PartnersINProgress SMACNA & SMART—Building a Future Together
November 2021
MAKE WAY FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS ...
PartnersINProgress SMACNA & SMART—Building a Future Together
JOSEPH SELLERS, JR. AL LABELLA Co-Publishers KAARIN ENGELMANN editor@pinpmagazine.org Editor-in-Chief
6 CONTENTS
November 2021 - Volume 15, Number 10
3 LEADERS MAKE A DIFFERENCE Demonstrating and supporting leadership is the best way forward for the
sheet metal industry.
4 WELCOME, EMERGING LEADERS
Chapters and Locals can bring young leaders to the Partners in Progress Conference free of charge through the Emerging Leaders Initiative.
6 THE SHIFT Transformation depends on partnership, co-operation, and a forward-
thinking mindset. SMACNA and SMART partners show us how it's done.
8 MEET iGEN Ready for the next generation of creative, committed, hard-working
JESSICA KIRBY jkirby@pointonemedia.com Editor POINT ONE MEDIA INC. artdept@pointonemedia.com Creative Services
Partners in Progress is a publication of the Sheet Metal Industry LaborManagement Cooperation Fund. All contents ©2021 by the Sheet Metal Industry Labor-Management Cooperation Fund, P.O. Box 221211, Chantilly, VA 20153-1211. Find Partners in Progress online at pinp.org or at issuu.com/ partnersinprogress. An archive of all issues is available and printed copies may be ordered for a minimal fee. For comments or questions, email editor@pinpmagazine.org.
youth? Meet iGen.
10 TOUGH TALKS When the conversation goes a little sideways, don't be so quick to step in.
Respectful, productive conflict can be the fastest route to resolution.
12 GEN Z LOOKS AHEAD A study from ECMC Group suggests four-year college might be losing its
luster among teens, and you’re going to like what they want to do instead.
14 DANIELLE WILSON: MY JOURNEY Danielle Wilson built the future of her dreams in the sheet metal industry. 2 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org
S HE E T M E TA L | A I R | R A I L | T R A N S P O R TAT I O N
Leaders
Make a Difference They say great leaders don’t set out to be leaders—they set out to make a difference. This issue of Partners in Progress focuses on great examples of leadership and on tomorrow’s leaders—how to understand them, recruit them, and retain them; and how today’s leaders can welcome, connect with, and encourage up-and-coming leaders to make a difference in the future of the sheet metal industry. The 2022 Partners in Progress Conference is currently open for registration. It features a stellar line-up of speakers and presenters on myriad topics, including resilience, communication, and conflict resolution, but it is more than that. Partners in Progress is a platform for intergenerational connection, collaboration, and collective way-finding. How will you take advantage of this resource? In the cover story, beginning on page 4, we look at the Emerging Leaders initiative, through which Locals and Chapters can send two young people from their area (one representing management and the other labor) to the 2022 Partners in Progress Conference for no fee. To get all the details and put your emerging leaders’ names forward, visit pinp.org/conferences/2022pinp/emerging-leaders. Call it an adjustment, a pivot, or an adaptation, the flexibility and willingness to change is imperative in times of turmoil (and always). In “The Shift” on page 6, we look at transformation and how strong, collective leadership helps ease the way for effective change. Rather than striving for agreement, positive leaders with the insight and forward-thinking mentality to get the job done know that understanding is key to mutual benefit in any partnership. Read more on page 6. Ready to meet an up-and-coming workforce that is willing to work overtime to do a good job, that wishes to work even if they have plenty of money, and that expects work to be a central part of their lives? Meet iGen—the future leaders that will follow Millennials and, having grown up through the 20082009 recession, have witnessed growing income inequality and realize they are going to have to work hard to make it. Jean Twenge discusses this next generation in her article “Meet iGen,” which begins on page 8. She will also present at the 2022 Partners in Progress Conference on how to engage and retain the Next Generation Workforce. When voices raise, tempers flare, and the conversation gets a little heightened, how do you react? Do you step in with guns blazing? Firmly interrupt? Make peace? Walk away? Candie Bean, expert in communication and conflict resolution, says great things can happen when we just let it roll. In fact, engaging in respectful, productive conflict can help keep discussions honest and focused, move problems toward mutually satisfying resolution more quickly, and help participants become more empathetic and well-rounded human beings. Read more in
2022 Partners in Progress Conference
March 1-2, 2022 Resorts World Las Vegas Las Vegas, Nevada Register Today at www.pinp.org/2022pinp “Tough Talks”, beginning on page 10, and think about ways to implement this important skill into your work, leisure, and life conversations. This article is just a taste of what Bean will be presenting at the Partners in Progress Conference. A new study from ECMC Group says four-year college degree programs might be losing their luster among teenagers who are concerned about student loan debt, prefer hands-on learning and learning on the job, and who want a fast-track to a lifelong, well-paying, active career. Sound like anyone you know? Check out the study’s results and how to use them to recruit the next generation in “Gen Z Looks Ahead” on page 12. And finally, when Danielle Wilson entered the sheet metal trade nearly four years ago, she was looking for a way up. She had made a good living with piecemeal work but hadn’t started saving for the future. When she realized she was ready for a career, she took (and aced) the apprenticeship exam and has been building the future of her dreams at Local 265 every since. Find out how in this issue’s My Journey on page 14. Imagine what kind of change we could create if just one leader from each organization in this industry set out to make a difference for an up-and-coming member. Imagine what would happen if each of those young recruits had a strong leader for a mentor. Together, and with leadership skill-building at the forefront, we can forge the future of this industry together— don’t miss your chance to start today. ▪ Partners in Progress » November 2021 » 3
