New Look, New Mission, New Post

Change.

It's inevitable. Sometimes it's joyful and refreshing. Other times it is intense and overwhelming. Particularly when it is imposed. The one thing that will never change, is that change will always exist.

The value of change is that it presents opportunity. In order to harness that opportunity, preparation is required.

American labor is facing change. Change due to offshore outsourcing. Change due to technological improvements in manufacturing. But change nonetheless.

Not long after his administration took office, Indiana Governor Mike Pence announced his intent to focus on elevating the capability of the Indiana labor force to attract manufacturing to that state. High tech manufacturing. Manufacturing that requires labor to communicate, lead and analyze.

In a November 2012 issue of Fortune Magazine, an Op-Ed by Nina Easton spoke of the need for a strategy similar to that adopted by Governor Pence. The article shares alarming data supporting that "There are millions of jobs coming online that American workers aren't equipped to fill." As of the date of the article, 3 million jobs have remained unfilled for 19 months, a vacancy equivalent to 6% unemployment. Further, a 2012 ManpowerGroup employer survey suggests roughly 50% of jobs applied for could not be filled due to lack of skill. Approximately 33% of employers "...complain that applicants lack technical competence and hard skills...". A proportion that appears to be increasing.

Think of the advent of smart phones and tablets. These are an outward manifestation of a deeper, larger and more subtle increase in technology, and the manufacture of technological goods and distribution of technological services. From smart phones and tablets we are moving to smart appliances, smart cars and smart homes. There are myriads of applications as technology grows exponentially and with lightning speed. Parts and components of all these technological necessities and conveniences use precision equipment and technique to manufacture, requiring a labor force able to analyze issues, identify improvements, communicate their need and lead process improvement for results.

In the aggregate, can our labor force do that? Who can? That is an easy answer. Look to where the jobs are outsourced. Countries that can court and retain American manufacturers of such devices have been able to meet manufacturing demand by positioning themselves with an educated, cost effective work force. Not in all cases, mind you. There are still brute force labor shops, but on the economic landscape, there is an increase in the education of the overseas competitive work force, while in America, there is a decline.

Change.

It's inevitable. Sometimes it's joyful and refreshing. Other times it is intense and overwhelming. Particularly when it is imposed. The one thing that will never change, is that change will always exist.

The question is, can and will American labor accept it, embrace it and leverage it for competitive advantage to bring jobs back to our country, our regions, our states, our cities and our homes.

I am passionate about helping to facilitate that end. In an effort to help drive this passion I too am embracing change. It has been some years since I have generated regular posts on this blog. I have given my path forward significant consideration. The result of which will bear fruit on this blog with a New Look, New Mission and New Post.

Change. The train is leaving the station. We can get on board or get left behind.

The Site Visit

When doing an investigation, you cannot underestimate the value of walking the process. In military parlance, "eyes on the ground" are the people who are where the rubber meets the road. Sometimes, you cannot truly understand a process, problem or loss event until you walk the process and speak with the SMEs, the eyes on the ground.

I am currently involved in an investigation that involves three different organizations, including my own, along the supply chain. The focus is to reduce foreign material that finds its way into the process. A multi-organizational team was chartered, which I was tasked to participate on, representing my organization.

Our first meeting involved discussing and mapping the process steps for the supply chain and rating the perceived likelihood each particular step was a probable point of ingress for foreign material. Once these assumptions were complete, the next step was to confirm those assumptions, or modify them based on additional data collected. This data was to be collected by a visit to each of the three sites involved along the supply chain, making personal observations, and querying SMEs for the process at each site.

We began at my site, in the mid-west. We then went to the next site up the supply chain in the Philadelphia area. Finally we went to the top of the supply chain (for our purposes) in Europe. Each site visit revealed new data that validated some assumptions and altered our perceptions around other assumptions. The point here is that until our team made the visits to the sites, we could not even remotely begin to appreciate what takes place in each process. Even then, our limited understanding of each site could only begin to focus into meaning with the help of the "eyes on the ground."

We completed our visits and our project is in its final phase, with recommendations for each organization along the supply chain. It was a good project.

Knowing that I was going to be in Europe, I got on Google maps and determined how far I would be from Omaha Beach. Visiting the American Military Cemetery there is something I had always hoped I could do and I wanted to see if it would be possible for me to take an extra day to make the trip. My query revealed that it would be four and a half hours from my hotel in Brussels. I determined to go and I had someone who wanted to join me for the trip.

Our business complete, the appointed day arrived. We left the hotel at 6AM and arrived at Coleville Sur Mer, in France, 5 hours later. It was a cool day. We went in the visitors center first. There were interesting stories of some of the military men that lost their lives. There were also many facts and figures about the D-day landings, most of which I was familiar with. We then left the visitors center. I was overwhelmed by the fact that I was there, on the same ground that such a fearsome battle had occurred.

