Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/692436
June 2016 | EquipmentWorld.com 98 final word | by Tom Jackson R ecently I struck up a conversation with two contractors while waiting in line at Lowes. The younger of the two had his own company but he had hired the older guy, as he said, "because he knows everything." As it turns out, I hired them to help me finish a big remodeling project at my house. Sure enough, the old guy was a fountain of construction knowledge. The young guy was plenty competent, but the old guy had 50+ years of experience stored up in his head and hands, and it showed. Tellingly, he had a cell phone, but did not bring it into the house. Given some familiarity with the tools and materials, most people can think through a con- struction task and get the job done. The differ- ence between them and the more experienced worker is the latter is going to get it done faster, more efficiently and usually better. Unfortunate- ly, the construction industry has been losing its veteran workers at an alarming rate. Nationally, construction employment is down nearly 20 percent since 2007. In California, the numbers are closer to 28 percent. Florida is down 40 percent and Arizona lost half of its construction jobs. Some 1.4 million people dropped out of the construction industry dur- ing the recession and have not come back. Considering the average age of a construction worker is now pegged at 42, it's quite evident the industry is suffering a massive brain drain. In the book "Outliers," author Malcom Gladwell claims that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to get good at anything. Gladwell cites the Beatles, who started out rough, but after years of woodshedding in Hamburg and Liver- pool, found their groove. Likewise, the military knows it takes 10 years to turn a private into an NCO, and the same to turn a second lieutenant into a field grade officer. The same dynamic holds true for farming, medicine, teaching, writ- ing, woodworking and construction. If you are a construction company owner, finding these older, experienced guys may take some work. And integrating older workers into your system will take some adjustments. Many will only want to work part time. But with these guys you're not looking for muscle. You're looking for brains and a smarter way to do things that younger workers – and maybe even some of your supervisors – have not figured out yet. But if you really want to get the best value out of the older workers you find, I suggest you pair them with the newest workers in the company. Some of your young people may have never had a strong father figure in their lives, so their work ethic and social skills may be lacking. We've all seen it before: a young person with a lot of promise, but has problems with showing up late, taking orders, resolving conflicts. Put these newbies with an older guy: somebody who is more like their grandfather than their boss, somebody with patience and life-wisdom. Then watch what happens. A terrific construction talent pool you may be overlooking TJackson@randallreilly.com