Welcome, Emerging Leaders By / Natalie Bruckner
How do you attract the younger generation to the industry? Ask them! “If you want to talk about how to get youth excited to enter the trade, the last person you want to ask is a 68-year-old man,” says Bruce Sychuk, executive director of SMACNA-BC. Sychuk recalls one presentation he was giving where he was asked the best way to bring women into the trade. His response? “I said, ‘Well, we have one in the audience, so why don’t we ask her?’ She gave an amazing off-the-cuff presentation. To get people to listen, you need someone who speaks the same language.” Over the years the Best Practices Market Expansion Task Force behind the Partners in Progress Conference has increased its efforts to get younger people to attend. This year, they have stepped up their game by introducing the Emerging Leaders initiative. In an effort to include the next generation of leaders in the 2022 Partners in Progress Conference, SMACNA and SMART are giving Chapters and Locals the opportunity to register two emerging leaders from their area (one labor and one management) to attend the conference by waiving their respective registration fees. In order to obtain a free registration for an emerging leader, the selected leader must be younger than 35 and one or more current representative(s) from the Local or Chapter must be registered to attend the conference. There is a strict limit of one future leader from the labor side and one from the management side that may receive free registration per Local and Chapter. This is music to the ears of apprentices and young sheet metal leaders across North America. “Our generation can gain so much information from the conference that we wouldn’t otherwise hear,” says Amy Lagendyk, third-year apprentice 4 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org
with Local 280. “You learn a lot about how SMACNA and SMART work and what they are doing to keep the trade advancing and diversifying. You also get an inside look into what goes into keeping the trade as successful as it is and growing with the times. Plus, you meet a lot of people in the industry that you wouldn’t usually meet.” Lagendyk was chosen by her Local to attend the 2020 Partners in Progress Conference in Las Vegas after her bosses and teachers heard great things about her. “The union thought I could represent well and benefit from attending,” she says. And benefit she did. Lagendyk says that seeing behind the scenes has helped her better understand the industry and feel more involved. “Some of the highlights for me were learning how involved women are in SMART and SMACNA and their Locals, seeing how we are preparing for the future of the trade with upcoming technology and relationships, and getting to attend many informative seminars. Standout seminars for her included Brent Darnell’s Emotional Literacy talk, a workshop promoting women and diversity in the trades, Mentorship 101, and one on mental health and substance issues.” Tyler Crowder, fourth-year apprentice with Summit Sheet Metal in British Columbia agrees. Crowder attended the conference in Las Vegas and says it increased his passion for the trade and provided an invaluable experience. “The younger generation are the future of the union,” he says. “It is essential to have young workers attend these conferences. It opens your eyes and makes you realize this union is not just us, it’s a giant group of people working together. It’s important to see how the leaders present themselves so we can use that as a benchmark for professionalism and to better understand the initiatives they are getting behind. It expands our perspectives. Until the conference, I didn’t realize how much the older generation
appreciates young workers. It’s reassuring to know we are in good hands,” he says. For Crowder, being able to witness first-hand the scale and size of SMACNA and SMART coming together as one reinforced his decision to be part of the union. Also, witnessing the passion and drive to work on industry challenges, like the lack of minorities, gave him hope. “I was completely unaware of the problems and challenges being faced because I am exposed to fairness and equality where I work,” he says. “It makes me proud to know we are doing the right thing.” This attitude from those who will very soon by the leaders of the industry’s future is encouraging, but Crowder and Lagendyk represent only a tiny percentage of conference attendees. “In 2018, I went to the Partners in Progress conference in Orlando, and while it was encouraging to see a lot of business agents, contractors, owners, and executive vice presidents of SMACNA attended, it was disappointing to see few rank and file members,” says Gary Myers, vice president marketing/ business development at Intech Mechanical. “We are missing an opportunity here. The conference is a great opportunity to bring rank and file, and contractors need to bring as many as they can so that we can ensure the success of the industry.” So, what’s the challenge with getting younger people to attend? Cost has been cited as one challenge, but