Want to Win the Second Half? Look in the Box!
Every year, I spend a few months engaged in a deep learning project where I consume books, podcasts, articles, etc. on a particular topic in order to gain understanding, create content, and develop a coaching system around it. This past Spring, I focused on Winning in the Second Half. In other words, as a slightly older gentleman, I got to thinking out loud about how I can better help mature professionals that want to create and maintain relevance and significance in the latter parts of their careers!
So why does this even matter? In my research I found that 67% or workers do not expect to stop working at age 65. Currently, almost 20% of the workforce is made up of workers age of 65+ (it was only 12% in the year 2000). Reasons for older workers remaining employed full-time vary but research points to a general aging of the population as Boomers hit 60+, however, younger generational cohorts have remained steady or declined. Also, data points to decreasing labor participation rates among younger workers, especially males.
Obviously, there is a real advantage for older workers to remain in the workforce due to their vast experience, professional/emotional maturity, and opportunities for cross mentorship between younger and older workers. Unfortunately, employers do not always share similar views – more about that in my next blog!
So, what are those of us in the thundering gray herd to do? One thing I discovered in my research is that this issue of finding new ways to remain significant in the Fall season of our lives is now a multi-million dollar industry! I was shocked at the number of books, podcasts, articles and even conferences that have emerged over the past 5 years around this topic. What was once a niched content area has now exploded!
In the next few blogs, I will present several key strategies that I curated from this important content, however, I discovered that before we initiate a series of strategies, we need to set our intention. We have to discover “what’s in the box!” This concept is shared by entrepreneur, author, and speaker Bob Buford who wrote a wonderful book entitled, Half Time: Moving from Success to Significance.
Bob presents a real-world business case-study that is an oldie but a goodie (kind of like me!). He describes a time during the mid-1980s when the Coca-Cola company worked with one of the leading corporate strategists of the time, Mike Kami. Mike was working with a new generation of Coke execs who were excited about a new and improved formula for Coca-Cola. Mike introduced an insightful thought exercise to the executives by asking, “What's in the Box?” in terms of this initiative. The leaders shared they had their chemists generate a new formula that tasted better than old Coke. They based their decision on blind taste tests, customer feedback, etc. They boldly proclaimed that “Great Taste” was “In the Box” and launched the new formula with a flashy and expensive ad campaign.
For those of you not around during the 80’s (bless your heart!) the result was an unmitigated disaster for the Coca-Cola company! Days after New Coke was introduced, the company stock fell by 3% and a month later Coke stock fell to 6%. This was quite a contrast to the overall market that gained 3.8% during the same time frame. The new formula was introduced on April 23rd, 1985, and was off the shelves by July 11th that same year.
Obviously, the Coca-Cola execs engaged Mike again to help them out of the mess they had created. Again, Mike asked them, “What's in the Box?” The answer this time, however, was an insightful "American Tradition!" The leaders understood that they were messing with an institution as American as mom and apple pie! The result of this new epiphany was that Wall Street rallied almost immediately as soon as the now branded Coca-Cola Classic was brought back to consumers.
Bob reveals that the moral of the story is that putting the RIGHT WORD in the BOX (i.e. Coca-Cola's CORE MISSION) allowed the company to recover! This is the same concept that allows us to remain relevant in our Second Half. Simply stated, if you want to BE relevant in the second half, you have to DEFINE what relevance you will pursue! In my own career journey, I called this “Getting to CORE.” What follows is a suggested exercise adapted from Bob’s book to help you IDENTIFY, “What’s in The Box.”
1.Look at following list and note the SACRIFICES you have made to care for, develop, and/or maintain the individual, things, and activities listed. You can choose to focus on Career or Life focused priorities.
Career Focused:
Impact
Creativity Prestige Progression Compensation
Respect
Expertise Recognition Mentorship Significance
Flexibility
Autonomy Leadership Influence Decision Making
Life Focused:
Spouse/Partner Children Career Health
House Vacation/Travel Education Exercise
Hobbies Service Faith Other
2. Next, review your list and isolate two or
three categories that stand out as
being the most important. Which ones are not
willing to give up? Write them down.
3.Drill down further. What specifically about
your career that motivates you?
Is it money, mentoring younger team members,
setting strategy, making an impact, creating something of your own? What is
critical for you in terms of Life priorities?
4.Narrowing down your priorities is helpful
but it is not sufficient to win in the Second Half. Eventually, you will have
to CHOOSE ONE! Otherwise, your SECOND Half will become a repeat of the FIRST.
You will be influenced by other agendas and shiny objects because you have not
established your own “ONE THING!” that is in the Box. You are still not at
CORE.
5.The goal is to place ONE priority “In the
Box” but HOLD for a bit. Take some time with it. Let it marinate in your active
awareness. Talk with your partner and trusted mentors and friends about how this
will manifest for you.
6.When you are ready, move your CORE priority
into the box. When I went through this exercise, I identified progression,
impact, and personal success. What I eventually landed on was
“IMPACT”. My reason was that I had already achieved the other two. In my Second
Half, I wanted to work toward something that would make everything else matter.
Your reasons will be your own, but it is vital to be clear on them. As I
recently heard speaker and author Tony Robbins, say, “REASONS come FIRST,
answers come second.”
The paradox of identifying “that one thing” or
“getting to core” is that putting that one thing in the box will start
to break down walls and barriers. As personal productivity expert David Allen
shares, it opens up creative thinking. When you really understand the WHY of
your Second Half, it expands your thinking of how to obtain the life you want. You
are able to prioritize and make decisions that are strategic to your Second
Half. You would think this process would be CONSTRICTIVE, but it is NOT, it is actually
quite EXPANSIVE because you are now in the realm of POSSIBILITIES versus
PROBABILITIES.
My challenge is to complete this thought exercise
for yourself. What did you discover? What new information emerged? What
possibilities does this start to open up?
As always if I can help you
get to CORE. If I can assist you and the people you associate with
Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I invite you to contact me.
Yours in leadership,
Bill Faulkner
Independent Coach, Speaker,
and Trainer with Maxwell LeadershipTM
Certified DISC Profile System
Consultant and Gallup Strengths Coach
Certified Designing Your Life
Coach
Email
= bill@outloudinc.com
Visit our website at: www.outloudinc.com
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NOTE: No AI Agents were harmed
in the creation of this blog. This content reflects the actual research,
thoughts, and considerations of the intended audience of the author – who just
so happens to be a human being!
