Chaos Isn’t a Culture… It’s a Liability!
In the trades, you hear it all the time: “We just embrace the chaos.” Maybe it started as a joke. Maybe it turned into a badge of honor. But let’s be real — chaos is not a culture. It’s a symptom of disorganization, burnout, and leadership avoidance.
It might sound funny in the office or on the job site, but no one actually enjoys chaos. And when it becomes your everyday operating mode? That’s not quirky. That’s a liability.
The Trades Are Already Hard Enough
Running calls, diagnosing issues, climbing through attics, getting stuck in crawlspaces — this work is tough. Add in chasing down parts, unclear communication, or not knowing who to call when something goes wrong? That’s when people start looking for the exit.
Chaos wears people down. It doesn’t make them sharper. It makes them resentful.
Technicians and team members don’t want to “figure it out” every day. They want systems that support them. Guardrails. Clear expectations.
Even your best techs, the rule-breakers who can adapt to anything, eventually burn out if everything is vague and messy. People don’t quit jobs — they quit the chaos.
I Know Chaos… Personally and Professionally
I’ve dealt with a lot of chaos in my life. I have three kids and a wife. I’m a stroke survivor living with MS. I was in a wheelchair for 18 months. I know what chaos feels like — and I know how important it is to control what you can control.
Your techs need to feel empowered — especially when things go sideways.
Being out in the field, nothing drives me crazier than not being able to get an answer when something comes up. Or worse — not having a clear process for making a decision when no one is available.
If they’ve followed the process, made a call, and no one responded, they should be trusted to use their judgment. As a business owner, you have to believe you’ve hired the right people — and then set them up to succeed.
Because if you don’t? They’ll be left confused, frustrated, and pissed off. And no one wins in that scenario — especially not the customer, who’s usually stuck dealing with the fallout.
SOPs Aren’t Corporate BS. They’re the Safety Net. They Matter!
Having a standard operating procedure (SOP) isn’t about being stiff or rigid. It’s about having backup. A process. A fallback plan. Something to rely on when the day gets crazy, the customer is pissed, or the material is wrong.
An SOP is not a cage. It’s a confidence boost for your team.
If your team doesn’t know how to get a question answered, who to talk to, or what the steps are to get something fixed or approved — then you don’t have a culture. You have a guessing game.
Sometimes dispatch drops the ball. Sometimes a tech shows up without enough info. These things happen. But if you can control 80% of every service call or project, that’s managing the chaos at a much more sustainable level.
No One Is Asking for Perfect. They’re Asking for Clarity.
There are always going to be curveballs. Projects will go sideways. Deliveries will get delayed. But your day-to-day systems shouldn’t be adding to the chaos.
Mistakes happen — but they shouldn’t happen because the process was missing.
Even a single SOP — like the process from pulling up to the customer’s home to greeting them and starting the diagnostic — can make a world of difference.
A small checklist like “while you’re in the home, here’s what to also inspect” makes things easier. Some people call it upselling. I call it being smart — you’re already there. You might as well help the customer understand what’s working well, what needs attention, and what could be a problem soon.
Chaos Kills Morale (and Your Reputation)
The longer you operate in chaos, the more you normalize dysfunction.
When techs are told to “just figure it out” — that’s not leadership. That’s neglect.
Your internal chaos always leaks out into your brand. Customers feel the stress. They see the disorganization. They sense the miscommunication.
You might think you’re running lean, flexible, and adaptable. But to everyone else? It just feels sloppy.
The Biggest Lie: That Chaos Is Fun
One of the biggest false beliefs in this industry is that employees like the chaos. They don’t.
You don’t need to be overly rigid or robotic with your systems. But you do need to make things as clear and easy as possible for your team. There’s already enough to deal with in the field — troubleshooting, delays, callbacks. That’s real work.
Most owners don’t consider this stuff because they’ve forgotten what the field feels like.
Stop assuming. Start fixing.
Get a Little Bit of the Chaos in Order
No one’s saying you need to build a perfect system overnight. But start somewhere:
- Put one process in place.
- Clarify one communication path.
- Assign one point person for each type of issue.
You don’t have to solve everything this week. But you do need to stop pretending that chaos is part of your identity.
Chaos isn’t a vibe. It’s a warning sign.
Fix it before it breaks your team and your business!
Need help tightening up your operations, communication, or project flow?
That’s what I do.
