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
