Millennial Reign

Something big is coming

Times are changing. People are getting older. Technology is advancing. Money is worth less. Taxes are higher. Industries are fading. New businesses are growing. Millennial are in positions of leadership.

Wait What?! What was that last one? Yes, the millennial reign is coming. People in the millennial generation are growing up and gaining positions of leadership. People are retiring. I know for most who will read this article, that sounds crazy. The question "how old am I now?" may enter your head. Don't worry, your still young (at heart?). Its 2021 and a lot of things have changed and are changing. However, in the year 2021, people in the ages of 23-38 are gradually taking over the industry and the Gen X and Baby Boomers at 39-54 and 55-73 are retiring. Relationships that were once made decades ago are going to disappear as people leave the industry. New relationships are being made and companies are changing how and who they do business with.

My experience

In the construction industry that I work, we are seeing a gradual increase in young leadership. We have men and women in power that haven't been in the industry for a very long time... or have they? What age were you when you gained a management position? For me, I began managing people at the age of 19 or 20. I began leading crews of 10-20 people. This was a struggle. Not because I was clueless (which I was) but because all the men I led were many years ahead of me, and all of a sudden a young boy that couldn't even grow facial hair was telling them how to work. All of these older folk were looking to me to fail. They didn't like the fact that I was "bossing" them around. This only pushed me harder to prove them wrong. Within months however, I gained some awesome friends. I gained respect from them and I gained allies who taught me things years past my experience. This was because I showed them that in fact I was capable and qualified to take the responsibility, risk and the blame from all good, bad and in between that came our way. It wasn't their fault if something went wrong (even if it was) it was mine. That is part of managing. It is your team and your job is to manage them. It doesn't matter how many, where they are or if you cant get a hold of them or not. It's all on you. This didn't bother me. I thrived on the challenge of managing people and managing priorities. Soon after, I had the opportunity to leave the field and become part of the "office" personnel. It was something I looked forward to but didn't know what was in store for me. I liked the field. I liked dealing with the people. I was good at it. Now I had to manage a people that were different. A people that were... well a little more professional. If you know me, you know that I am not that professional in the traditional sense. Even when I try, I tend to be more open and expressive. I am blunt when people ask me my opinion. This isn't normally the perception of "professional". However I tried. I liked dealing with the people but also missed the field. I would get out and see it when I could since I was stationed on sites and not technically in the office. But my managing changed. I added time management and procurement to my menu of managing people. Now my job wasn't just people anymore. It was managing people, their people, their materials, their time and mine, their problems and their complaints which all required my attention. (Side note, people in the office complain way more than the people in the field. I found that pretty interesting.) Anyway, back to the story. My managing career lead me to where I am now, which is my own company. A company that has only just begun hiring its own staff. At age 25/26, my age and my generation continue to be a challenge in business like it was in my full time construction career.

What do I mean by that?

The millennial name has been tattered and destroyed. It is a generational name used to complain about younger people. Some deserve it, most don't. I have had the opportunity to be able to meet a ton of great millennial hard workers who take pride in their work in the construction industry. Some even own their own companies and are doing exceptional work. Those qualified are being placed in positions to continue and change the course of the industry. To change the game. And they are changing it.

They were given opportunities to learn quick and opportunities in managing at a young age. Now those people are growing in companies, climbing the ladders and leading more people, becoming closer to their partners, employees, vendors, etc. Ultimately creating new relationships with those people around the world.

So why did I mention this whole story?

I mentioned this because, when you look back at your own management career and think on it, it may not have looked much different from mine or other millennial who are in higher positions than I was. You found your way through your career and you learned what you needed to know from those older and wiser than you were. My generation is no different. We have had a bad rap but what generation hasn't? No one has experienced anything new. That's just how it is. We will be the ones complaining about the "younger" people soon enough, if we aren't already. Will we remember back to this era and realize that it is all a part of the growth?

The big secrete in every generation is that nothing has changed. No matter what, each generation thinks it has gone through things the others haven't. That is silly. Every generation goes through the same course at a different point in this grand timeline of life. Recognizing this and understanding that young people are hard workers just like the elders in our trades is key.