We walked from the visitors center to the memorial at the end of the cemetery. As we began up the walk to the memorial, my emotion overcame me and I had to remove myself for a moment to regain my composure. I was filled with a sense of awe, humility and gratitude. I had brought my phone to take pictures, but so powerful was the emotion I felt, that it seemed diminishing of the moment to me to trivialize it with photography.

After the memorial I turned and began to descend the steps toward the cemetery. As I looked out upon the six sections of neatly placed rows of graves, all 10,500 of them, I heard the chimes of the memorial strike 12. I listened and watched and tears began to stream down my cheeks as once again, I was overwhelmed by the solemnity of the place and the occasion of my presence. I thought about how good or bad, each one of these graves represented someone who gave the ultimate sacrifice at a pivotal moment in the anals of human history. The thought humbled me deeply and I felt a deep sense of gratitude for their sacrifice.

We then walked down to the beach. The person I was with had promised his daughter to get her some sand from Omaha Beach. We walked along the beach and it was wholly unremarkable as a beach, full of rocks, shells, mussels and cold. My colleague got his sand and I decided to collect a few rocks as mementos. I looked at the bluffs that the soldiers had to scale in a scathing fusilade of gun fire. I though it about 150 yards. A manageable distance, but not so much when one is under fire, I'm sure.

We then went to look at the gun emplacements of the Germans. It was interesting to me that there were pock marks of shells that had struck inside the bunkers through the gun ports. The bunkers had ceilings eight feet thick, made of concrete and reinforced with a lattice work of steel beams and re-bar. I could not imagine the thoughts and fears of the soldiers as they saw and waited for the thousands upon thousands of American troops being hurled at them from the endless number of ships crowding the shore of the English channel that lay before them.

After a couple of hours, I had seen enough. I would have been happy to see more, but I did not come on a sight seeing tour, but rather a personal pilgrimage. The intent of that pilgrimage had been met while I was in the cemetery. For me this was a bucket list day - one of the most powerful events of my life. There were no SMEs to answer questions. Just the memorial stones of over 10,000 witnesses.

It simply is true. You cannot underestimate the value of walking the process. Especially at Omaha Beach.

A Question of Priority

I just received an email from a colleague that has worked as a contractor for my organization over the course of several years. I worked directly with him for about two years. Although not hard charging (much like I am), he was consistent in producing consistent meaningful results. Of greatest value to me, was his ability to scrutinize a situation or process and ask, "Why?" In this way, he was able to challenge the status quo and get our group to see if we could not think about things a little differently.

I knew his contract was coming due, but did not expect him to leave because he had been able to get his contract renewed at least once that I know of. I was suprised to see a notice from him in my inbox entitled, "Farewell to friends and colleagues."

I read his comments and they gave me significant pause for thought. I include them here:

"To my friends and colleagues,

"I wish you all a fond farewell. It has been a great privilege to work for [Comany Name Redacted]. A company that I believe exemplifies integrity and innovation in the pharmaceutical industry. In the brief time that I shared here I had the great fortune to work with a number of extraordinary individuals. I wish you all continued good fortune as you continue to play your role in bringing life saving drugs to the patients that need it.

"As for me, I’m going skiing. Though few may be aware, in April of 2008 I experienced a bit of a health related wake-up call in the form of the autoimmune disease Rheumatoid Arthritis. My experiences over the past year and a half have compelled me to radically reorganize my priorities. Under the care of an open minded physician I focused on anti-inflammatory factors, nutrition, and stress reduction. Though not clinically “cured” I significantly reversed a condition that was, at times, very debilitating.

"So, as I make my journey East to Vermont, I leave you with something to consider. I believe health care reform starts at home. It starts with the simple choices that we make every day. Great companies like [Comany Name Redacted] will always be needed to produce drugs that save people’s lives. However, we have a choice each day to seek balance in our own lives and reap the reward of growing older, well.

"Best regards, [Name Redacted]"

This made me think of a time years ago. My son was only 7 years old, if that. I was working full time and going to school full time. In addition, I was helping run the family farm. Time was at a premium. I decided I would take the day off; from everything. At the time, I raced ATVs in the desert and my son rode as well. I put on my riding gear, loaded up the truck with our machines and went to his school. I went to the office and signed in and then went to his room and signed my son out. We went out on the west desert and camped and rode for two days. It is one of my, and I hope his as well, most cherished experiences. The image above is one I captured one night when we were goofing around.


I wished my colleague best of luck in a personal response to his communication. However, the provocation of thought from his email still lingers. How often do we stop to consider those things that are really and truly important? We have business needs that must be met. The organization does not stop and we must continue to produce for it. At the same time, we must also consider family, friends and loved ones. Are we building lasting relationships and meaningful experiences and memories? Or are we just going through the motions?

Each of us can only answer those questions for ourselves. What will your answer be?

It is simply put...

A Question of Priority.