Jon Bostock 🐘

The United States is facing a trade industry crisis, with 40 percent of those in the skilled trades workforce over the age of 45, and almost half are over 55. At the same time, more than a third of homes across the country are older than 50 years, resulting in structural issues that need to be resolved to extend its lifetime. This indicates that, relative to the number of homeowners across the continent, there is insufficient supply to fulfill the demand for skilled trade workers across the country, to support home renovations and installations. Read more of my thoughts and also understand why you should pursue a trades career via @forbes forbes.com/sites/rachelwells…

Revenue growth drove 71% of value created in 2024 PE exits (Bain). Yet most value creation plans are still cost-cutting plans because most investments need to be fixed. The plans that work build new capabilities and still fix the revenue challenges.

A question worth sitting with on a Sunday: what would you do differently Monday if you weren't afraid of the answer? Most leaders already know what needs to change. Courage is the constraint, not clarity.

Saturday thought: companies don't fail to transform because the strategy was wrong. They fail because nobody said the true thing out loud in the room where it mattered. The elephant always wins until someone names it.

As operators, we’re already running Universal Basic Income. We just make people clock in first. The tech exists—47% of U.S. jobs face high automation risk (65% in retail). We have the robots but choose not to deploy them, not because the math doesn’t work, but because we don’t know what else to do with the people. Every minimum wage debate is an automation calculation: Raise to $15, accelerate ROI on replacing humans. Keep at $7.25, keep them employed—barely. We’ve turned wage policy into a jobs program disguised as market economics. We’re using employment as wealth distribution, calling it productivity to avoid sounding like charity. These aren’t market-clearing wages; minimum wage is the lowest transfer we allow while requiring 40 hours to “earn” it. The work often isn’t necessary—we’ve built systems to replace it—but we sustain jobs because we’ve tied human worth to redundant labor. It’s UBI with a punch clock: proof-of-work for survival checks. I’ve seen this across companies: Automate what makes sense, pay well for what doesn’t. But the economy pretends maintaining unnecessary roles is more dignified than admitting we’re just redistributing income. Question: Are we ready to stop pretending these jobs are for productivity, not income distribution? Does forcing unnecessary work make it feel “earned,” or just comfort us? Right now, we’re running basic income for millions—we just make them scan barcodes to collect it.

Six-figure earners are ‘living the illusion of affluence’—side hustles, skipping meals, faking Venmo fails (per Fortune). Are you struggling in this economy?

Someone making $48,000 a year isn’t failing at capitalism. They’re working full time. Probably harder than most executives. But after rent, groceries, gas, and keeping the lights on, there’s nothing left to save. No emergency fund. No down payment. No retirement account growing quietly in the background. We built an economy where half the country can’t afford to participate in wealth creation. Then we wonder why they’ve stopped believing the system works. The circus taught the elephant it couldn’t break free. We’re doing the same thing to an entire generation.

My latest article in Fortune: A crippled housing market has left Americans stranded in 40-year-old properties and unable to afford most home improvements. Now they are turning to ‘home hardening’ instead @leafhomeco fortune.com/2024/01/25/housi…

I'm honored to see my book recommended on this list. 8 Leadership Books You Should Read In 2024 via @forbes forbes.com/sites/rachelwells…

When I was a growing up, astronaut and doctor were the quintessential career aspirations. Today, TikTok influencer has become the coveted dream job. While aspirations shift, one constant remains—the vital role skilled trades play in our society. In a recent HR World article, I share thoughts about the skilled labor shortage in the U.S. that will result in 3 million unfulfilled skilled trades jobs by 2028. By addressing these challenges head-on, we can bridge the skills gap and ensure a thriving future for the skilled trades. At Leaf Home we are actively removing barriers to recruitment through various initiatives, including partnering with the Department of Defense's SkillBridge program, eliminating the requirement for high school and college degrees or any certifications, and publishing gender-neutral job ads in diverse languages. 6 ways to reverse America’s skilled labour crisis ethrworld.com/s/jbck0yx # via @ETHRWorldSEA

I’ve identified 6 ways to reverse America’s skilled labor crisis. Follow me to stay connected and click the link below to learn more. ethrworld.com/s/jbck0yx