Last month, we focused on the importance of finding a replacement for you, the owner of your company. That was the one strategy that I could pass on to anyone looking to replicate the success that I''ve had in my company. If you want to build a fast-growing company, you''ll need someone that can take the reins of day-to-day operations so you can focus on strategy.

This month, let''s take that same idea a step further and look at a strategy to build that replacement for you and everyone else on your team.

One thing is for sure about the contracting world-you never know what to expect. You could be flooded with calls one week and be struggling to get one on the board the next week. Plus, you may seem to have too many technicians when things are slow and not enough when things get busy. Beyond that, you''ll never know when you''re going to lose someone from your team.

While losing a technician is hard, you can at least hire someone new and have them up to speed in a few weeks, but what happens when you lose one of your managers? Or worse, what happens to your business if something happens to you? If you''re like most owners in this industry, you''d be in a tough spot if your general manager decided to leave you suddenly.

To tame some of that uncertainty and keep your company growing into the future, here''s a unique strategy that I learned from Patrick Kennedy, the CEO of Success Group International''s Electricians'' Success International.

The point of this type of program isn''t to keep everyone looking over their shoulders, but one of the benefits is that it does keep everyone on their toes. They know there''s always someone capable of taking their position behind them, and that keeps everyone focused on what we need to do to be the best.

In a fast-growing company, the only way you''ll be able to move forward is if you have someone who can take your place. If your team members want to advance in your company, the best way for them to do it is to make sure there is someone behind them to step in to their slot. It''s hard to promote an irreplaceable person. Plus, by training two people at every position, you''ll have a choice who moves into an open spot.

With this type of program, your team may be nervous at first, but they''ll soon see how this program creates more opportunity for them. They''ll be more motivated to succeed once they see that the best will rise to the top.

But that culture shift is only one of the benefits of this program. In the end, everyone benefits:

• Customers: When you have a culture of growth and opportunity, customers receive better service because everyone is looking forward. Your team will be looking for every opportunity to provide the best service possible.
• Employees: Obviously, your team will prosper with this type of system. For those that want to advance their careers, they will have no better opportunity than with your company under this program.
• Managers: This type of program will also keep your managers at an incredibly high level. When your managers are training those under them, your team will be offering tremendous service, and if you have a bonus program in place, everyone will benefit from that attention to improved service. Plus, when the time comes for your managers to move up to a higher level, they''ll be ready.
• Owner: As the owner, this program provides you tremendous flexibility. You''ll have the freedom to take a vacation without worrying about your business crumbling while you''re gone. Plus, when you want to expand, you''ll have a core of managers ready to get a new location up to speed quickly. Having others in your company trained to take over takes some of the pressure off of you to do it all.

Overall, this "Train Two Behind You" method of management training is an effective way to ensure your company always has the managers and superstars it needs to grow in the future. Even when the unexpected happens, you''ll be ready for it. n