I used to be on top of everyone and micromanage every single part of the business.
When I was a kid, I went to work with my dad every single day. He worked as a propane salesman. He worked on different types of propane heaters and accessories. Eventually my dad opened his own business and started working on lots of different types of heating equipment like oil, propane, gas, and electric. I learned everything that I knew from my dad. I took over his business when he retired. We had six employees at that time. The business isn’t very small, but we service the entire valley. We handle lots of different heating and air conditioning system repairs. About 6 months ago, I was in an accident. The accident severed a tendon in my arm and I can no longer use my hand very well. I can’t work on heating and air conditioning repairs anymore. I thought that I would go crazy sitting in an office all day, but I actually don’t mind. Now that I can’t physically work as a repairman, I have to rely on all of my technicians to handle the work. I used to be on top of everyone and micromanage every single part of the business. Now I am forced to sit in the office and I think it is actually better for business. The repair technicians seem to be happier when I don’t nag them all day. I have a lot less stress because I don’t need to worry about everything in the office and everything in the field. I don’t know if I would have ever changed my style of management if the accident had not happened.