When my wife and I were new parents, our go-to parenting guide was a book by pediatrician T. Berry Brazelton called, “Touchpoints.” The premise was that children go through rapid cognitive and development changes. They can, literally, grow overnight. Brazelton calls these “touchpoints.” The idea that we grow and improve a little bit at a time in a steady progression is false. Our bodies and minds grow in leaps and bounds.
Change comes slowly the construction industry, but we are poised to make huge leaps forward
At a touchpoint, such as a when a child is learning to talk, they often forgot how to do things they had previously learned. In simplest terms, the new advancement requires so much energy and concentration that previous improvements are forgotten. A child learning to talk may struggle with walking. It feels like they take a step backward. Also, during these developmental leaps, children are fussier and don’t sleep as well. Then, boom! They start talking, remember how to walk and move on to build-up to the next touchpoint.
93% of parents of current high schoolers would support their child’s choice to pursue a career in the skilled trades. 57% would offer major financial support to pursue that option.
In evolutionary biology, this change process is called punctuated equilibrium, and I believe industries and businesses follow the same pattern. We change by leaps and bounds, in sudden bursts and not by incremental steps. And at the moment of change, things can get messy.
Today, I moderated a panel on the State of the Industry for METALCON Live! It was a follow-up to our annual report that appeared in the January issue and can be found on our website. When asked about how they felt about the strength of the metal construction industry in the coming year, the three panelists expressed a range of optimism, but they all agreed that we were in an uncertain period. A messy period.
The COVID pandemic turned our world upside down, upsetting supply chains, work requirements, demand for services, etc. That disruption continues today, although it is not nearly as clearly identifiable what isn’t working well. There are not just a few big things going wrong; there are lots and lots of little things failing, and there is a malaise of uncertainty that is washing over the industry.
To me, that means we’re nearing a massive leap forward. Job-site technology, business software processes and cultural influences are all changing rapidly and their effect on our industry will be massive. Consider that the number of parents actually encouraging their children to go into the trades is increasing. It’s unheard of in my lifetime. A survey in 2019 by StrataTech Education Group found that 93% of parents of current high schoolers would support their child’s choice to pursue a career in the skilled trades. 57% would offer major financial support to pursue that option.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is a huge change in cultural attitudes.
My conclusion? The metal construction industry is poised not for a small leap, but a significant change. Unlike with pediatric development, though, we don’t have any data or patterns that we can point to that would suggest what the developmental process might be.
What does the future of the industry look like? That crystal ball is clouded, but the only thing I’m 100% certain about is that how we will be working five to 10 years from now will look very little like how we work now.
