How do you remain relevant in the workforce after the age of 55?
I was recently encouraged to share my story through Twin-Agers (https://www.twin-agers.com). The site highlights people over 55, who are as relevant today, as they were at 40.
Over the past 100 years, the average lifespan has increased by about 25 years, pension ages are gradually increasing and many of our ‘aging’ population have more to offer the workforce than ever before.
Perhaps now is the time to rethink how we use this knowledge and expertise to benefit leaders of the future and to change how we think about age and what we can do about #ageism.
During a recent three-way conversation with my client, John’s manager said that John had the potential to become the CFO of a PLC in the future. During our next coaching session, I asked John how he intended to achieve that goal and when he wished to achieve it. His answer did not surprise me. He has a young family, and his life is terribly busy, so currently, he needs flexibility and work/life balance. So, I asked him what his life may look like in five years’ time, and he agreed that he would probably be a lot less busy. But what action is he taking now to set him up for success later?
Besides discussing his fears and assumptions that a bigger role would take him away from his family and his commitments, we also discussed how putting his career ‘on hold’ may not be beneficial to him when he is ready for that next big move. A few actions that he took away from our discussion were:
Find a job description of a role that he would like to have in 3-5 years.
Map the job description to the one that he has now, i.e., what would he need to learn to be taken into consideration for that aspirational CFO’s role?
Find mentors, courses, or programmes to fill any learning gaps and plan what he will learn and when he will complete it.
Create a personal development plan to hold himself accountable.
If you put your career on hold because you are busy at home, you may not be ready for that dream role when your life allows you to apply for it. Get career ready!
A lack of sleep can make anyone irritable, but add headaches, mood swings, self-doubt and hot flushes to the mix, and it can start to have an affect on your decision-making and your career.
I started the menopause in my early forties and before I was 50 and I had made some decisions I doubt I would have made had I not been peri-menopause.
Menopausal symptoms are seldom topics that women wish to discuss with their managers (male or female) for fear of being seen as old, difficult, or over the hill and possibly being disregarded for key roles. Ignoring symptoms however, don’t keep them at bay.
HELEN MARTIN BLOG 