Why ‘late bloomers’ might be the answer to your labor woes

Forbes publisher Rich Karlagaard offered insight on how the aggregate industry can approach hiring and workforce labor. Photo by Zach Mentz.

Rich Karlgaard, publisher of Forbes magazine, spoke in an education session at the 2019 Aggregates Academy & Expo in Indianapolis, offering unique insight on the issue of workforce labor in the aggregate industry.

Karlgaard focused on the concept of “late bloomers” in the workforce and how positions can be filled from previously untapped pools of talent.

“Late bloomers are an underdeveloped resource,” Karlgaard says.

When it comes to the issue of hiring for your operation, Karlgaard suggests taking a closer look at military veterans, first-generation college graduates and former athletes due to the resilience and persistence each of these groups of candidates previously exhibited.

Karlgaard used New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady as an example of a late bloomer. Brady, a relatively unheralded NFL prospect coming out of college, is obviously not an aggregate industry employee. However, the idea is that sometimes you can find hidden gems in those who might have been overlooked.

“You don’t need [to hire] more people like you, necessarily,” Karlgaard says. “They need to share your values, but have different approaches.”