Manufacturing is a sexy career choice!

mitch — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 09:48:46 GMT

Fewer and fewer people are aspiring to hands-on
trades in the manufacturing industry. Is it approaching a crisis
situation or is it a rationalization that is good for the industry and
will serve to drive up shop rates and individual wages, which in turn
will attract people to the profession?

My experience was different. I skipped college and opted for trade
school. Actually, I did go to college for three weeks thinking I wanted
to be a mechanical engineer. But I learned very quickly that college
wasn’t for me and decided to change course. One of the classes I had
been taking for the three weeks was a basic manufacturing techniques
class that involved machining a few simple parts. Admittedly, I didn’t
know what a machine shop was or what a machinist did prior to taking
the course. I remember thinking to myself, “People actually get paid to
do this?” It sounded like a great career option for me. So, I
un-enrolled in college (sounds much better than “dropped out”) and
drove over to the local trade school and enrolled in the machine shop
certification program.

Prior to graduation, employers were lined up offering jobs to
everyone in the course. I went to work for a die/mold shop serving the
automotive industry and got the most amazing on-the-job education that
combined my love of math, geometry and computers to make tangible
things. For me, it was very rewarding.

It amazes me how few people know anything about manufacturing; even
though our world revolves around it. I want to tell everyone “look
around you, everything you use was manufactured.” Manufacturing is the
largest industry in the world and no other industry exists without the
manufactured products that enable it.

Had it not been for stumbling into that class when I dipped my toe
into the college water, I am sure I would have missed out on a
wonderful career. And there are many young people today that are
missing out on a great career option because either they just don’t
know how unique and rewarding a manufacturing career can be.

All of the kids that are spending their days gaming on Xbox or
PlayStation will probably be great at using a CAM system to produce
complex toolpaths and run CNC machines. It’s kind of like the ultimate
video game—you have to make a cutter run around a piece of 3-D geometry
following all the rules related to part orientation. You must choose
the right cutter, depth-of-cut and avoid the hold down clamps. Then the
final challenge is to cut the part and have it pass the first article
inspection. How can kids not be all over that?

One question lingers and that is salary. The skills needed may not
match up with the pay provided. Being a good machinist involves being
skillful in math, geometry, computers and one must have mechanical
aptitude. With all the skills required, why do auto mechanics, plumbers
and electricians make more money according to employee compensation
surveys?

Perhaps the relatively low pay is the reason for the shortage of
people interested in manufacturing careers. Or is it that people just
aren’t aware of what being a machinist means today? There are two sides
to the argument. Some feel that if more people went into the trade it
would serve to further erode the wages due to increased competition for
the jobs. While others argue that if the pay were better and the people
with the right skills flocked to the trade, productivity and innovation
would skyrocket—allowing companies to generate record profits. I
certainly have heard more questions than answers, but I know for sure
that a solid base of manufacturing is critical for us to maintain our
quality of life and that base can’t sustain itself without talented
people entering the trade.

Entitlement Culture

mitch — Mon, 12 May 2008 05:44:47 GMT

It’s a shame what has happened to some of our best industries and
the hundreds of thousands of employees working in those industries.
Legacy airlines and behemoth automobile manufacturers are struggling
for their futures. These companies have lost and continue to lose
billions of dollars of shareholders’ money annually. I think one of the
anchors pulling these companies down is the culture of entitlement that
crept in over the years.

The culture of entitlement is a “you owe me” attitude, one where
people believe that society, a company, or government owes them
something and they do not have to earn or deliver value for what they
receive. These people believe they are owed something because of who
they are or what social group or union they belong to—not because of
what they earn.

People who feel entitled take for granted what they have and keep
asking for more, and the more they get the more they expect. They focus
more on what they are owed than what they contribute. In a culture of
entitlement, peer pressure to perform is replaced by peer pressure to
conform to the lowest common denominator; looking good is more
important than doing the right thing.

People need to realize that a company in a capitalist economy exists
to enrich the shareholders. Companies do not exist simply to employ
people. Companies employ people because it is necessary to reach the
goal of enriching the shareholders. They should be thankful for the
job. Yet, you see people trying to hold their company hostage with that
“you owe me attitude” like the company owes them a job. Unfortunately,
this attitude has crept out of the business world and is prevalent in
many other aspects of our lives.

How do you know if you have a culture of entitlement in your
company? A few of the signs would be giving employees raises just
because it’s that time of year, giving promotions based on how long
someone has worked for the company as opposed to how well they perform
or having contests or incentives to get employees to do what they are
already being paid to do. Do poor performers just get reassigned as
opposed to being asked to leave?

We would all be better off as business owners and members of society
if we foster a culture of merit as opposed to entitlement.
Transitioning from a culture of entitlement to one of merit is not
easy—it takes tough decisions, tough conversations, and it takes
consistency. People who feel entitled hate being held accountable.

You can create a culture of merit by rewarding top performance and
frowning on mediocrity. Run your business like a team and not a family.
No one ever gets fired from a family and no matter what you do, you are
still part of the family. On a team, members are motivated by peer
pressure, the superstars are cheered and the slackers are booed and the
weak team members are quickly replaced. You can’t mandate a culture of
merit; you create one by expecting a lot from your employees, holding
them accountable and celebrating the successes. Let your employees know
that job security, advancement and pay increases are guaranteed only by
high performance and company profits.

Foster a culture of merit in your company and you will see
performance, quality and morale quickly go to new levels and the value
of your company will quickly multiply.

Mitch Free's Blog

Manufacturing is a sexy career choice!

Entitlement Culture