Shifting from Age-ing to Sage-ing.
Wise careerists intentionally build their reputation at every career stage; pushing through mis-perceptions including limits of ageism in the workplace.
For those of us at a “certain age”; No matter what your role is and no matter where you sit on the organizational hierarchy bust through the myth that as we “age” we are not motivated to change in sync with the workplace.
Drawing from @CarolDweck’s work on fixed vs growth mindsets, a study found that “older” people were more open to self-improvement and less defensive to criticism because they had evolved over time to focus on improving instead just proving themselves.
Further, Uncovering a correlation between age and self-confidence. Particularly marked for women who continue to grow in their willingness to change well into their sixties.
#WiseCareerTip: Be willing to change your “career-costume” and conversations; updating your brand, and wearing your earned sage reputation with #confidence.
This weekend, attending my nieces wedding several attendees sought #career advice – perhaps fueled by cocktails and the novelty of getting dressed up and dropping masks – it stirred lively, cross- generational converations about what’s now possible for post Covid #careering. Of course I was genuinely pleased to assume this sage / oracle/ mentor role inspiring this post to capture my reflections on saging here:
1. Build a collaborative bridge: you may have industry connections that your younger colleagues don’t have due to the fact you’ve been on the planet a few more years :)
2. Be Curious: ask open –ended questions with genuine interest - share your relevancy and industry experience - it establishes crediltity and rapport quickly with younger generations.
3. Be Present: Presence may arguably be more rewarding than productivity and can be the hallmark of a sage, modern elder. Yes, Productivity always has its place in supporting our personal value proposition, but too much focus on “doing” can also limit the ability to self reflect, reframe or reinvent.
In periods of life and career transition, evolve outdated perceptions:
Are you willing to try on new costumes, new sage mindsets, and together move towards retiring ageism?
#careermanagement #ageism #wisecareertips #sage #careerstrategist #careerconversations #careerdevelopment #diversityandinclusion
Business and Property Development
I too have been living with ageism in the job market and have posted about it frequently. So many of the posts are spot on. Firms are losing mentors yet can’t see the treasure trove of talent in front of them. Bots, one way video interviews and many other recruiting tools have dehumanized the hiring process and made it impossible to legally prove age discrimination, or any other types of discrimination. No rules or laws will rectify the problem. Until our culture learns to value age old wisdom we’ll make little progress. Perhaps someone should create a consulting firm app where all employees are over 50 and younger applicants need not apply 😃