The Perils of Neglecting Technical Leadership
In my last article, I wrote of the Predators which threaten the very fabric of our society. No Trust, No Respect, No Process and No Owner. These flourish in an environment that has put Social Leadership at centre stage, to the detriment of Technical Leadership. It is difficult to take ownership and follow a process when we lack the technical know-how. It is impossible to trust and respect one another when we do not believe that the other has the necessary skills, or when we ourselves are unable to measure technical competence, because we too lack in technical leadership skills.
Craftsmanship and Apprenticeships: The Legacy of Masters and Guilds
In my fourth article, I said that everything learned in life pertaining to skills, knowledge, and values is learned in small groups (micro-cultures) under the watchful eye of an elder or master. It stands to reason, then, that we need to go back and find the elders and masters who remain. Those who have been privileged to have gained technical mastery through many years of mentoring and experience. Here and there, we see glimmers of hope like the Springbok team which represented South Africa at the 2023 Rugby World Cup. The team, including its extended family and coaching / management contingent is a pertinent example of a micro-culture that demonstrates a perfect balance between hard skills, knowledge, and values, and which is led by elders and masters towards ultimate success.
Society and its economy are built on the skills of master tradesmen. Historically, trades were essential to the welfare of communities. Hard skills associated with the wide variety of trades were highly prized. Professionals, like bakers, blacksmiths, masons, ship builders, and millers, could earn a higher and more stable income than the unskilled. Professional trades grouped together to form guilds. This allowed them to maintain industry standards, protect their rights, guarantee prices, and prevent unlicensed operators from plying their trade.
Children learned their trades from an early age, by performing menial tasks and informally observing their parents. Some fortunate individuals were granted the opportunity to become full-time apprentices to skilled and experienced masters of their trade. Such an apprenticeship journey typically started in a child’s teenage years, with parents paying hard-earned money to a recognized master of a trade for the transfer of his skills. The duration of a typical apprenticeship depended on the trade, although the average apprenticeship required seven years of dedicated work under the watchful eye of a master. Once a young person completed their apprenticeship, they graduated to the status of journeyman and became part of the guild.
Not everyone who set out on this journey would end up achieving the status of master of their trade. Amongst other reasons for remaining a journeyman were the high set-up costs. However, as a journeyman they would no longer be bonded to a single master and could choose the work they wished to do and earn a fair income by doing so.
The masters in each trade were few. Mastery could only be achieved after many years of master craftsmanship, whilst still a journeyman, which would ultimately result in the guild confirming their status and technical competence. Only then could they be called a master of their trade.
Those who chose to continue and become a master of their trade were required to produce a “masterpiece” to demonstrate their acquired skills. If this “masterpiece” was found worthy of the master’s praise and met the standards of the guild, the individual would be accepted as a master craftsman. This entitled them to own their own business and to employ the services of journeymen. It also gave them recognition of high status.
The Decline of Trade Mastery: A Call for Renewed Technical Leadership
South Africa finds itself in a situation where masters are few. We have lost respect for trades, which are essential to the welfare of society. And, apprentices no longer present their masterpieces for adjudication. There is no recognition of true master craftsmanship. There are no more guilds which promote trade excellence and accountability. And, as a result, tradespeople are no longer afforded the protection and status of the guild, and consumers are no longer protected from unlicensed operators and sub-standard quality. There is no recourse for poor workmanship. There is also no support for someone who wishes to become a master of his or her trade. Charting one’s own way, alone, has become the new route to mastery. True masterpieces have become as rare as the Dragon’s Blood Tree of the Socotra archipelago .
The ultimate purpose of culture is to bear fruit, and the Springbok team of 2023 have once again demonstrated the outcome of a culture that honours the delicate balance between Technical and Social leadership. The challenge today is for those who have become masters of their trade to rise and support the younger generation who are willing to become apprentices. Hope lies in the renewal of our technical voice and leadership. In our ability to identify and understand what it is that our cultures need to do, and then to go and do it.
If you want to find out more about the role of guilds in medieval times, click here.
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