New to Leadership?

    We've Got Your Back

    Breaking Through is an archive of leadership coaching and mentorship wisdom that CEOs and upper managers can use as springboards for team discussions and follow-up coaching in one-on-one settings. These resources are written by experienced leaders in:

    • HVAC

    • Plumbing

    • Roofing

    • Home improvement

    • Construction

    • And more!

    Training from Industry Experts

    Recent Topics & Articles

    COMMUNICATION SKILLS

    Is There a Need for Inspiration?

    By: Rich Ashton | Tom's Mechanical

    Earlier this week I delivered an informational and inspirational talk to our Residential employees. As always, I struggled to craft a message which would reach the technicians and installers on their level.



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    CUSTOMER SERVICE

    Erosion of Trust

    By: Rich Ashton | Tom's Mechanical

    Trust is the holy grail of doing business. You can’t buy trust and you can’t acquire trust through marketing. Trust is built through experience by companies who do what they say and back their products and services whenever there is an issue.


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    COMMUNICATION SKILLS

    Responding to Failure

    By: Rich Ashton | Tom's Mechanical

    Entrepreneurs endure multiple failures before building successful companies. The conclusion must be that it isn’t failure which shuts us down, it is our response to failure which determines our future.



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    INDUSTRY TAILORED MANAGEMENT TRAINING

    Who is Breaking Through Made For?

    This website is intended for use by company owners and upper management seeking coaching and mentorship resources for current and new managers, but much of the guidance posted here is applicable to any home services technician or salesperson. 

    Helping Leaders Overcome Challenges

    Breaking Through is a repository of training resources for CEOs and home service business owners who want to promote from within but recognize that many new foremen, site managers, supervisors, project managers or team leads lack previous managerial experience or leadership skills.

    Equip Your Leaders With the Right Tool for the Job

    Breaking Through gives CEOs and upper management the coaching tools and resources they need to provide actionable advice to new jobsite leaders. Instill future managers in your company with the know-how they need to excel in their role.

    Training from Industry Experts

    Contributor Spotlight

    PRESIDENT

    Rich Ashton | Tom's Mechanical

    Rich Ashton is the CEO of Tom’s Mechanical, a residential HVAC and plumbing company serving Arlington, TX, as well as Tom’s Commercial. Rich has more than 40 years of industry experience as well as decades of leadership coaching and mentoring expertise.

    More About Rich

    Recent Posts from Rich

    By Rich Ashton December 27, 2024
    Earlier this week I delivered an informational and inspirational talk to our Residential employees. As always, I struggled to craft a message which would reach the technicians and installers on their level.
    By Rich Ashton December 6, 2024
    I have gone back several times and re-read every blog post from the past two years. If you are not in that habit I highly recommend that you do it occasionally.

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    All Topics and Discussions

    OPERATIONS

    Are You Proactive or Reactive?

    By: Rich Ashton | Tom's Mechanical

    Proactive managers welcome challenges as opportunities to demonstrate creative problem solving while reactive managers approach challenges with fear.


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    CUSTOMER SERVICE

    Rules, Rules and More Rules

    By: Rich Ashton | Tom's Mechanical

    Clearly, we have a need for rules, but some of them seem unnecessary. How do you know when you have enough?



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    LEADERSHIP SKILLS

    What is "Managing Up"?

    By: Rich Ashton | Tom's Mechanical

    Imagine that one of our great service technicians is wrapping up a service call with some bad news for the customer. “Your compressor is grounded and cannot be repaired..."


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