Lamenting the “State of the Workforce in 2016”, I shared
with our Business Owners’ Advisory Board (BOAB) my feedback from the state
Workforce Development (WFD) Office, which indicated that the main problem in
WFD is finding prospects with ANY
INCLINATION AT ALL to BE “Developed”.
An astute member of the group said she is not only acutely
aware of the problem but senses a feeling of HOPELESSNESS on the part of many
non-aspiring prospects who seem to have given up.
A moment’s sobering reflection suggested this may be a core
problem, and multiple factors may contribute to such a condition. Potential contributing factors include:
1.
Economic Conditions: There has been a
tsunami of economic change from a manufacturing economy in the US to an
automated workplace with a proliferation of low-wage service jobs. And “middle management” – long the mainstay
of middle-income America – has disappeared with the flattening of corporate
organizational structures.
2.
Foreign Competition: Due to highly
skilled, cheap labor in developing countries, the US no longer represents the
“gold standard” in either quality of goods or value of goods.
3.
Homefront Competition has Increased:
a.
Even traditional “Professional” occupations are now
saturated with certified “Professionals”.
b.
At the bottom and middle, immigrants to the US
work harder for less pay and are content to live in associated sub-standard
conditions with an undying hope – which they see as promise – that they will
eventually rise to the higher standards they see around them. Many DO!
Then they are both doubly rewarded and doubly resented for it!
c.
Upper-middle and advanced professional careers
are increasingly being filled by foreign nationals. [In Science, Technology, Engineering, Math
and Medicine, it is extremely rare to find natural-born US citizens either
willing or able to shoulder the load of preparation in these disciplines.] THAT’S DEPRESSING!
4.
“Fluffy” Career Visioning: “Hard Sciences” are to be avoided like the
plague!
a.
STEM careers are for NERDS.
b.
“New Age Mainstreaming” includes college degrees
in: Professional Nanny, Personal/Private
Chef, Tourism & Event Management, Culinary Arts, Hotel and Restaurant Mgt.,
Marketing & Sales, Communications, Logistics & Transportation
c.
It’s too easy to convince oneself that all you
need is a guitar, a mega-amplifier and a screaming voice to “make it” BIG TIME
in the entertainment industry.
d.
When the economy goes south, guess which
occupations dry up the fastest?
5.
Unrealistic Expectations: Even a college
education does not automatically open doors of opportunity to “having it all”.
6.
Fantasy:
Super Heroes, Knights in Shining Armor, Fairy Godmothers and deus ex machina rescues do not exist in
the real world.
7.
Too Many Choices: Where would you start in choosing a
21st century career?
8.
Safety Nets: Living at home is no longer an unattractive
option as an ultimate “fall-back” position.
Thus, a do-or-die /\ failure is impossible/unacceptable mentality no
longer applies; hopelessness and helplessness is not only easier but often
enabled (see #11).
9.
Cocooning: Life in Syria is hopeless. Those who can’t or won’t leave are, indeed,
both hopeless and helpless. Emigrants,
though facing threat of death, have at least half a chance … and are getting
critically needed assistance from benevolent countries.
10. Discordance:
Sharks can’t mate with zebras and
Cellular One adaptors won’t power up iPhones – even if you can buy them in the
same store! THAT’S hopelessness!! Start low (with “common denominators” where
opportunities mesh with skills) and GROW! (Need a suggestion? Start at the bottom in fast food and see how
quickly you can work your way UP to manager … perhaps even to owner! They
even provide training!)
11. Soft
Consequences and Delayed Ramification:
Along with expansion of the concepts of equal opportunity and
self-determination has come an increased risk of flagrant failure. Expectations have been lowered, primary and
secondary education grades have been inflated, and the “village” has become
diffused to a point that nobody is accountable.
It’s getting easier to circumvent the system – up until the system won’t
take it … and then it’s often too late.
Faced with escalating boundary breaches, parents will say “Wait ‘til you get to high school!”,
teachers will say, “Wait ‘til you get to
college!”, and colleges will say “Wait
‘til you get a job!”. Employers are,
thus, left having to freeze positions until they can find qualified outside
help to do what needs to be done with an appropriate level of
accountability. HOPELESSNESS, INDEED!
Finally, our innate penchant for avoiding responsibility has
the net/ultimate effect of pulling the rug out from under ourselves:
“Goldbricking, also known in computer-related tasks as cyberslacking or cyberloafing,
generally refers to an employee doing less work than they theoretically could.
A modern example is staff who use their work internet access for personal
reasons while maintaining the appearance of working, which can lead to
inefficiency ... Some estimate goldbricking costs employers $1 billion a year
in computer resources.
Goldbricking became a
mainstream topic when Yahoo! announced
in late February of 2013 that it was banning the practice of telecommuting because it discovered its remote employees were not
logging into the corporate VPN often
enough.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldbricking
Given all of the above, we’re not generally as hopeless and
helpless as we may make ourselves out to be.
While we can blame the government, the economy, Wall Street, Democrats, the
1%, etc., until doomsday, we have to own up to our own responsibility to
preclude hopelessness, haplessness and helplessness.
Even the Almighty gets unfairly blamed. An unwillingness to use wisely the talents
and resources already bestowed on us will make the Almighty appear to be inept, uncaring and inattentive:
A
massive flood was ravaging the region.
As dire circumstances turned grim, a man was seen clinging to a chimney
on the roof of his house praying for God to deliver him to safety. A fellow in a canoe came by and offered to
take him to higher ground, but the stranded man declined, saying: “God will
save me!” A fellow in a motorboat came by
and threw him a lifeline, but the stranded man threw it back, exclaiming loudly:
“God will save me!” The water continued to rise. Just as the
house began to lose its moorings, a helicopter flew by. The pilot lowered a harness line for rescue. But, again, the stranded man rejected it,
saying: “God will save me!” Only moments later, the house finally gave
way and the man drowned. When he found
himself at the Pearly Gates, he was furious and demanded to speak personally with
the Almighty. He cried, “How could
you have abandoned me in my greatest hour of need?” After a deafening moment of
silence there was a sobering response: “I sent you a flood warning, a
canoe, a motorboat and a helicopter – what else could you possibly have been
expecting?” Hopeless & Helpless!
Yes, OTHERS are absolutely critical to our success – perhaps
even including the Divine. Some will be
helpful and some not. But we’re definitely NOT going to do it without
applied personal effort! However, we
need to connect meaningfully with significant others who can help and
we need to make ourselves “Helpable”.
We need to be “Players”. Hopefully
and Helpfully “Making It” involves positive, deliberate engagement. The human spirit requires both support and
affirmation. Go GET some and go GIVE
some! And remember: Everything
you deserve is going to take everything you’ve got, and “Just Deserts” will not
forever be denied! Quartermaster
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