The industrial manufacturing sector has always been coined the “backbone” of the United States and the world. Whether it is supplying the population with goods, building integral pieces for lifesaving medical equipment, or providing lasting careers to millions of individuals, manufacturing is omnipresent in many ways.

But recently, there seems to be more disruptions and uncertainties surrounding the manufacturing sector, all stemming from various sources. Companies in manufacturing are scrambling to find a solution to these disruptions and, more often than not, are floating around in neutral.

Regardless of the specific disruption interfering with each and every manufacturing company, there is largely one major arrow pointing directly at a Hard Trend future certainty that is not going away: the concept of next-generation manufacturing.

This terminology may have older generations thinking of it as a “millennial or Gen Z takeover”; however, a shift in the age of the workforce in manufacturing is but a small part. The bigger shift at hand has more to do with both digital and physical disruptions changing the status quo of how we manufacture goods and the lack of response to these Hard Trends.

The Biggest Disruptions in Manufacturing

So what exactly are those aforementioned physical and digital disruptions taking place in manufacturing?

At this point, it is exhaustive rhetoric to highlight that the coronavirus pandemic is what caused the biggest disturbance in manufacturing thanks to the supply chain issues brought on by global lockdowns. Of course, the pandemic was the biggest worldwide physical disruption manufacturing has ever seen, but in accordance with my Skip It Principle, taught in my Anticipatory Leader System, this is far from the real problem.

Long before the pandemic, the beginnings of a labor shortage were already taking place. Simultaneously, the demand for more and more goods increased the need to manufacture both nationwide and worldwide, creating a disproportionate ratio of needs to the ability to fulfill said needs. Why were these labor shortages happening, and why are they currently becoming an even bigger issue than supply chain stalls?

One major factor has been a gap in skills coupled with what I have referred to as a generational war. A Hard Trend future certainty that manufacturing companies seem to consistently ignore is that every year, the baby boomer generation is exiting the workforce and taking their skills with them, while up-and-coming generations looking for sustainable careers seem ill-prepared for the manufacturing sector.

News media has a tendency to generalize this problem as follows: “Younger generations just don’t want to work like the older ones do,” or more commonly, “Younger generations don’t know how to do what the older generation did.” This is certainly a problem, but it is one that is completely fixable and was — and still is — completely predictable with an Anticipatory mindset and aligned Futureview® within an organization.

How to Transform Manufacturing With Anticipation

All hope is not lost whatsoever; what must change is the mindset of these legacy manufacturing firms, and soon enough, it will be easy to embrace next-generation manufacturing.

If you’re a leader in manufacturing, the implementation of my Anticipatory Organization Model will help you identify Hard Trend future certainties shaping the manufacturing sector for the better, allow you to attract a new generation of critical thinkers and hard workers, and help you be a significant force in resolving the global labor shortage.

You first may identify that a Hard Trend future certainty that is not slowing down is autonomous technology. This has long been impacting manufacturing, as the massive need for products has increased with the population. For example, assembly lines at automobile manufacturers have long ago become more robotic, with employees running machines rather than physically screwing together nuts and bolts.

Knowing this, the best offense that your organization could implement to draw in younger generations is training programs centered on exactly what they will do and, moreover, how they can continue to grow with the company. My Hard Trend Methodology will give you adequate insight into future changes, allowing you to accurately train these individuals and keep those promises.

A Resilient Workforce

Once a new workforce starts to join your team, embracing new technological developments in manufacturing is key.

A manufacturing company with an Anticipatory mindset will be able to instill confidence in its workforce that the company understands what future disruptions are on the horizon and has a plan to ensure said employees will keep their jobs, although their roles may change.

For instance, as augmented reality increases in relevance and is soon utilized in the supply chain, older methods of taking inventory will be gone. Do your shipping and receiving employees fear that they will soon be irrelevant, or do they rest easy at night knowing that you and your leaders are on top of this linear change and that they will still be employed and, even better, growing in their careers alongside augmented reality applications?

All in all, no matter what next-generation manufacturing means to your specific organization, embracing the facets of it and learning how to leverage the fully predictable Hard Trends coming with those characteristics will make you a next-generation manufacturer on a path of significance.

