My wife and I moved into a different house and discovered the air conditioning wasn’t working right. We had an AC company send a technician out. It took him all day, but he fixed it.

Here’s what I appreciate about him.

He arrived with a ready solution to fix our problem, but after we explained our issues, he put those thoughts aside and began a fresh investigation.

Before we knew it, he was on the phone with the manufacturer. He called his colleagues and got other opinions. Eventually, he readjusted his original plan and got to work.

Here’s what stood out:

• He cared about us. He knew the hot temperatures demanded cool air. He was intent on fixing it.
• He demonstrated great knowledge. He was able to describe issues he was seeing and round out what he needed to know.
• His bedside manner was perfect. He listened. He questioned. He explained. I now know more about air conditioning than I did that morning. He exuded confidence that he would find a solution.
• He obviously loved solving the problem. He enjoyed his work. I’m sure he gets his share of support calls from his colleagues. He’s a guy who can help when there are questions.

I read recently that we each create a road map in the minds of those we interact with every day. Do you care? Do you have skills? Can you help? Can I trust you?

My AC pro drew a great map for us. How effective are you at drawing maps?