Not Dead Yet

“I’m not dead, yet!

Jen Ledger - 2018

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“We’re Not Dead, Yet!”

Lord Huron 2021

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“I’m not dead yet

Mike Posner - 2022

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“I Am Not Dead Yet”

“Spamalot”

Eric Idle &

John DuPrez 2005

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Question:

Is the Gig Economy decimating our industry body of legacy knowledge?

The Gig Economy: wherein a global supply of independent, individual contractors, unattached to any one company or agency, stands by, ready to travel, parachute into a project, hit the ground running, build a team of other contractors or augment an existing team, design, build and open or launch A Thing.

This benefits the hiring company in that it cuts down on overhead that includes physical plant and all the amenities and supplies that would be needed were these Independents to be on staff rather than contractors…effectively enhancing competitiveness of the bid; as Employee Benefits (in the US) generally account for an additional 30% per employee. Contractors do not require or receive such benefits. Smaller projected budget.

In theory, then, contractors have the freedom to pick and choose the gigs they want or for which they are uniquely qualified, the hiring agency can conceivably afford higher-end talent and still have more budget freedom in bidding and building.

Everyone wins.

Or do they?

The Gig Economy has been very good to me; giving me the freedom to pursue, create and deliver projects and Experiences for which I have passion. Not being an employee; I am never forced to take on projects that don’t resonate in order to cover overhead. I like this system.

There is a Downside.

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Our work is Craft.

I posit that no amount of reading, lecture and study - no certification course - can replace actual learning of Craft. That can only be mastered by doing the Thing.

Working as part of a team of craftspeople, artisans, artists, technicians, performers…all the disparate and specific disciplines that coalesce into The Team…designing a Thing, building the Thing, observing the Thing as it operates and observing the experience of the audience for whom the Thing is created is literally (and by that, I mean literally) the only way to actually learn the craft.

For centuries, when one joined an existing team, agency, factory or company, one would find themselves immersed (if you’ll pardon the buzzword) in a dynamic flow of knowledge. Informal mentorship. A river of experienced, practical knowledge from those who’ve been in the mix longer; a cornucopia of unique specifics gleaned through the experience of those with history.

One with a question could walk across the workshop or down the hall and ask an experienced veteran. Knowledge shared simply through the day-to-day course of Getting Things Done. Resources with Experience; available, scattered throughout.

“Mentorship” wasn’t a formal thing; it has been a part of the atmosphere since the second cave man hunting party.

The Gig Economy seems to have pretty much dismantled much of this. The matrix of experienced practical information seems to have become fractured, fragmented. With so many parachuting into a team, establishing new, fresh (and fleeting?) relationships, then leaving for the next one; the deeper bonds and trusts have faded or simply don’t materialize…’cuz we’re leaving when it’s over.

“And, that’s not all, folks…”

Exacerbating this are, in my experience, the millions disenfranchised via COVID isolation and de-socializing screens. A generation of the brilliant and aspirational are entering the workforce without the development of hewn-through-trial-and-error social skills necessary to forge new relationships face-to-face.

The absence of the Practical mentor results in far more weight to the Academic. With that lost, the perceived value of the missing Practical seems lessened or dismissed out of hand.

When one doesn’t know the value the tools one doesn’t have; one can’t appreciate what they don’t know that they don’t know.

This, in virtually any project, can money and time (which is money). Processes can move more slowly, more mistake$ are made and corrected, miscommunication can impede progress and teams may end up less effective.

Of crucial importance is that the vast body of institutional, industrial, legacy knowledge is, I believe, at significant risk of being lost. This is huge. Millions of dollars may be going to correct what could have been averted with Collaborative Guidance (remember that term).

(Side Note: I am discovering, in my classes and anecdotally, that there may be change afoot. The Alphas in my classes, as educated as they are, coming out of prestige institutions, also appreciate that there are skills and knowledge that can only come through hands-on experience…and they enter the workforse seeking that very knowledge.)

What is to be done?

There is, however, a ready and available solution right before us.

Use your Vintage Professionals before we all disappear. Along with us, preserve, share and pass on the decades of experience and collective knowledge inherent and embodied in the silver-haired set.

It is fact that the most efficient and productive teams are multigenerational.

I am a member of this disappearing Silver Haired Gang. While a great many of our generational colleagues may have opted to retire; I would offer that there are scores if not hundreds of silver-haired, accomplished, industry veterans still on the market, seeking to be in the mix.

These are men and women who find deep personal fulfillment in creating experiences that move and engage others. We thrive on sharing knowledge and experience, we love surrounding ourselves with aspirational young brilliance…learning from them while sharing our own anecdotal and practical experience and Points of View.

Speaking for myself; my work is not my identity. However, the source of my inspiration and fulfillment comes from what I do, how and with whom I do it. Sharing knowledge…Collaborative Leadership…keeps me learning along with my multigenerational teams as they discover and realize their own potential in the context of possibility and reality.

This is a massive cohort, available worldwide, who are seemingly not being sought. Is it ageism? Probably a bit. Is it that The Grey are perceived as too expensive?

Ask ‘em. Ask Us. Approach, Explore Possibility. I dare say that, for all of us, working is far healthier, more rewarding and of greater value to projects and personnel than being out of the mix. Many of the cultures with which we do substantial work respect and value grey hair; seeking to mine that resource to the max.

We can do that. There’s always a deal to be made.

There is so much to share; let it not be lost.

A final note

I offer that what is most needed are collaborative leaders, professionals who know how to communicate and empower across and among demographic and cultural perceived barriers. What’s needed are those who listen before advising or directing.

Approachable, flexible, still curious, adventurous resources that will augment and inspire your teams.

Call us.

It’s Up To Us