It makes me sad and sometimes sick when I see people, organizations or even countries longing for how things used to be. It’s like that friend whose life peaked in high school and every time you see them it’s all they can talk about. Or the recent commercial from the US Postal Service that pleads with business owners to send their invoices through the mail. I am disappointed that our government would promote such an archaic, unsustainable and polluting system in this way.
The revolution is underway and we need to get on board. Like Steve Jobs said, those manufacturing jobs aren’t coming back. So why dwell on it? Why not accept it and move forward? This is much easier for me to say, growing up at the forefront of a new system. I can’t imagine being taught and trained for success in a certain structure only to have the ground shift so that my skills don’t hold the value they once did. But that doesn’t change the fact that it’s happening; those that don’t realize it will be left behind.
This doesn’t mean that manufacturing is unimportant or will become obsolete, but it has taken a back seat. Knowledge, technology and innovation are now at the helm. Pittsburgh understood this. The city has reinvented itself and become a model for other Midwest cities. Remnants of the steel industry are still there, but without shifting to an economy that includes technology, medicine and education Pittsburgh might look like, well, Detroit or Cleveland.
Developing, attracting, and retaining human capital is the key. Where talented people go, creativity, innovation and economic growth will follow. Instead of talking about the jobs we’ve lost or spending tax payer money on convincing people to use antiquated systems, we should be investing in education and training our workforce for the knowledge economy. To remain competitive we need to adapt and refrain from entrenchment and xenophobia.
“It is not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” -Charles Darwin
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