both Crowder and Lagendyk believe it is more than that. “More than cost, it’s getting the time off. Letting good employees take a week off for the conference can be hard, especially if there is a belief by some owners that the conference can be repetitive or that we won’t gain much value from it,” explains Lagendyk. To overcome this challenge, Myers, who works closely with Local 104 to encourage emerging leaders in any way they can, sponsored two apprentices to attend the conference in Las Vegas and paid their wages for the three days they attended. “It is so worth it,” Myers says. “It’s a real eye-opening opportunity for young leaders. One night we went to dinner and my apprentice Jeff Grill sat next to our business agent. It was great for them to be able to have that conversation.” Rick Werner, president/business manager at Local 104 agrees, adding, “It’s essential for our next generation of leaders to attend Partners in Progress to begin to network with both labor and management. It also allows leaders such as myself, who have been in the industry for an entire career, to listen and understand the next generation’s concerns and ideas.” Another challenge in getting younger people to the conference is perception, as Lagendyk explains: “Some bosses believe the conference can be repetitive, or they don’t see much value in going. They think we can gain more experience staying at work, but I gained a lot from it.” Sychuk says the conference addresses perceptions and misconceptions. “When you’re in the union, you don’t always understand what’s going on in the trade,” he says. “The most beneficial thing about the conference is people get to interact with others from areas across North America. It humanizes everyone. The conference hosts a great cross-section of
Chapters and Locals from different areas. Some attendees have really great, progressive relationships, and some aren’t as progressive. It’s great for emerging leaders to be exposed to this.” This is why for a number of years now Sychuk has worked closely with Local 280 to ensure a cross-section of people get to attend the conference every year. SMACNA-BC brings six people from the management side and six from Local 280, and Local 280 and SMACNA-BC each sponsor an apprentice, bringing the total number of attendees to 14. “Usually you have one business manager and one business agent and four from the rank and file,” he says.
This collaborative approach works. Not only is the SMACNA-BC and Local 280 relationship highly respected by peers, but Sychuk says that since doing this he has stopped having to put out so many fires. Getting more youth involved through the Emerging Leaders initiative can only be a good thing, and Crowder welcomes it with open arms. “I think this is a great idea,” he says. “Getting more people involved adds more layers of thinking and different perspectives.” As for what these emerging leaders would love to see from the conference, well, let’s leave that for them to tell us. “One thing that would be really cool would be a seminar on the history of sheet metal union,” Crowder says. “Being able to better understand the hardships that have been overcome would help people stay true to the union when times get tough. Hearing about the small things people have done that make a big differences is inspiring, and gets younger people interested in thinking of new ways to keep us moving forward. Knowing all the work people have put in to get us where we are today just makes me want to get involved so we can ensure the success of the industry for the next 50-plus years.” ▪ Natalie is an award-winning writer who has worked in the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, the United States, and Canada. She has more than 23 years experience as a journalist, editor, and brand builder, specializing in construction and transportation. When she’s not writing, you will likely find her snowboarding, mountain biking, or climbing mountains with her rescue dog. Partners in Progress » November 2021 » 5
t f i h S The
rs lead e n t r a p t n ageme times t l u c i f f i d Labor-man on during i t a m r o f s tran
By / Sheralyn Belyeu The COVID-19 pandemic thrusted the world into an economic and social maelstrom, disrupting even the most basic organizational practices. In normal times, professionals succeed by focusing on a few central priorities, but today’s leaders must cope with constantly shifting health and market forces. Every day, they face unprecedented problems that are simultaneously urgent and important. Seasoned leaders flourish in the chaos by transforming the industry as they go. Put the Industry First Focusing on the overall industry transforms negotiations for Local 36 and SMACNA-St. Louis. “When an issue comes before the Labor Committee, we talk it out, agree upon a solution, and then we vote on it,” says Butch Welsch, Labor Committee chairperson for SMACNA-St. Louis. “I don’t think we’ve ever had a vote that was other than six to nothing. Basically, we work it out first, and then we vote.” Local 36 Business Manager Ray D. Reasons III, knows that Welsch puts the industry first. “I trust Butch,” Reasons says. “And I think he can trust me. When I have an issue come up, I know how it will affect my workforce, but I always think about how it will affect the contractors. I don’t want to do something 6 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org
