Steel Needs Greater Diversity of Ideas

How many times has your organization passed on a candidate because of “cultural fit,” or promoted someone because of inside friendships, or even worse, familial relationships with upper management. These are common problems across all industries, but seem to pop up with special frequency in steel. The steel industry has a reputation for a very homogeneous candidate and success profile. Diversity, and I am not talking about skin color, gender or religious affiliation, but diversity of thought, is slow to be adopted and, in some circumstances, is quickly rejected. From a human resources standpoint, the industry lags because of this.

As an industry, we are very quick to complain and point fingers at the market, business conditions and competitive landscape. What we do not do, which is the most critical, is look internally. Fixing this starts with taking a good hard look at where you are now—and then being honest with yourself on where you want to be. Now, I want to be 20 pounds lighter and have six-pack abs, but I also know the work and time it would take to accomplish that and, realistically, I do not have the motivation and stamina. But what I can get done is focus on my eating and exercise habits, a change in simple behaviors, and see meaningful results. You need to address changes within your organization the same way.  Expecting to change your culture overnight is not realistic, nor will you ever actually follow through. But what you can start with is setting small goals and objectives that will eventually turn the tide.

Where do we go from here? Let’s first acknowledge two facts: We have some issues as an industry that need to be addressed, now. And for better or worse, as an industry, we are all in this together.