It doesn’t matter what you call it – account management, client success management, strategic solutions advising, marketing, negotiating, presenting, customer service…….everyone is in sales.

Have you ever convinced a toddler to eat broccoli?  The only way I could sell this idea to one of my kids was to cover it with cheese.

Ever negotiated a curfew with a teenager?

Talked your boss into giving you an opportunity to explore a new idea?

Anyone who knows me, knows that my home is in a continual state of renovation and that I might be a renovation show junkie.

I’ve spent the last couple of years doing some serious and very mindful renovating.

There comes a time in life when we all look around and see that some things just don’t fit quite the way they used to – they don’t bring the same joy or sense of pride they once did.

Are You Suffering from TME?

I was recently diagnosed with TME.

It’s not a virus, it’s not contagious, and no, there’s no vaccine. But it’s spreading fast.

In the last few years, a new body of work has been created.  It’s known as Imposter Syndrome. I’ve had my share of conversations with clients about this one – most of them with individuals who dare to re-imagine themselves later in life, who choose to become entrepreneurs in spite of what others tell them, or who venture into the unknown to master something completely new.

Did you know that most people will spend roughly 46 hours and 26 minutes online per week and that an average person is projected to spend roughly 6 years and 7 months of their life online?  Holy Smokes! 

We all know that when you curate something, you are organizing and presenting. 

Like a museum where you might curate a specific exhibit. 

You aren’t creating.

What are you going to do now that we are living so much longer?

For some the solution is to work longer.

And while being in your 50s might be considered midlife – it’s also midcareer as more people work well into their 70s and 80s.

There is an amazing talent pool ready to work. 

Are you taking advantage of this incredible resource? 

Or are you stuck repeating the practices of the past? 

The more time I spend with high-performance individuals, skilled and wise older professionals and people that inspire me, the more I believe that technology isn’t always our friend.

While I do love what technology can do “for” us, it’s what it is doing “to” us that concerns me.  Particularly, when I think about my grandkids who range in age from 3 to 21.  And when I talk with young energetic individuals who are just entering the job market.  And the many people I know who are unable to detach from their phones for more than 10 minutes.

I’m obsessed with continuing to write my story.

So many chapters yet to write!

At church a couple of weekends ago, I ran into an acquaintance I hadn’t seen in years.  I asked him what he is up to – he spent several minutes regaling me with stories from his past, shared the successful career he had, the countries he had visited and his many accomplishments.  And he truly was very successful.  And a nice human being.

What do people over 50 bring to employers just like you – those who are willing to challenge the status quo, those bold enough to consider the possibility?

THEY BRING TALENT AND THE KEY SKILLS you may need to take your business to new heights.  Many older adults retired early due to the pandemic, and many would return to work if the world was willing.  And given their experience, they are “job ready” able to step into many roles with limited onboarding and training offering you immediate relief if you are finding yourself short on talent. 

This week has been a time of personal reflection for me.  I guess it’s because we are heading into the “holiday” season when thoughts of special gatherings, being with the people we love begin to shape our thoughts and hopes for the future.

I’m sure you’ve all noticed what is happening to us as humans now that technology has found permanent residency in our lives. 

There’s no denying that we are going through a massive demographic transformation.   More and more individuals want to work longer or have to.  It’s clear that very soon the workforce will include people from as many as five generations.

 Is your company prepared?  The short answer for most is “no”. 

One of the ways that I unclutter my brain is to download my thoughts on “paper”. And I’m confident that there are a few individuals and organizations who will not agree with my thoughts.

I saw a recent study in the US titled the ‘Baby Boomer Retirement Crisis,’ and their research suggested that over the next 5 years, 5.5 million of the most experienced employees will leave the workforce. The same demographic destiny holds true for us.

Society had been conditioned to think that “older” people should operate on the fringes not in the middle. But the dead hand of tradition, the heavy weights of ridiculous regulations, the power of others’ expectations should not define who we choose to be and what adventures we choose to take on regardless of age.

If you’re looking for individuals who have empathy and compassion that have been carefully curated over time. Individuals who understand how to help others in an unselfish manner.

With four to five generations working together for really the first time in our history, organizations are challenged to maximize the incredible power that exists when these forces are aligned.

But it’s not easy as each age group has their own life experiences that shape how they communicate, how they learn, how they access information and how they operate within the confines of team.

Pablo Casals was one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. A cellist, conductor, composer, humanitarian, and freedom fighter he said, “to retire is to die”.
When I studied Taekwondo some time ago, I learned that the most powerful way to punch something was to aim one foot past the point of contact

I recently had a conversation with one of my past clients. She was sharing this story of her friend who was recently retired without his position. This gentleman’s story is not unique – in fact it’s beginning to feel more like a trend. An unwelcome and unproductive trend that makes little to no sense when we consider the demographic destiny that is just around the corner.