that’s going to make it hard for them to bid work, because if they’re not getting the jobs, who are they employing?” When early pandemic shutdowns threatened benefits in Cleveland, Local 33 and SMACNA Cleveland took the same big picture approach. “Imagine if a SMART member was out of work and didn’t qualify for health coverage during the pandemic,” says John Sindyla, chapter executive of SMACNA Cleveland. “We had an emergency Friday afternoon call with our trustees and changed the benefit requirements to make sure that every member in our district was taken care of.” Timothy Miller, business manager for Local 33 in Cleveland, agrees. “When we walk out of a room, it’s not about what’s best for the contractors or what’s best for the union,” he says. “It’s about what’s best for the industry.” Start Small Huge changes are necessary to survive a crisis, but changes that are too abrupt will founder. Welsch urges leaders to start with small adjustments and build up. “We have quarterly meetings between the SMACNA-St. Louis Labor Committee, and Local 36,” he says. “We get the little stuff out of the way, so when we sit down to talk about the contract, we don’t spend
months going over things that should have been taken care of already.” Starting with small, fast changes brought massive payoffs for the sheet metal industry in San Diego. When shutdowns started, the first priority was to keep working. “We took baby steps,” says Linda Baxter-Jennings, SMACNA San Diego executive vice president. “First, we needed a memorandum of understanding, then each worker needed a piece of paper saying they were essential in case they were stopped by the police.” The baby steps evolved into weekly meetings with the electrical contractors and the general contractors. “We put safety guidelines in place for the city of San Diego, the county of San Diego, and the state of California,” Baxter-Jennings says. With wide cooperation, they were able to maintain a local building boom. “Last year, we had the most workhours that we’ve had since 1978. In 2018, we had 1.2 million workhours, but it was 1,323,277 hours in 2020.” Keep Building Relationships Local 33 built a partnership with SMACNA Cleveland using the same incremental approach. “Many things that we’ve done seemed small at the time, but if you add all those things together, look at the relationship we’ve created,” Miller says. “When we did our first collective bargaining agreement with Mike Coleman,” remembers John Sindyla, chapter executive for SMACNA Cleveland, “Local 33 offered to streamline travel pay.” Under the old system, if three different people calculated travel pay, they would all come up with a different number. “Mike offered to average it out,” Miller says. “We got a bigger wage increase and did away with zone pay inside the county. Now our members get the money whether they’re traveling or not.” “Imagine the administrative burden that decision relieved,” Sindyla adds. “Giving SMART members a raise made life easier for everyone. And once we knew Mike was willing to help contractors be profitable, that opened up the floodgates to more great ideas.” Strong collaboration multiplies Local 33’s political influence. A few years ago, the Republican president of the Ohio State Senate attended a joint SMART-SMACNA event at the Cleveland JATC. “He believed that labor and management disagree on everything, but we showed him how we work together,” Miller says. “If you look at the state of Ohio, all around us is ‘right-to-work,’ and prevailing wage has been taken away. We’ve been able to keep those two items. That
Ohio state official later said that sheet metal workers are one reason Ohio is the way it is when it comes to prevailing wage and right-to-work.” Communicate, Communicate, Communicate In chaotic times, decision makers need current information so they can respond quickly. Industry leaders agree that clear, prompt communication is vital. “We may go a day or two without talking, but we’re texting,” says Dave R Gauthier, business manager at Local 206 in San Diego. “Local 206 isn’t about me. It’s about the member who is going to get laid off this Friday. If I’ve got an open relationship with our contractors, then I can call them and say somebody really good just hit the books.” That open relationship let Gauthier and Baxter-Jennings throw together an experimental sheet metal industry career fair this summer. “We invited a dozen of the biggest and best mechanical contractors to recruit in the parking lot of our JATC,” Gauthier says. “It was a giant open house of our apprenticeship program. About 200 people came through, and 40 people applied to our apprenticeship.” Take Some Stress Off Making high-stakes decisions for hundreds of people is demanding under the best of circumstances, and the uncertainty caused by the pandemic piles on complications. “If we forget that we’re all people who have kids and families, it makes everything else hard,” Gauthier says. “I know who Linda is, who her kids are, and vice versa. Keeping a sense of humor and seeing each other as actual human beings is essential.” Gauthier and Local 206 invited SMACNA San Diego to support their toy drive for Angels Family Foster Network. “I have a $1,500 check right here that we’re going to give to Angels for Christmas,” Baxter-Jennings says. “The Local buys toys and clothes at Target. It feels good, and the contractors are starting to participate more physically by going with us to Target or to Angels to drop everything off.” SMACNA Cleveland and Local 33 relax together by supporting ASHRAE golf fundraisers with LMCC funds. “You learn a lot about someone when you’re playing golf, just riding the cart together,” says Sindyla. “That’s how I got to know the business agents, by playing golf and just talking about life and our kids and our families. I know we have business relationships, but we are also friends. We talk all the time.” ▪ A Colorado native, Sheralyn Belyeu lives and writes deep in the woods of Alabama. When she’s not writing, she grows organic blueberries and collects misspellings of her name. Partners in Progress » November 2021 » 7
Meet iGen: The new generation of workers that knows it is going to have to work hard to make it.
