The Gathering Storm
About the Crow's Nest
"My grandfather Bob McCracken began writing the Crow's Nest in 1935. He was 25 years old.
"After a judge threw my grandfather in jail in 1945 for writing a Crow's Nest column criticizing the judge's conduct in a trial, my grandfather and the paper appealed all the way to the Supreme Court - and won. (Read More »)
Without a long term strategy, Austin’s core job sectors in semiconductors and information technology are at risk.
Morning Rituals
My son Ford entered pre-K this year. And that led to an unexpected change in the school day routine. Ford’s teacher expects the children to sign themselves in each morning. In their own handwriting.
This presented a challenge for two reasons. First, none of the kids had handwriting. Second, they are expected to write their own names at the most frantic time of the day: school drop-off.
As with most families, things are rushed in our household in the morning. We usually fly out the door without a minute to spare.
So imagine arriving at school, pressed for time, only to be reminded that we have a new ritual – learning how to write our own names. Ford’s first effort rarely satisfies him, so he erases his name and tries again. Time stops. Some mornings, there is a line of parents waiting as each child slowly writes his or her name.
Looking at the faces of the other waiting parents, I know I am not alone in being pressed for time. And I see something else I feel, too – a sense of responsibility.
If you are just trying to get through the day, morning is not the most convenient moment to invest time in teaching your child to write.
But we aren’t just trying to get through the day. We also are trying to prepare our kids for the future.
So I smile, offer words of encouragement, help Ford write in legible script. After he finishes writing, I give Ford a hug and a kiss, our ritual fist bump, another hug.
I walk hurriedly to my car. As I leave, I already miss him like crazy.
Long-term threats require long-term strategies.
The Austin economy faces two trends – one near term, the second long term. Both require our immediate attention. These trends highlight the need for a vision and strategy on how Austin will lead in the emerging job sectors of the 21st Century Economy.
The first trend is the current economic downturn. Manufacturing sectors are being hit particularly hard, and now that’s happening in Austin, too. We are seeing new layoffs in the foundation of our private sector economy – the semiconductor industry. Job losses in a community’s core sectors have a magnified impact, rippling through the broader local economy.
The second economic trend is more long term. It also poses a greater threat. Pike Powers describes it as “a gathering storm.” It is this: the semiconductor industry has begun a long-term process of transitioning traditional chip manufacturing overseas.
The implications of this are significant. Absent a long-term strategy, Austin’s core jobs in semiconductors and information technology could slowly bleed away.
Moreover, attempting simply to ride out the current storm will not address this fundamental challenge to our economic future. In fact, that approach would cost us valuable time while other regions work to establish leadership in the emerging job sectors of the 21st Century Economy.
How we can lead again
The only way to counter a long-term threat is to have a long-term strategy.
Nationally, there is broad consensus that these will be the most important sectors in the 21st Century Economy:
* biotech and healthcare,
* clean energy,
* wireless and
* the creative economy sectors, particularly film and digital media.
The good news is this: With a clear vision and a long term strategy that starts now, Austin can lead in the job sectors of the 21st Century Economy.
We have done this before. A generation ago, UT Business School Dean George Kozmetsky created the enduring vision for how communities can secure their economic future. Dr. Kozmetsky gave his vision a name: the Technopolis. Nationally, this strategy has a different name: “The Austin Model.”
Kozmetsky and a group of visionary Austin leaders implemented this vision during the severe recession of the late 1980’s. Their efforts catapulted a mid-sized university town into a major technology leader and a global center for semiconductor research, development and manufacturing.
I have set out the Seven Steps to Securing Austin’s Economic Future drawn from Dr. Kozmetsky’s writings and initiatives. In the coming weeks, I will write how we can employ these seven steps to secure our current jobs and to create new opportunities. By thoughtfully but boldly employing these seven steps to lead in these emerging job sectors, Austin can once again set an example of innovation for the country.
We once again can create opportunity for people from all parts of our region. It will take creativity. It will take hard work. It will require innovation and an openness to new ideas.
A better future doesn’t happen by accident. Leadership in a 21st Century Economy won’t happen by accident. We can control our future. But we have to act now.
Time well spent
Last week, I had a Great Moment in Parenting when I took Ford to school one morning.
We had arrived at his classroom. Ford was bent over the sign-in sheet, writing his name. Carefully, he wrote one letter, erased it, wrote again. I glanced nervously at my watch.
Finally, he finished, and he looked up. I stared in surprise at his work.
“Ford,” I said, “That is really good.”
He smiled, pleased at his own effort. In that moment, I realized that the investment of time… it was worth it.
Download a printable version of this week’s Crow’s Nest (pdf file).
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