Yesterday I attended a most interesting Webinar put on by the Concours group on Talent Management. I learned a few new things that I shared with my newsletter recipients, but mostly I started to really think about the role of my contemporaries in the workforce and how we can influence a new generation of workers.
In my work as an Executive Coach, I meet many people who are rethinking their careers for all the reasons the reseach suggests. A more balanced lifestyle, easing out of the corporate world, finding new energy and interests, and being in charge of their own destinies. Many of us will live really long lives. Do we really want to be retired for 30+ years? Those are the questions that are leading many of my contemporaries and coachees to reinvent themselves. I see people going back to school to learn practical new skills and flesh out their current expertise. I see people leaving their corporate positions to start their own businesses. I see young people in organizations and professional service firms thinking about how to capitalize on their opportunities within their organization as their mentors retire.
What I wonder about is how my generation can actively contribute to sustaining a thriving economy and workforce. What is the role that as individuals we can play? I’d love to hear your thoughts and so would my readers. Please feel free to comment. In the meanwhile, here’s what the Concours Group proposes in their webinar on attracting, retaining and engaging talent for organizations:
1. Retire “retirement.
2. Create bell-shaped career paths.
3. Design cyclic work.
4. Create a new definition of full-time.
5. Recruit at multiple entry points.
6. Invest in Development.
7. Offer lateral career opportunities.
8. Engage hearts and minds.
Where you can find additional information:
“Workforce Crisis, How to Beat the Shortage of Skills and Talent,” Ken Dychtwald, Tamara Erickson, Robert Morison