Just as leaders got used to managing their Millennial workforce, there’s a new generation knocking on the doors of employers and training centers: iGen. By / Jean M. Twenge Born between 1995 and 2012, the first of iGen graduated from post-secondary education last spring. (iGen is sometimes called “GenZ,” but with Millennials no longer called “GenY,” “GenZ” is unlikely to stick.) Industry leaders need to take note: The techniques that worked to recruit, retain, and manage Millennials won’t always work for iGen. First, the good news: In analyses for my new book*, I found that iGen is more focused on work than Millennials were at the same age. In a large national survey conducted every year, 55% of high school seniors in 2016 said they were willing to work overtime to do a good job—up from 44% of Millennial teens in 2004. iGen’ers are also more likely to say that they would work even if they had plenty of money and to expect work to be a central part of their lives. Perhaps because they experienced the Great Recession as children and have witnessed growing income inequality, iGen realizes they are going to have to work hard to make it. iGen’ers grew up more slowly as teens, taking longer to work, drive, and date than previous generations. Although 8 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org
there are many positives to those trends, more young people now arrive in the workplace with less experience making independent decisions. Give them careful instructions for tasks, and expect they will need more guidance. Leaders who learned to be cheerleaders for Millennials will find they are more like therapists, life coaches, or parents for iGen’ers. Another big difference: iGen is not as brash and confident as their Millennial predecessors. In the large national surveys, iGen feels less optimistic about their career prospects and are lower in self-confidence than Millennials were at the same age. Thus, they might be less likely than Millennials were to expect to be CEO of the company within five years and less likely to express feelings of entitlement. As iGen begins to dominate the pool of entry-level talent, expect to see more young craftspersons who are eager to do a good job but are scared of making mistakes. Whereas Millennials demanded praise, iGen’ers want reassurance. iGen is also very concerned with safety. They are safer drivers and are less likely to binge drink than teens just a few
years ago, and they are less likely to say they want to take risks. iGen is also concerned about what they call “emotional safety”—they want to be protected from offensive comments and emotional upset just as they want to be protected from physical harm. Expect to hear more young employees ask about how the industry creates a safe environment and takes steps toward creating a more nurturing atmosphere, while still educating iGen’ers about the realities of life as a sheet metal worker. This generation socializes differently, using their phones instead of getting together in person. The number of high school seniors who say it’s important to have a job where you can have “a chance to make friends” or that allows “contact with a lot of people” reached all-time lows with iGen. They are so focused on connecting via social media that the social aspects of work hold less appeal. Thus, don’t expect social outings and get-togethers to be much of a selling point for this generation. In addition, some iGen’ers may have more trouble with social skills, given that they have spent less time socializing in person than any previous generation. Another piece of good news: Contrary to popular belief, leaders needn’t worry that young iGen’ers will all be itching to be entrepreneurs. Likely due to their risk aversion, iGen is actually less likely to want to own their own business than previous generations: only 30% of high school seniors in 2016 believed that being self-employed was desirable, down from
“
Expect to hear more young employees ask about how the industry creates a safe environment and takes steps toward creating a more nurturing atmosphere, while still educating iGen’ers about the realities of life as a sheet metal worker.
”
48% in 1987. Instead, iGen wants stable jobs in enduring industries. This is a fantastic opportunity for leaders in established organizations who can recruit a generation looking for steady work. Practical, career-focused, and cautious but with less experience with independence, iGen is willing to work hard for the leaders who can understand them. Do so, and their potential is limitless. Learn more about intergenerational communication, engaging, recruiting, and retaining iGen and Millenials at Jean Twenge’s presentation on the “Next Generation Workforce” at the 2022 Partners in Progress Conference—Building the Future Together. Registration is open now. Visit pinp.org/ conferences/2022pinp to learn more, register, and connect with the next generation through the Emerging Leaders initiative. ▪
Jean M. Twenge, professor of psychology at San Diego State University, is the author of iGen:Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant,Less Happy—and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood. She regularly gives presentations on generational differences in the workplace.
2021 SAFETY DESIGN CONTEST Create your own safety message and design for a chance to win safety hats or shirts for your local!
Email your design to Elizabeth Musick at: EMusick@smohit.org to enter.
