A DYING BREED!

I have had the privilege of working with some very talented men in my life. Self motivated hard working men who learned through the school of hard knocks and as such can do most anything at some level. Most of these men are older and on the verge of retirement.

Now for the sad part. The torch isn't being passed. Instead the flame of knowledge is burning out as these men take their knowledge and talent with them to retirement or to the grave. I've asked why they haven't shared their knowledge with the younger generation. Almost all of them give the same answer. "No one wants to learn. It takes time to learn what I have to teach and your generation wants the quick fix answer".

In the age of "Instant Gratification" we have lost the patience of dedication in search of skill and knowledge. We have taken away the school of hard knocks and now just look for specialized talent or contracted work. We pay someone else to do our work and then wonder why "our" team has no talent. We fail to train our men, and then complain when they know nothing.

I fear shortly I will be left in a world of ignorance. I fear the knowledge pool will be gone before I have finished drinking from it. The gap will be huge and the shoes left empty impossible to fill.

Am I prepared for this up and coming loss due to retirement? I don't think anybody is. This is going to be a hard decade for technological fields. Those of us left in the coming knowledge vacuum will have to step up. We will need to be motivated and dedicated to learning what we failed to learn while the Wisdom was still readily available. Are there enough of my generation with the drive to meet the task? So far the answer seems to be no.

So what can I do? Hmmm, lead by example, dedicate my own life to salvaging the outgoing wisdom and keep my team of workers motivated in the search of deeper knowledge and understanding.