Roughly 35% of the workforce today is millennial workers, making up the largest generation in the workforce.

Soon the millennial age will have created a majority of the construction workforce too if it hasn't already. Some very skilled people. Some very green. Training is essential. Companies out there shooting down the millennial generation are shooting themselves in the foot before the longest race of their lives and its price is life or death of an organization.

Some people expect that within 3-4 years, the millennial generation will take over 75% of the blue-collar industries and within 10 years, 40% of the current construction workforce would have retired.

Please see link below for the article:

By Darren Bounds |?Thursday, July 4, 2019

https://www.constructionexec.com/article/a-how-to-guide-for-recruiting-millennials-to-construction

Why tell us this?

Why is this information important to know?

Because if we (the collective industry) don't prepare for the future of this crazy boom and plan for this new technology revolution that is going on then organizations will fade away as if they were never here. If you are just now starting on your journey of training, inspiring and hiring younger people then you are already behind. Get going and place more of a priority on your organization to focus on these people.

Young people are learning fast that a paycheck isn't what matters in a career, status is relative and companies need a lot of help. They want more than a 9-5. They want a purpose to life.

Our Solution

In our business at Eagle Eye Productions, this is essentially one of main goals, is to establish a foundation for organizations to reach, inspire, attract, hire, train and retain people in the younger age groups. Not only do our partners just hire young people, but they give them the tools to be successful, invest time into training them so they are a lethal part of the company and give them a purpose for why they are doing the work of their hands.

How do companies manage to do this?

I'll dive into our process and explain why we do what we do with them. This strategy is just one we have come to see working time and time again.

1. Content

Having consistent content on all social platforms is how you get your name out there nowadays. Billboards and Magazine covers may have worked years ago, but everything is digital today.

Producing relevant photos, videos and articles/blogs is key to capture the attention of all generations but especially the younger ones. This ultimately creates a community surrounding your line of work and further pushes your name, qualities and brand.

1. Branding

MAKE IT CURRENT! We have seen a lot of branding out there that is old, faded, and don't accurately represent who they are and their values.

It is important to have a modern, simple brand that can carry your legacy for years to come. Why? Because your brand stands for your value system, your mission and ultimately the vision you have for your greater purpose leading your legacy.

When we consult our clients on their branding, we sit down, meet with them and create or update all of their Vision, mission and values. We dive into how they will better teach their employees these things and how to use their branding to give a purpose to their people. Then we design their branding to surround those values. This helps us dive right into the web process, making it consistent with all their branding.

1. Web Development

The purpose of your website is to give information about your company to clients and employees. The goal is to make it easy for people to find the information they are looking for. That is the reason they are on your site, because they had a question they need answered. Through developing an up to date website you can further push your purpose and your industry changing work.

1. Hiring

Most companies fail at bringing new people in. I always say, onboarding is not handing out a notepad with your company name on it and sending them off to work.

Onboarding should be a processes that never stops with all employees. They should be given contacts, phone numbers, tools, and training on what their job is and how they can be successful at it and then the organization should continue to make sure they have the tools they need forever.

This is where we come in, consult the company in its HR, onboarding, leadership and recruiting protocols. How can we update or create a new process that gives their people everything they need to go right into work and be successful at it?

1. Training

Every organization that wants to be successful needs a quality training program. Operator training, OSHA/MSHA training, leadership training, etc.

We help come in and do hands on training to their operations. We have a unique toolbox of trainers, software and expertise to help take training from the online quiz level to the in person, in field and real life training. While creating an environment that helps people retain knowledge rather than just be another monotonous portion of their job duties.

Well now you have it, our process. We design a strategy to fit any organization, large or small. The process gets more in depth than just what's shown above but essentially this is our solution to a lot of the industry issues and in this case one of the most important ones:

Attracting young people, making them a key part to your organization.

Your team needs to see the soon to come Millennial reign and create a plan to make this generation a key part of your organization before all those veterans are gone and can't train them anymore. Get going ang Godspeed.

https://www.skyhigheagleeye.com/solutions