Designs must be received by December 31, 2021. Winners will be awarded at the 2022 Safety Champion’s Conference. OPEN TO ALL MEMBERS IN GOOD STANDING
Partners in Progress » November 2021 » 9
Tough Talks: Why Engaging In Productive Conflict Is Essential For Success
By / Candie Beane You’re sitting around a conference table or attending a Zoom meeting, and two colleagues begin to get into a heated debate. Words are exchanged, voices raise, and tones become firm and definitive. Outside observers are both engaged in the debate but wondering if they should step in and stop it. It goes on a for a few more minutes until, inevitably, someone suggests they take this “off-line”. How would you feel if you observed this? Is it inappropriate to allow it to continue in a business meeting? Too often, our instinct is to shut down conflict in the name of efficiency and harmony, when actually, the opposite is true. To better understand why engaging in productive conflict is necessary for success we must first understand what it is. Productive conflict is defined as “an open exchange of conflicting or differing ideas in which parties feel equally heard, respected, and unafraid to voice dissenting opinions for the purpose of reaching a mutually comfortable resolution.” “It’s important to distinguish productive ideological conflict from destructive fighting and interpersonal politics,” says Patrick Lencioni, author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. “Ideological conflict is limited to concepts and ideas and avoids personality-focused, mean-spirited attacks.” During heated exchanges, individuals express passion, frustration, and emotion, so the disagreement can easily be 10 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org
mistaken as unproductive dissension. However, it’s important to identify if the conflict is productive. If so, it’s best to allow it to continue because healthy conflict is a time saver and gets the group to the best possible solution more quickly. Why is engaging in productive conflict important to any organization? It establishes a culture anchored in trust where team members and leaders can openly share different perspectives while prioritizing solutions without fear of punishment. Additional benefits include • opening the door to fresh ideas, • moving teams forward, • minimizing politics, • encouraging better listening, • allowing all voices to be heard, • teaching flexibility, and • solving real time problems quickly. Achieving this level of trust among members of a group/ colleagues/teammates is no easy feat. It takes dedicated focus on implementing and encouraging change. Leaders and individuals need to become comfortable bringing up sensitive issues and working through them. Having the right tools in place can help. Consider nominating a Conflict Monitor to ensure the messaging
sticks to concepts and ideas, and offer real-time permission to debate during the exchange. A Conflict Monitor can be anyone on the team and is responsible for maintaining objectivity. “One simple but effective way to do this is to recognize when the people engaged in the conflict are becoming uncomfortable with the level of discord, and then interrupt to remind them that what they are doing is necessary,” says Lencioni. Organization leadership requires a different role than the Conflict Monitor. Their primary role is to demonstrate restraint and allow the conflict to occur, moderating as necessary, but letting the participants come to a resolution on their own. Unfortunately, there’s a misconception that leadership which allows conflict has lost control, when in fact, it’s the leaders who shut down productive conflict that are doing a disservice to their team and company culture. Moreover, it’s important for leaders to gain a deeper understanding of their own conflict behaviors and limitations, as well as their team’s, to help them recognize the emotional and social needs of a situation and act accordingly. There are a variety of personality style and behavior tools available, such as Everything DiSC Productive Conflict, which provide personalized insight on common destructive responses and reactions, giving leaders and teams a solid foundation on which to build better communication. So, what can teams do if they don’t have personalized information readily available? Consider applying the “Three Bs” to help your teams navigate a disagreement. Be Aware! “According to Harvard Business Review, 95% of us think we are self-aware, but only 10% to 15% of us actually are,” says Krister Ungerböck, founder of The Global Talk SHIFT Movement. Becoming self-aware takes dedicated focus examining how you react during conflict situations. Ask yourself how you react when angry. What emotions do you experience? Do you have common triggers? What’s a typical response? Do you speak without thought or shut down and stop communicating? Understanding what comes up instinctually can teach you how to improve and shift your response to something more valuable. The most important thing you can do before reacting is pause. Take a breath and observe your body language, tone, and words. Learn how to stop yourself from repeating negative behaviors. Be Open! Being open sounds simple, but for most, it’s difficult to do. Our belief systems and emotional responses run deep and often prevent us from listening to another’s perspective. Harvey Deutschendorf, emotional intelligence expert, author, and speaker, explains, “When someone is making a statement that we disagree with, our common response is to start thinking of a rebuttal while the person is talking. The stronger the emotional
charge around what they are saying, the stronger will be our urge to jump in with a rebuttal.” When you’re open, you’re listening, and that allows you to ask questions. When you ask questions, it demonstrates that you’re trying to understand their point of view and respect them as people—even if you disagree—thus keeping the conflict healthy and productive.