As you watch these gifted athletes perform in the final game of the 2021-22 NCAA men’s basketball season (Yes, Alice, March Madness is finally over!) and marvel at their athleticism, you begin to wonder if they really appreciate their God-given talents. If you’ve been around athletes as long as I have, you have seen all levels of athletes, unless you have not been a close-up witness to the Special Olympics.

It was the mid-1970s when Teresa Brown called to invite me to be a celebrity presenter and hand out medals at the California Special Olympic Summer Games to be held at UCLA. It was an invitation I was honored to accept. When I drove into my UCLA parking place at about 9 a.m. that first day, I was surprised to see several hundred athletes already warming up for their events. Athletes of all ages, sizes and shapes were sprinting, running the hurdles, and every track and field event one could imagine. And that’s not all as they played softball, had swimming and diving events and with a wonderful spirit. After several years of being part of these summer games, I was invited to join the CSO Board of Directors.

The closer I got and longer I watched the more I wondered how God decided to place his giftedness in some and not in others. However, to these special athletes, they seemingly never questioned that but just continued to accept what God did give them. Their spirit of competition was a sight to behold.

In the men’s high jump — yes, some special competitors were in their 40s — the competition ended with (you guessed it) the “final four.” As this competition was closing down, one of the finalists missed on his second-to-last jump attempt. His competitor ran up to him as that finalist was dejected about his miss. He hugged him (these athletes are big on hugs) and said, “Don’t worry, you’ll make it next time.” This was his competition urging him not to give up! Never give up!

Then I watched Evelyn climb the ladder of that 10-foot diving board and hold onto the side rails as she walked to the end of the board. I wondered why she had to hold onto the side rails. She then performed a beautiful swan dive. Tears trickled down my cheeks when I learned she was blind. What courage!

Will you always remember to appreciate whatever talents you have been given?

The Masters Tournament is coming up next week, played where it only can be played at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, from April 7 through Sunday, April 10. This golf tournament announced by the voice of CBS Sports, Jim Nantz, is as he says, “unlike any other.” From personal experience I can truly say it is, indeed, unlike any other, and beyond. I have had the privilege of playing courses worldwide, and, without demeaning other wonderful golf courses — Augusta National is truly unlike any other. There are dozens of wonderful stories that come out of  Augusta.

Here’s one that I like: “Are you crying? Are you crying? There’s no crying in baseball” shouts Manager Jimmy Dugan (played by Tom Hanks in the movie “A League of Their Own”) to player Evelyn Gardner’s (played by Bitty Schram) outpouring. But there can be crying in sports as evidenced by Bubba Watson’s outpouring when he won the 2012 Masters — some 10 years ago.

Bubba hit an awesome shot from the deepest rough about 164 yards to land within 10 feet of the pin on the 10th green during the second playoff hole in the 76th playing of that 2012 Masters. He then two-putted to win! Bubba had lost his father to throat cancer 18 months earlier. And just two weeks before that tournament, he and his wife Angie had adopted their first child, Caleb. His emotions were sky-high.

With tears streaming down his face, Bubba avoided the customary handshakes and proceeded to hug everyone allowed on that 10th green starting with his mom, Molly. Bubba loves the game of golf and plays it at the professional level just for that reason — for fun! Sure, he plays to win — as he will this April but treats his competition as fellow competitors, not enemies. Track that scene with this, plus one of Sergio Garcia, a Spaniard, walking off the 18th green with fellow competitor, Rory McIlroy, an Irishman, arms around each other. Garcia ended up with a 286, 8 strokes behind Bubba, and McIlroy — an early tournament favorite — at 293, 15 strokes back.

Were Garcia and McIlory disappointed in their 2012 Masters performance? Of course, but they were able to keep their competitiveness in perspective. Bubba’s celebration continued with a 400-mile drive from Augusta that night to be with his wife and baby. He got three hours of sleep and got up early Monday morning to feed Caleb. Bubba typifies that golf is just a four-letter word G*A*M*E and needs to be kept in that context. But crying — well, crying is OK.

Will you keep your game or anything else you do in perspective of your life’s real goal?