I’ve been out of daily operations for over two years, and I honestly think removing myself from the field was one of the most important things I did to grow the company.
That doesn’t mean I have no idea what’s happening out there. We have leadership in the field, QC checks, trainers, team feedback, client feedback, and systems specifically designed to tell me when something isn’t working.
I’ll still step in occasionally when there’s a true need, and I actually spent several days cleaning alongside my team during a large commercial project recently. It’s definitely valuable to be reminded firsthand what the work feels like.
But I don’t think the owner personally working in the field should be the system that keeps them connected.
At some point, my job changed from doing the work to building the people and systems that make sure the work gets done well without me.
And I think that distinction matters. There’s a huge difference between choosing to jump in occasionally and knowing the schedule will fall apart if you don’t.
I like how you separated staying informed from personally being the system. If the only way the owner knows what’s happening is by doing the work themselves, the business still has a weak feedback loop.
Field leads, QC checks, team feedback, customer feedback, and training systems seem like the better long-term answer.
