Alexandria is Burning!
In 48 BCE, Julius Caesar in his haste to capture an enemy (Pompey) started a fire that went out of control and accidentally caused the Library at Alexandria to burn to the ground. With that, one of if not the largest repository of aggressively, studiously and methodologically gathered knowledge, thought, philosophy and strategic writings in the world at the time was lost forever.
At this moment; the Themed Entertainment and Experience Design industries are poised at the metaphorical brink of a similar great loss of industrial knowledge, skill, experience and expertise that - once lost - will be irreplaceable and irretrievable. At risk is a body of knowledge that will take decades to replace and even then not completely; much will simply be lost.
The industries are exploding, with vast and massive new projects across the globe; from China and Arabia, London to Las Vegas, Orlando and Anaheim…even Oklahoma! Hundreds if not thousands of new and rehires are imminent as projects that have languished in post-COVID limbo for years are finally hearing the resonance of the Starting Gun.
Small armies of brilliant, skilled and talented young people - fresh out of design school and internships - are at the ready; chomping at the bit. These are eager individuals, fueled by aspiration and ambition, wanting to get their hands on these new and very real challenges and become the designer, producer, director, writer they’ve dreamed of becoming…some since their very first visit to a theme park or county fair.
However, the milieu these individuals are beginning to face is one that is increasingly absent one critical component: that component being Experience. Increasingly, industry veterans with the critical hands-on experience of ideating, designing and BUILDING said design in situ are being sidelined by the insidious and myopic AF…the Ageism Factor.
The MBA-wielded spreadsheet can tell the Money Managers that three fresh faces can be bought for the price of one veteran; true, in and of itself. What is lost in that simple equation is Experience, Perspective, Practical Mentorship…and this is going to cost the industries and the projects significantly more, down the line.
Traditionally, one does not reach “Senior” at the front of their title until they have been with a discrete project from initial ideation all the way through to build and open. For it is the path of a project through all processes in practical, realtime continuum that can teach and enlighten one to all the eventualities and surprises that can arise through said processes, calling for resolution and alternatives on the fly.
The data shows that the most effective collaborations are those teams comprised of multigenerational and diverse teams. The diversity of points of view, the actual disparate chemistry and methodology of thought process offers better and more dependable results in less time costing less money both in original design and build as well as alleviating most risks of retrofit begat by absence of practical experience.
The most wise Leaders will gather teams of such diversity; inherently including Veteran Representation; those who’ve done it before and can guide the team away from making mistakes from which they’ve already learned. It is crucial to the success of virtually any project that practical, hands-on Mentorship be built into the mix.
At the same time; it must be recognized that Mentorship models, in order to be effective, must change.
No longer is Mentorship a one-on-one relationship. That old model is time consuming and poised for failure. First and foremost, the mentoring of new generations calls for a lot of listening, up front. For, if our new demographics don’t feel seen, heard and respected for what they bring to the table; they ain’t gonna be inclined to hear or heed the opinions or appreciate the perspective of Some Old Guy.
No. The most effective Mentorship - what organizations such as the TEA (Themed Entertainment Organization), IAAPA, World Experience Organization might be well advised to embrace and advocate - is the creation and nurturing of a Culture of Mentorship within each company or division under their purview.
As valuable as is the perspective and experience of the Founder or Leader of a company or division is; so, too, is the life experience and perspective of the latest aspirational individual coming through the door. It all adds up to something far greater than the sum of the parts. BUT…it does mean that the new ones need to feel heard and respected before they’re going to be the most open to hearing and learning from leadership.
In my own experience, I have learned that Listening First reaps positive, fruitful rewards across the board; keeping older minds nimble, establishing respectful and exciting new relationships, coming up with fantastic, unforeseen hybrid methodologies and solutions. (AND, I at least encounter and embrace a new social media platform with each successive project! 🤓)
There need no longer be a hierarchy of information. In fact, that is now the least productive management structure.
So here’s the Thing. In order to create a culture of mentorship; a few experienced veterans are critical to the mix. Don’t let all this practical experience die out without having shared their own practical experience and contributed to the evolution of methodologies in collaboration with successive generations who - once the process is in place and respectful, fruitful, dynamic collaboration abounds - will likely embrace the process with alacrity and enthusiasm.
In some cases, this will mean an evolved structure - positions that were once Permanent might be reconfigured to be Advisory across more than one department. Be creative: that’s what we sell, isn’t it?
Don’t let the veterans disappear without having contributed to the mix. There exists a vast and valuable inventory of institutional knowledge. Your projects will be well-served by them. Us.
References:
The Benefits of a Multigenerational Workforce - Indeed
Empowering Multigenerational Collaboration in the Workplace - Systems Thinker
