When I started in the trades it was commonly thought that the best way to lead was similar to a drill sergeant: You gave orders, expected them to be followed, they were, end of story. Having previously served in the army, it made sense. Thankfully, we've all evolved along with the industry. In today's home services world, if you’re building a business to actually grow and run without you that kind of top-down approach wears thin fast.

Leading a team in the trades isn’t about barking orders or holding people accountable like they’re in boot camp. It’s about coaching. And the difference between managing and coaching is like trying to duct tape a leak versus re-piping the whole line. One’s a Band-Aid. The other is a long-term solution that changes everything.

If you’re leading a plumbing team today, you’re probably dealing with a whole mix of generations, attitudes, and learning styles. The top-down, "Because I said so," approach may have worked in the past (barely), but it’s not cutting it now. The truth is, people don’t want to be managed—they want to be developed. They want to be seen, heard, and empowered to grow. That’s where coaching comes in.

What’s the big deal about coaching?

Coaching isn’t some fluffy buzzword that belongs in a corporate HR handbook. It’s a strategic, powerful shift in how you guide your team. When you coach someone, you’re not solving all their problems for them—you’re asking questions that help them figure things out on their own. You’re building thinkers, not just doers.

I think about it like hiking a new trail with the lovely Christy. If one of us hasn’t been on that trail before, we don’t grab the other by the hand and lead them through it. We walk side by side, talk through what we see, and share any heads-up from past experience—like where the switchbacks sneak up or the footing gets tricky. It’s not about taking control; it’s about staying connected. That’s what modern leadership looks like. Your team doesn’t need someone to carry them—they need a teammate with a map, ready to coach, encourage, and help them find their own stride.

Why? Because autonomy breeds accountability. When your techs start solving problems on their own, thinking critically, and asking you the kind of questions that tell you they’re growing—that’s when your business really starts to scale. That’s when the freedom you were dreaming about when you started this whole thing actually starts to show up.

From "how-to" to "how’d you think through that?"

Now I know what you’re thinking—"Sounds great, but how do I actually do that?"

Glad you asked. It starts with your everyday conversations.

Let’s say an apprentice comes to you and says, "The customer’s water heater is leaking, and I’m not sure what to do." Old-school management would jump in with a directive: "Call the service manager, grab part XYZ, replace it."

Coaching? Coaching sounds like:
"What do you think is causing the leak?"
"What’s the age of the unit?"
"Have you seen something like this before?"
"What options would you recommend to the homeowner if this were your own house?"

See what’s happening there? You’re not just solving today’s issue—you’re developing tomorrow’s leader. You’re showing them they’re trusted to think, evaluate, and step up. And you’re also saving yourself from being the all-day, everyday firefighter.

Coaching lives in the five-minute hallway chats. It lives in your morning huddles, your truck talks, your post-job debriefs.

The brain science behind coaching

When you coach instead of manage, you’re actually rewiring your team’s brains. Coaching taps into the prefrontal cortex—the part responsible for decision-making, problem-solving, and long-term planning. In contrast, micromanaging triggers the limbic system—the fight-or-flight zone that shuts down creative thinking.

So when you shift your leadership style from command-and-control to coach-and-develop, you’re literally training your team’s brains to operate at a higher level. That’s not just theory; that’s neuroplasticity in action.

Daily micro-moments: Where coaching happens

You don’t need to schedule some grand one-on-one coaching sessions to make this work. Coaching lives in the five-minute hallway chats. It lives in your morning huddles, your truck talks, your post-job debriefs. It's in the text you send that says, "What do you think your next step is here?" instead of "Here’s what to do."

Nature doesn’t micromanage

I’ll leave you with this: nature doesn’t micromanage. A tree doesn’t yell at its branches to grow. It provides sunlight, water, and space—and trusts the process. Same goes for our teams. Give them the right environment, feed them good input, and let them grow toward the light.