New Thinking and Tomorrow’s Workforce
Editor in Chief's Perspective
Every day, we are creating tomorrow’s opportunities, even as we build on yesterday’s learnings and legacies. Are we ready to expand our vision, to be more inclusive? Do we welcome new opportunities for developing a more diverse workforce to make our visions a reality?
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| Lea A.P. Tonkin |
As Frances Hesselbein noted in her book, Hesselbein on Leadership, “The ‘how to be’ leader holds forth the vision of the organization’s future in compelling ways that ignite the spark needed to build the inclusive enterprise.” She suggested that organizations preparing leadership for the future revisit their missions, and then consider key questions drawn from management guru Peter Drucker’s teachings:
- What is our mission?
- Who is the customer?
- What does the customer value?
- What are our results?
- What is our plan?
More questions follow about leadership strengths and weaknesses, anticipating change, and innovatively using opportunities for development in ways that release employees’ energy and increase their job satisfaction. Successfully making the transition from today’s challenges to our vision for the future “requires a roadmap, a business plan for the future,” Hesselbein stated.
Organizations such as Newport News Shipbuilding understand these demands and decisively act upon them. For example, the shipyard employs an integrated, multifaceted approach to recruiting, developing, and retaining its future workforce and leadership. In our cover story, shipyard leaders share their strategies and related learnings. “We are changing perceptions of our industry, an understanding that we have people working with their hands and those using trigonometry and many other skills,” said Jennifer McClain, manager of Career Pathways. She noted that collaborative programs with area schools, colleges, and universities bring broader understanding and skills.
New thinking, an expanding network of collaborative partners, and an emphasis on creating careers in manufacturing strengthen workforce development initiatives at Bison Gear & Engineering Corporation. “All of our mindsets have changed,” said Sylvia Wetzel, chief learning officer. ”In the past, educational institutions were the owners of these issues. This has changed. Employers are at the table with educators, legislators, and workforce development specialists in order to create education and workforce development strategies that meet the needs of those looking for work and align them with jobs that are an entry point into the workforce. We have opportunities to examine our previous programs and to come up with new solutions, changing from what was to what can be.”
Are you reshaping your vision for creating tomorrow’s successful enterprise and workforce/leadership development? Are you willing to adopt non-traditional strategies and forge new alliances along the way? The future of your organization depends on it.
