, you're not working as efficiently as you could. And number three, you're sending a very bad signal, very bad signal to other people around you. And let's be honest, sometimes we're doing work on company sites, and sometimes companies have break rooms. Don't go in there and start eating all their free food. Don't go in there and start drinking all their coffee. Better yet, don't go in their refrigerator and eat somebody's lunch. Ask me how I know that one. All right, so make sure that you respect the facilities, the customer facilities, and also only do things when you're authorized to do them. When you're dealing with other trades, make sure that you respect the schedule, respect the sequence of events, make sure you cooperate with those trades. I understand it can be frustrating sometimes when another trade keeps you from or hinders you from doing work in a certain area because they weren't they weren't respectful of their time. Still be respectful to them. It's all about the professionalism of you and your company. And a lot of people don't realize this. You know, they think they think, well, it's just one job site. Every job you do, you should be doing it with pride because every job, every job site is potentially your resume. People will remember you. I'll give you an example. I did a project in Prince George's County, Maryland once. Well, first, then many jobs in Prince George's County, Maryland, because that's where I used to live. But the local electrical inspector there, after he got to know me, he understood that I I did my work in a neat and workman-like manner, and I did the best I could. He would start, he literally would sign off jobs without even walking in and looking at them. Because he knew that my dedication to doing it right was the was above and beyond the call. And he knew that he could trust it. If I said it wasn't right, he knew that it wasn't right. If I said it was right, then he knew that it was right. Professionalism isn't just one big thing, it shows up in a whole bunch of small choices that you make every day. It's about how you park in your in the parking space. Do you park straight? Do you put out the cones if you're supposed to put out the cones? Are you polite to the customer? Are you polite to the customer's peers? You know, it's one thing to be polite to the customer, but then if you treat the customer's receptionist like dirt, trust me, the customer's going to learn about that. The customer's going to hear about that. And it's also about the ability to keep your cool even when other people don't. It's just you will, if you if you act professional, you will get a reputation. We have a small, small, small industry. And you will get a reputation. And hopefully it's a good one, because a good one will launch your career, it'll open up opportunities for you, a bad eye, a bad reputation. You might not ever get offered another job in this industry. So let's talk about growing and supporting professionalism. The best professionals in this industry, I mentioned it earlier, never stop learning. And not only do they never never stop learning, they help other people's rise with them. If you've been on, if you listen to the show more than once, you know I always say a rising tide raises all ships. Don't be afraid to mentor or teach the person, that peer who might not have as much experience as you. But you can't do that unless you don't remain current. Make sure that you attend, make sure you pass any safety training that the general contractor or your company may run you through, even if it seems stupid. Make sure that you follow the trends that are set in the industry standards and through the journals and the trade shows and the webinars. There's a reason that that information is out there because it's been proven, it has a track record that if you act and work in that way, you'll be safer, you'll be more intelligent, you'll make smarter choices, which will help that project come in on budget, on schedule, and with a happy customer. Always make sure, always, always make sure that you follow company policies. Even the ones that you don't understand. If you don't understand a company policy, just go to the supervisor and ask them, what's the purpose behind this policy? Be respectful. It's okay to question. It's okay to question something. Why do we have this policy? What caused it? What's in it? Why did it get instituted? There might be more information on the backside that you don't know about. Don't just automatically assume that the company's just doing it, just to make your job a little harder. Companies aren't out there to make your job harder because if your job is harder, you're not going to be as efficient, and that's going to take longer, and that means they're going to win less work. They want you to be efficient. They don't want to bog you down, but they do have to protect themselves in today's litigious environment that we're operating in and this tough competitive environment that we're operating in. Also make sure that you help other people get their certifications, get their qualifications. In our industry, we always held that information close to our chest because we were afraid that if we would teach somebody, they would take our job. As my boss used to say, hey, if you want to take my job, go ahead. There's no better supervisor to have than the one that I personally trained. So find somebody. Here's my challenge for today's show. My challenge for today's show is find somebody in your circle of influence and bring them under your wings and help them become better educated in this industry. Help them get their certification. Ask them what is their career path, what is their goals, and help them maintain those goals. Even if nobody did it for you. Be the one that breaks that cycle. Be the one who breaks that cycle. So I know this was kind of a short show, but it is what it is. It's starting at that time of the year where I'm trying to work out my schedule for the remaining parts of the year. But I still think it's an important message. Professionalism is more than just a skill set, it's a mindset. It's the quiet habit of doing the things right, even when nobody's watching. Till next time, remember, knowledge is power.