I came across this article on Fast Company that spoke about how midlife leaders can find career success. Will repost it here, but before that, I had some thoughts to share !
What is Midlife Crisis ?
A couple of decades back career midlife probably hit a professional above 40. By that time a good, diligent executive could be a couple of rungs below the CEO and in many instances could be leading a large P&L. Money is good, family life is good, children are at a sweet spot and there is enough savings to tide over any bump… the obvious question then is, what am I doing with my job and is this what I really want to be doing !! and other such philosophical questions.
Now, midlife is probably the 30’s. Startups and unicorns make 20 year olds as CEOs, and by the time they are 30, some of them end up as burnouts, exhausted from running too hard. Even those joining the workforce at the age of 21 or 22, with quick promotions and work related stress mounting with each promotion, their midlife crisis hits a lot earlier. There is divorce instead of a happy marriage, alimony or co-parenting or one-time settlements, loads of money, larger houses, flashier cars, non-existent savings, but there is confidence that they can earn money, AND the biggest of them all, lifestyle diseases start hitting people in their 30’s. No wonder we hear of healthy young professionals dying of heart disease or some other stress related issue.
While we need to do a lot more to get a fix on this new midlife crisis, the article suggests some stuff which is quite relevant, especially for those in their 40’s and 50’s.
To read the full article click here – How midlife leaders can find career success.
Note : The following are the 5 points that the article speaks of. Have taken only the headers and have shared my own thoughts under them.
- Embrace your decreased self-consciousness – This is a good one because today’s 30 year olds are less self conscious and I find many 20 year olds who accept different views/orientations etc a little more easily than my generation in their 20’s or 30’s. Midlife is when you really are comfortable in your own skin.
- Lean into your more vulnerable parts – As you grow older, you learn to deal with your emotions better (hopefully) and are more open to be vulnerable by sharing how you feel with others. Actually, it’s a good thing because it helps you connect with GenZ a lot better.
- Leverage your crystallised intelligence – The experience that you have gathered over the years will help you take better decisions. Crystallised Intelligence is just plain IQ plus a vast experience. Your decisions are better informed because you are willing to listen to different points of views.
- Shift to a focus on contribution – All that experience gained is of no use, if you aren’t willing to share it with others. So make it a point to share, coach and mentor the next generation. It would help you sustain your leadership role and it has the added benefit of an engaged team. Like Daniel Pink says in his book “Drive”, the engagement factors in the knowledge era are very different. People are looking for Mastery, Autonomy and Purpose. Help them identify Purpose.
- Tap into intuition – This is a big one. We usually stifle the little voice that speaks up in our heart when we are younger, but the more we mature, we learn to respect our intuition. Intuition is nothing but human AI – our brain filters through millions of pieces of experiences and gives us a quick resolution in the form of intuition. Learn to harness it.
So how is your midlife coming along ? Do leave your thoughts as comments. And ofcourse if you are keen to get past this midlife crisis, do reach out. Have coached several senior executives to get past this stage.