Be Reasonable! Approach a disagreement with the understanding that there is usually more than one solution to a problem. There’s value in having different perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds. “Our natural inclination seems to be to look for flaws and weaknesses in another’s position that we can attack. Instead, look for areas where you both can be in agreement,” said Deutschendorf. With reason and compromise at the forefront, finding common ground lowers the emotional response and brings the conflict to a resolution more quickly. Learning how to engage in productive and respectful conflict is a necessary skill that can even cross over from your professional life as a leader into your personal life as a spouse, partner, parent, and friend. It teaches you to be an objective and a wellrounded person. We know there will always be differences of opinions but knowing how to navigate them effectively results in more innovation, more engagement, more collaboration, and better human connections. Want to learn more about the benefit of having difficult conversations, allowing productive conflict, and growing stronger relationships? Register now for the 2022 Partners in Progress Conference and be sure to check the schedule for Candie Bean’s talk on Conflict Resolution pinp.org/ conferences/2022pinp ▪ Candie Beane, DMCP, is a leadership development expert, corporate culture enthusiast, and founder of Everyday Dynamix; an interpersonal communications company dedicated to helping leaders and teams reach their fullest potential. Partners in Progress » November 2021 » 11
GEN Z
LOOKS AHEAD By / ECMC GROUP & JESSICA KIRBY
12 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org
Newsflash: Four-year college may be losing its luster among teens. In fact, a new survey says fewer than half of teens considering a four-year degree believe one is necessary for success. The new national Question The Quo survey from ECMC Group finds the number of high schoolers considering a four-year degree has dropped 23 percentage points since the pandemic began, and although most think about future education every day, they want lower-cost, quicker paths to a career. But that doesn’t mean they are finding the choice to consider other options an easy one. While they may be open to other paths, they feel pressure to take the one that leads to a four-year college. The study, fielded in September 2021, reports that fewer and fewer teens plan to attend a four-year college, with less than half now considering it and 53% believing they can achieve professional success with education attained in three years or less. At the same time, high school students are keenly focused on the connection between education and a future career, with 69% percent saying it is important to have on-the-job experiences, like apprenticeships and internships, during their postsecondary education. And while the cost of college continues to be a driving factor for where they choose to go to school, connection to a job also ranks high. “Over the past 20 months, we have seen a significant shift in teens’ thoughts about education beyond high school with more and more looking for options beyond a four-year degree as a path to a career,” said Jeremy Wheaton, president and CEO of ECMC Group. “Now, we as educators must ensure they have the information and support necessary to select and complete the right education path for them—regardless of the path they choose.” ECMC Group’s Question The Quo Education Pulse surveys have examined high schoolers’ attitudes about their future education and work throughout the pandemic. The surveys of high school students ages 14-18, conducted in partnership with VICE Media, took place in February 2020, May 2020, January 2021, and September 2021, and sought to uncover how teens are thinking about and planning for their future education and careers amidst an ever-changing pandemic environment. The survey data also points to differing thoughts between demographics, including men and women as well as those from different income levels. For instance: • Female students are more likely to think about their education and career every day compared to their male counterparts. • Female students and students from high-income households are more likely to believe that education beyond high school is necessary compared to male students and students from low-income households.
• Despite students from high-income households believing they need more education to feel successful, their belief that education is necessary has dropped the most (a 25 percentage-point drop since February 2020 compared to a 12 percentage-point drop for students from low-income households). • Female students feel more pressure to attend a four-year college than their male peers. • While the amount of money they can make immediately upon graduation is equally important across demographics, the amount of money they can make over the long term is a more important factor for students from middle- and high-income households than for those from low-income households. • Students from low-income households are more likely to believe that they will be learning throughout their lifetime compared to students from high-income households. The survey also found that Gen Z feels pressure to pursue a four-year college—despite being open to other paths—mainly from parents, guardians, and family (59%) and from society (44%). Of those surveyed, 46% said their post-high school education should last less than four years, and 45% said it should last two years or less. Gen Z wants skill-focused, quicker pathways to careers, with 65% reporting that skills should be learned hands-on in a lab setting, and 53% saying they would prefer to learn skills through an on-the-job experience. In addition, 58% believe a skill-based education, such as trade skills, nursing, and STEM makes sense in today’s world. Career paths are top-of-mind for Gen Z, with 73% citing a direct path to a career is important and 62% having a career path in mind right now. And of course, money plays a role in Gen Z’s decision -making and in more ways than one. More than 65% said the cost of tuition and the amount of post-high school debt they would accumulate will influence their choices around what they will do after high school. About 59% worry about how they will pay for college, and 43% say the cost of college is the most important element in their education decision, outranking job placements, completion rates, and college rankings. “These insights indicate teens are extremely tuned in to their future career path but need to know more about the education it takes to get there,” Wheaton says. “Their focus has shifted on their future, weighing what matters most and cutting out the unnecessary. We have an opportunity to illuminate the pathways from high school to postsecondary education, onthe-job learning and careers, and the value education still holds for the future generations of workers.” The surveys are part of ECMC Group’s Question The Quo campaign, which aims to empower students to learn about the various higher education options available and to take the career path that’s right for them.
