March 2015 |
[an error occurred while processing this directive] |
Building Automation Industry Depends On Attracting New Talent
People are our only asset. |
Ken Sinclair, |
Articles |
Interviews |
Releases |
New Products |
Reviews |
[an error occurred while processing this directive] |
Editorial |
Events |
Sponsors |
Site Search |
Newsletters |
[an error occurred while processing this directive] |
Archives |
Past Issues |
Home |
Editors |
eDucation |
[an error occurred while processing this directive] |
Training |
Links |
Software |
Subscribe |
[an error occurred while processing this directive] |
The record breaking AHR Expo in Chicago, with over 62,000 attendees
and 10 acres of exhibits from over 130 countries, flies in the
face of the notion that the digital world and the Internet of Things is
replacing good old face-to-face interaction and networking.
So what was my takeaway from this massive show? People are our only
asset. Technology may come and go, but at the core of the industry are
the same people that have been there for years. The problem is that
these core people are growing older and much of the discussion at this
record breaking event was that we all need to plant new people, nourish
them, and help them grow.
All of our education sessions also returned the conclusion that people
are the only assets. Your company and industry technologies may come
and go but the people are our only true asset that remains, recreates,
and keeps the industry strong.
This greatly increases the importance of the induction of new blood,
younger folks with IoT smarts, into our industry. If we are to build on
our existing asset, "the people," then we need to invest in education
and transfer of the knowledge of our assets. We need to look at new
talent as an investment that can greatly increase our existing assets.
These younger folks new to our industry will likely not have the
necessary training and will need to quickly jump the skills gap; a lot
of discussion occurred about this in Chicago. The general conclusion is
that the requirement of incoming folks is that they need to be curious,
have an unbridled desire to learn, and are prepared to fail early, and
relearn quickly. The word younger implies that they have grown up in an
IoT world which gives them a different view on how they will learn.
They need access to our existing assets, the valuable knowledge locked
in the older minds of our industry but we yet have not devised the best
method for this knowledge transfer.
Our three education sessions (“Growing the Building Automation Industry
Younger with Internet of Things (IoT), Open Cloud, and Collaboration”)
were well attended, with our first session having standing room only.
It was titled: "How the Internet of Things (IoT) is Changing Building
Automation."
Our next session on bridging the skill gap created great discussions
and these discussions reoccurred in our fourth session: our third
annual Connection Community Collaboratory.
From above - The general conclusion is that the requirement of the
incoming folks is that they need to be curious, have an unbridled
desire to learn, and are prepared to fail early, and relearn quickly.
Some of my takeaway questions are:
Best compliment of my life was, “U R amazing at fixing what you did wrong….that is your gift.”
I was very pleased to be asked by Fred Turner, Editor, High Performance
Buildings magazine and ASHRAE Journal, to prepare a column for each day
of the Show Daily. This is Fred's last year as he is retiring which adds credence to what I said earlier:
"People are our only asset. Technology may come and go, but at the core
of the industry is the same people that have been there for years. The
problem is that these core people are growing older, and much of the
discussion at this record breaking event was that we all need to plant
new people, nourish them, and help them grow."
I was very honored to be chosen to present Michael Newman his induction into the CTA hall of fame. Please read my review and watch the videos of the Control Trend Awards
in Chicago and you will also see the pinnacle event of the evening was
— Michael Newman, the Godfather of BACnet, and George Thomas, industry
master of all networks both being inducted into the Control Trends
Awards Hall of Fame.
These are real examples that the core of our industry is changing rapidly.
The highlight of the Control Trends Awards for me was that they also
recognized 2014’s seven Young Gun Awards, the youth of our industry.
Brad White, principal, SES Consulting, Inc., one of the original young
energy folks, and I were able to pass the torch from the industry’s
efforts from the past to these deserving Young Guns.
[an error occurred while processing this directive]Eric
Stromquist and Kenneth Smyers, co-founders of Control Trends Awards,
are to be commended on bringing this event to the industry. We thank
them and of course all the sponsors who made it happen. Control Trends
is on a mission to document the assets of our industry, our people, in
short videos, injecting fun, an ingredient not used much before in our
industry.
Control Trends videoed the 3rd annual Connected Community Collaboratory
meeting. I was a bit disappointed there were so few there for the
amazing presentations — 30 to 40 — but very pleased that we will be
able to collectively share this with many because it was made it into a
great video. It will be a very long video — more than one hour —
but it contains many little videos with words and pictures of great
wisdom by our thought leaders. Next year I think we will drop the word
meeting, as I believe it prevents folks coming to the collaboratory to
learn and share.
I recently watched a movie called Words and Pictures (2013). In that film, an art instructor and an English teacher
develop a rivalry that ends up with a competition at their school in
which students decide whether words or pictures are more important.
Like the movie, I think our industry is finding that both words and
pictures are necessary and when we share them using the Internet of
Everything, we increase everyone’s “Internet of Me” and help grow our
only asset, our people.
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
[Click Banner To Learn More]
[Home Page] [The Automator] [About] [Subscribe ] [Contact Us]