Oct. 9, 2015 -- The Water Environment Federation (WEF) recently announced that it has officially published the book, "The Effective Water Professional - Leadership, Communication, Management, Finance, and Governance," geared toward emerging water professionals. There is a large demand for these individuals in the water industry, and WEF's new book provides readers with all the materials they need to succeed using proven techniques written by industry leaders.
Just four years ago this month, academics and leading professionals in the water industry concurred that more needed to be done to prepare their young professionals for success in business. Skills related to leadership, communication, management, finance, and government needed to be brought to the forefront and prioritized just like technical subjects. The result is WEF's new textbook, with new and emerging professionals benefiting from the practical application it will contribute to the workplace.
The book, which comprises 288 pages, covers challenges for the new era associated with the water-energy nexus, infrastructure, the need for global water solutions, and increased regulations that require the use of new tools and nontechnical skills. Further, this textbook covers leadership, communication, utility management, utility governance, and finance as it relates to the water industry in extensive detail and includes class discussion points and numerous examples.
Sal Silvester -- president and founder of 5.12 Solutions Consulting Group, a team and leadership training firm in Boulder, Colo., and one of 20 professionals tapped to provide content for the book -- contributed a section in the management chapter specific to mentoring people. A consultant, published author and thought leader in leadership skill development, Silvester dives deep into the "whys" and "hows" of mentoring people through a continuous goal setting and feedback process.
"Within the next five years, the water industry will face the reality of half their workforce coming to retirement age," said Silvester. "Mentoring skills will be important as this new generation of leaders take the stage and shifts to an organizational culture that is more collaborative and inclusive than their predecessors."
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