Future speak
I read an article the other day on the International Space Station in Fast Company magazine. The quote at the end of the article was – in paraphrase- “There are no children on the space station, therefore, it is not our future. It is just a space station”.
It got me to thinking, and, locked up tight in Omaha, Nebraska during the first blizzard of the winter, that is a dangerous thing. Many of us are struggling to keep our doors open and aren’t much focused on the future beyond making payroll at the end of the week. I totally understand the rationale.
As an industry, are we forsaking our future? Are we appealing to the best and brightest of the younger generations to join our ranks? Are we providing a creative outlet along with sufficient financial opportunity in order to not only sustain but grow our industry?
I firmly believe that the days of construction being the last best remaining option for employment are nearing their end. Clients will expect us to be ever more professional, ever more efficient, ever more proficient and on top of our craft. This will require bright people that are well trained and passionate about their chosen career in order to make this happen. We can no longer hope for the best of the leftovers – we need top tier employees and staffs in order to secure our industry’s future.
What are you doing to promote and retain exceptionally gifted new staff? What opportunities and challenges are you presenting them with? Are you throwing them to the wolves and hoping that they figure it out? What will we do as an industry in order to compete with tech companies and other forms of engineering that are a gathering place for bright young minds?
We can’t just make do with what we have walk through the door. Instead, we must create an environment in which people can grow and succeed. In times like this, it is difficult to think about years down the road. But as that great turn of phrase mentioned and I twisted “…Without young people, there is no future, it is just a job.”
