I was fortunate to work for some top companies. I always had the support of a great family and an abundance of advice from friends and mentors along the way. I managed to be fired only once at age 39 (boy, was I pissed off), weathered a few storms, rode some pretty good waves, and then was summarily asked to retire gracefully (an unlikely stroke of luck). Career was always about what was next: the career path, making it. In retrospect, this was the wrong way to see it.
Lesson 1.
Career should be about what is now, not what’s next. Success is a measure of what you have left to learn. Never stop learning. Pursue “want to” work rather than “have to” jobs, and you will be amazed at how many paths will unfold, no matter what stage of life you are in!
The Exit To An End?
In 2003, at age 60, I was Vice Chairman of the world’s largest marketing communications company, McCann-Erickson. I was at the top of my game with lots of experience and wisdom under my belt, fire in my belly, and still ready to rock “n” roll with the best of them. Then, sooner than I would have liked, I was told it was time to move on and make room for the next generation.
Hell, all my life I was the next generation. What happened? Make room for whom? I knew had more savvy, experience, energy, and vision than they did, so why put me out to pasture? After getting over being angry and resentful, I dusted off my bruised ego and was just about ready to pack up and get on with what I thought I had worked for all my life - a comfortable retirement. That was always the plan. Fortunately, circumstance, luck, and the vision of a different next generation of creative people provided the portal for an unexpectedly fulfilling different path.
Lesson 2.
Every career decision made by you or for you will cause a ripple effect in your life and those around you. You alone have the power to make sure they are positive, passionate, and persistent ripples of growth.
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