About ECMC Group ECMC Group is a nonprofit corporation focused on helping students succeed by creating, providing and investing in innovative educational opportunities. Headquartered in Minneapolis, ECMC Group and its family of companies are focused on advancing educational opportunities through financial tools and services; nonprofit career education and workforce training; and innovative, impactful and mission-aligned funding for innovative programs to help students achieve their academic and professional goals and to address the future of work. To learn more, visit www.ecmcgroup.org. ▪
TRENDING NOW: Gen Z teens believe government and employers should help fund post-secondary education • 47% believe the government should provide additional money to pay off student loans • 35% believe the government should subsidize/pay off debt • 39% believe the government should subsidize/pay for college • 38% believe companies should provide formal education • 34% believe companies should provide money to pay off student loans Lifelong learning is a part of Gen Z’s plans • 53% said they expect to be learning throughout their lifetime • 45% want more formalized education throughout their lifetime • Nearly one-third said they would prefer their education be several short (one year or less) experiences over their lifetime rather than one longer experience (four years) Awareness and openness to career and technical education has increased • 56% of students are aware of what career and technical education is (15 percentage-point increase since February 2020) • 57% would be open to pursuing career and technical education if it became tuition-free across the country • 36% said they’d be more likely to pursue career and technical education if there were a stronger guarantee of a job after graduation, and 33% said they would if there were a guarantee that they would develop stronger career skills • 31% said they would be more likely to pursue career and technical education if it was viewed as valuable as a fouryear degree Partners in Progress » November 2021 » 13
DANIELLE WILSON: MY JOURNEY Fourth-year Apprentice – Jameson Sheetmetal I am currently in my fourth year as sheet metal worker apprentice, and I can’t wait to journey out! I am 38 weeks pregnant and hoping to go into labor any day, but up until seven months pregnant I was working for Jameson Sheetmetal out of Plainfield in industrial HVAC. All the men in my family are union members. One day, my brother in law told me that I should take the sheet metal apprentice test. I thought I needed a change, so I ended up going and I got in. Before I began my apprenticeship, I thought all metal pieces were made in a factory and directions would tell me how to install them. In my first week, I was handed a piece of metal and told to install a corner piece. I asked, ʻWhere is the corner piece?’ They said, ʻGrab that sheet and bend it! You have to cut and make it!’ That’s where my art background has been very helpful. It’s a lot of learning, but the art part of it does help, especially with architectural. When I was younger, I took art classes, studied at community college, and started selling some of my canvas paintings. It just so happened that one day, somebody wanted me to paint something for them. Ten years later, I was still painting murals on people’s walls in their houses. I supplemented that by working as a licensed cosmetologist out of my house. I was making good money, but I wasn’t saving for the future. I was doing a lot of work, but again, I didn’t have any benefits or savings for retirement. I wasn’t building up to anything. It took until I was in my 30s to get smart and understand I needed a career. As a sheet metal worker, I have learned the importance of working hard and listening to your journeyman—it gets you a long way! You can only learn so much in school. The majority of our education comes from the field. My union brothers that I have worked with all have 15 plus years experience and know all the tricks of the trade. It’s an ongoing joke that I always work harder and not smarter, but when I listen up and do what I’m told and allow them to teach me how to do it, that makes my job a lot easier. I was stubborn my first year, but I finally learned how to listen to my brothers! Becoming a union member has literally been the ticket to my future. This is everything I was hoping for. WHen I was younger, I was always thinking that this was the life I wanted with my future husband. It wasn’t until I got in the union that I realized I can give myself the future I want. It’s amazing. I love it. 14 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org
When I was pregnant with my fourth child, I presumed taking time off after childbirth would be just like it had been with my previous jobs: less than a week off and they right back to work. You need to make your bills, you have to feed your kids. So, I had to go back five days after I had my son. I was prepared to do that after this one. This time, things were different as an apprentice sheet metal worker and a member of Local 265, I was amazed to learn I had access to paid maternity leave through my union benefits. When I got the call that said, ʻWe now have maternity leave’ and I learned how much it was, it was nice. It was nice to be able to stay home and spend time with my son. Maternity leave is vitally important to new moms and their children. It can play a huge role in reducing post-partum depression, because at that time, not only are you nervous, you have this newborn at home. But then you have to leave your newborn in the care of someone else to go to work because you have to pay your bills. To know that I got to be at home for six weeks and bond with him more before I went back to work—it was a million pounds off my shoulders to know that I had that time. In the future, I am looking forward to working full-time as a journeyman and hope also to have a lot more education under my belt so I can expand my options as a sheetmetal worker. I do as much of welding as I can now (which I love) but also have always had an interest in blueprint/Revit. I would also like to be more involved with my union outside of work. My strength is that I always want to learn and advance my career. I love that there are so many different sides to sheet metal that you can’t get bored of your job. Every new job is different. I always try to learn something new every day and I am always trying to better myself. ▪
BRING YOUR
EMERGING LEADERS TO PARTNERS IN PROGRESS
ine l d a De 17, . c e D 2021 EMERGING LEADERS INITIATIVE In an effort to include the next generation of leaders in the 2022 Partners in Progress Conference, SMACNA and SMART are giving Chapters and Locals the opportunity to register two emerging leaders from their area (one labor and one management) to attend the conference by waiving their respective registration fees.
HOW TO REGISTER YOUR EMERGING LEADERS Once you have selected an emerging leader from your local chapter or union, please email Katie Kirchner at kjkirchner4@gmail.com with the following information: • Emerging leader name • Chapter/Local union affiliation • Job title • Current employer • Email address • Mailing address • Any dietary restrictions or special accommodation needs.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: DECEMBER 17, 2021
Selected emerging leaders need only to meet the following criteria to have their registration fee waived: • Must be under the age of 35 • Must have at least one or more current representative(s) from the local area or chapter registered to attend the conference There is a strict limit of one “future leader” from the labor side and one “future leader” from the management side registered using this initiative per local union & chapter. For more information visit: pinp.org/conferences/2022pinp/emerging-leaders
S HE E T M E TA L | A I R | R A I L | T R A N S P O R TAT I O N
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