Everything changed overnight once the storm made landfall. It shifted 150 miles to the east while everyone slept. This unexpected change put upstate South Carolina, western North Carolina, and eastern Tennessee into the storm’s path. The first sign of changing conditions was a flood warning alert going off on my phone at 3 a.m. Flood emergency alerts shortly followed these at 4 a.m. By 5 a.m., trees were bending sideways outside my hotel room window, followed by a loud boom and no power. 

At 7 a.m., I’m texting with the company’s service manager, who has trees down on his property and can’t get out. It’s still too dark to see how bad the damage is, so we decided to postpone the start of today’s training until 9 a.m., after the worst of the storm has passed. He informs everyone who can to meet at the office for a late start time. This simple request proves tougher than expected. Most employees cannot leave their homes. In addition, the building has no power, and all roads leading in are blocked by trees or flood waters. We call off the last day of class. 

You can’t always predict or control the changes that come into your personal or professional lives. Sometimes, conditions can change overnight or with a morning phone call. When circumstances are outside your control, the only thing you can do is manage how you react to them. Our industry is changing faster today than ever before, so the need to adapt is greater than ever. How have you planned for new refrigerants, electrification, and more stringent regulations and requirements? 

The Roads Most Traveled 

After canceling the last day of class, I call my family to let them know what is going on. I started to head home following my normal route northwest on I-26 to Asheville, North Carolina, and then west on I-40 to Knoxville, Tennessee. Trees are down everywhere on I-26, power is out, and cell service is spotty. I’m 5½ hours away from home on a normal travel day, but today is far from normal. I didn’t know how bad conditions were, just 60 miles northwest of me. 

For five hours, traffic progresses slowly as cars maneuver around obstacle after obstacle. There was an abundance of frustrated travelers all trying to get to their destinations. I figured if they are going this direction, I should, too. Eventually, we discover the major obstacle. All traffic is being diverted into a small town called Hendersonville because I-26 is closed and underwater.  

I didn’t know what to do next. I’m following others, trying to get around back roads to go north to Asheville, but I continue to encounter downed trees and power lines blocking the roads. It feels like I’m driving around in circles and burning fuel, which is a precious commodity at this point in my trip. Remember, there’s no power, stores are closed, and the maps on my cellphone have no connection. Following the crowd isn’t working.  

With all the changes in our industry, it’s also easy to get stuck following the crowd, only to end up lost. Just because the industry follows certain trends doesn’t mean you should. In fact, that might be the worst thing you can do. Each day, there’s a new voice competing for your attention and money. They offer cures to the industry’s latest issues, but where are they leading you? Sometimes, you need another set of eyes — a different view to make sense of the crowd’s direction.  

A Different Perspective 

As I make my way back to I-26, I finally get one bar of cell service, and my phone starts ringing. It’s my son with an urgent message: “Quit trying to go to Asheville. It’s totally blocked off, and you’ll end up trapped. Turn around and head the other direction.”  

I had a specific route predetermined in my mind and had never thought of turning around. It wasn’t part of my plan. However, my son had access to information I didn’t. He saw things from a different perspective I couldn’t see while wrapped up in the moment.  

He had been searching the internet and discovered that Asheville was in terrible shape and essentially cut off from the outside world. I-40 at the North Carolina and Tennessee line had also washed out and was closed. If it had not been for my son calling and telling me to quit and turn around, I would’ve kept going in the wrong direction until it was too late. It’s likely I would have reached a point of no return.   

His phone call caused me to regroup. All I was doing up to that point was reacting, with mild panic, as I tried to get back to my family. So, I change plans, detach from the situation, and then turn around and drive in the opposite direction. Next, I pull off an exit ramp to a small town and park on the side of the road. From here, I plan out what my next steps will be. It took me disconnecting and regrouping to finally get my wits about me before I could start a new route home.   

In your business, you may keep pushing forward regardless of obstacles. It’s an admirable trait. However, there are times when you need to quit. There are times when you’re going in the wrong direction, and you need to turn around. You may find this situation currently happening in your company if you continue doing the same thing and still get poor results. One example is selling high-precision equipment on a like-for-like basis and then installing them on old, inadequate duct systems.   

If this is your business model, you will keep going further and further down a dead-end road. And unless you stop, you’ll end up trapped with no way to turn around. This article is me giving you the “phone call” to stop, quit doing what you’re doing, and turn around before it’s too late. Unless you stop and take notice of the problems in our industry, you’re going to get lost. Disconnect yourself from the moment and regroup. Listen to those who have different information and views you should consider. 

An Unexpected Detour Home 

My new route home was one I would have never planned. I end up going through the mountains of upstate South Carolina, northern Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. My route takes me through small towns and down small winding roads through national parks I didn’t know existed.  

There are multiple trees and power lines down in the road, but thankfully, those before me cleared the path. The drive is slow, but I make steady progress. The farther I go, the more things clear up. Eventually, I end up south of Knoxville, Tennessee, on I-75. Now I’m only 3½ hours from home. After 15 hours on the road, I’m finally back with my family.  

You may find, when you start a new path in your company, that the route to your goals will be quite different than you expected. The progress may go slower than planned, and there will probably be unexpected detours. On the trip, you might find that the path to your intended destination ends up taking you someplace different — someplace better. 

At last count, there were over 200 lives lost to Hurricane Helene. Weather officials say it is the second-deadliest hurricane to strike the U.S. mainland in the past 50 years. There are still countless families and businesses in need in the affected areas. Their lives are in the middle of an unexpected detour and they need our help. If there’s one thing I know about people in the HVAC industry, they always step up and help when there’s a need. Please consider helping through relief organizations such as Red Cross, Feeding America, or others working to help.