Congratulations to my hometown Kansas City Chiefs for their second Super Bowl win in three years! The Kansas City community and many fans around the world have celebrated this victory. It’s hard to believe that the young, 27-year-old quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, brings back the NFL MVP, the Super Bowl MVP, and the Super Bowl Lombardi trophy for a second time after trailing by 10 points at half-time. 

From the locker room, Mahomes rallied the team during the break to get them fired up and follow through for a win. It all comes back to leadership, motivating his rookie teammates, and sneaking in surprises by utilizing every player’s strength. This is something our young leaders are certainly capable of as well.

We have our own team of Super Bowl–caliber, young leaders in the TCA. Our Tilt-Up Industry Leaders of Tomorrow (TILT) kicked off at the World of Concrete in 2019. The group elected their first board of directors in February 2021. These young professionals have been working hard and contributing to our industry as they have quietly become some of the top industry influencers. If you haven’t noticed them yet, you soon will. 

One of my goals as president for the upcoming year is to encourage and motivate these young professionals. I also encourage you, and all our industry firms, to get to know the young leaders in the TCA. Let’s grow our mentorship program with strong leaders who are willing to dedicate their time and energy to help our young talent develop and move our industry forward. I encourage our members who hold leadership positions to bring at least one young person with the potential to lead to the next TCA convention in Tampa.

The fastest way to push innovation in an industry is to transfer knowledge. We are in an era of knowledge transfer that allows the young leaders of the digital era to gather information and excel in their positions much faster than any generation before them. However, there are a lot of traits that need to be passed down from previous generations, and these characteristics are not available in textbooks or in digital files. These are critical traits and practices that are based on experience, intuition, and relationships, which can only be transferred by teaching and mentoring. The success of our young leaders and our industry depend on this knowledge.

We need to teach them the art of holding open, honest, frank, and diplomatic dialog—which are key components to engaging with potential clients—as well as how to motivate staff and create a culture where ideas thrive. Don’t just teach them specific skills or provide them with basic knowledge—go further. Mentor them by teaching problem-solving techniques and decision-making skills. Dig deep, because the deepest foundations are the strongest. Invest in our future! I can’t wait to see you and your mentee at the convention in Tampa.