Eleven of us (with me being by far the oldest) are taking Darren Hardy’s new leadership course, which will take all year. The first session talked about the differences between generations. None of it was disparaging. We were all raised with different circumstances, so we are different. I remember coming into the industry over 40 years ago (!!!) and hearing the older men talking about how the younger generation had changed and wasn’t worth much. And I have heard similar things from my peers about the next generation.
But as I look at our company, I can reflect on how we have changed generationally. My peers in the company are mostly gone for various reasons. Burnout, death, or just losing the will to fight for our clients every day. And the next generation has mostly taken over, with amazing results. We had our second-best year last year. And I’m going to venture it’s because of the next generation. There isn’t an executive, operations professional, or estimating professional in either office who couldn’t be my son, with the oldest being 40, and many are in their 20s. And they are just plain getting it done, working hard, and taking care of clients. They may do it differently, and I don’t see many cars in the lot on Saturdays, but they have their ways. They care greatly about the success of our company and clients and each other. I am proud of what they are accomplishing and proud to be associated with them.
To me, it’s an inspiration for where the company is going and what the next generation will accomplish. For those of you in the next generation, thank you.
Peter Douglas, P.E.
President
The Douglas Company
