Where Are All The Real Men?
- Kathy Ratcliffe
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Just 15% of engineering staff are female, so as a realist I'm applying the gender card here and trust that other girls will understand. Real men don't hit women, they have empathic tendencies, they recognise worth in other people. You know the adage - Good Men are Hard to Find. I have a few on my radar - it would hardly be fair to name them here. They know who they are, running companies from the heart, looking after their business ethically with humanitarian values at the head of their mission. Their customers in turn value them as responsible, reliable suppliers who go the extra mile to ensure experiences are pleasant. And their staff enjoy working for them, because they feel valued, too.
What about the rest? Notwithstanding that the following definitions can apply to anyone of any orientation, Engineering is full of bullocks, gophers and woodchucks who greet you on every corner of the commercial stage, ready to undermine, sabotage and dismiss. Here's a Field Guide to Operational Animals;
Bullocks
With hard-horned heads full of insecurities, Bullocks bully subordinates into corners and force out workers they don't take a shine to. They throw their weight about, readily accuse and kick off at the slightest provocation, making sure that the people around them tread carefully to avoid making a china shop out of the shop floor. Bullocks are careful not to perform these feats in front of senior managers.
Gophers
Running around trying to please those who in their eyes matter most, Gophers duck and weave so that information is given only to the right people, ensuring they are seen in the best possible light. They fear accountability and will go all-out to avoid it, siding with winners regardless of ethics and inciting blame for issues that could easily be addressed. Disinterested in advancing the company, they engage in scuttlebutt and accusations.
Woodchucks
"How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?" The technical answer is 700lb, apparently, but it's a tricky hypothetical question intended to play on words rather than have real meaning. Woodchucks in operational contexts throw out good ideas so they can store them up for later when they'll resurface as their own. They also ignore complaints, sugar-coat problems and fail to support colleagues in difficulty.
Your business may harbour one or more of these common-or-garden creatures who do untold damage to the collective, as links behind the green highlights will testify - don't take my word for it, do the math based on verified findings!
Values in business have never been more important, for the social scene has never been more discerning in what it will and won't put up with. Trends clearly lean towards quiet quitting, absenteeism and resignation as key features of a disengaged workforce, costing billions in lost revenue across the UK alone, and wiping out enterprises that should be successful according to their frontline credentials.
Some leaders of influence are quite happy to see their firm go to the wall as it's an exit strategy of least resistance for them. British Steel was sold to a Chinese organisation, only to collapse shortly afterwards. Accident or design? If the UK cannot support itself in the provision of virgin steel, it will be heavily reliant on China.
SME leaders recognising the impending danger of husbanding destructive attitudes will want their company to flourish and the people within it to excel as individuals. Luckily, such leaders do exist and they are looking for ways to introduce engagement into the workplace with maximum impact and minimal risk.
There's a space saved for you as such a leader... looking to the future with reality in mind;
Join me at the Culture Change in Engineering and Manufacturing RoundTable discussion on 4th June at Matsuura Machinery, Coalville (10.30am to 2.00pm, with lunch provided) to talk openly about these crucial factors free from sales pitches or presentations:
Free to attend, this event will establish the current reality of engagement in our sector, exchanging experiential gains in cultural advancement with a view to enabling change in the most beneficial way possible for the UK and its multi-layered economies.
BE there, Real Men. Your Company and Country Need You NOW.
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