In this episode of 4 Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox summarises key points from the fascinating conversations she has had with a wide range of experts across the Season 5. Her aim this season was to dig deeper into the midlife transition issue, how to prepare people for longer careers, more change and the need for real longlife learning. She started with Richard Alderson of Careershifters and Victoria Tomlinson of NextUp, both of whom have launched businesses helping people with these momentous career moves. Richard described the 6 phases of career shifts that everyone goes through, while Victoria discussed evolving attitudes to late work, and how to better exit big jobs, while avoiding the sudden cliff edge of endings.
Avivah’s next guest was London Business School Professor Herminia Ibarra, author of the seminal book Working Identity, which focuses in on the particular challenges of changing careers in midlife. Following that was Helen Tupper, co-CEO of Amazing If, a company that introduced the concept of ‘squiggly careers’, helping corporates to flex their managers’ minds and systems, not least to retain good talent. This objective is also dear to the heart of Pedro Patella, or France’s SANOFI, with whom Avivah discussed their new global Generations Employee network. Another informative guest was Ann Francke, CEO of the UK’s Chartered Management Institute, who focused on the management competencies involved in working with inter-generational workforces and customers.
Also keen to drill down into the issue of how to influence decision-makers in organisations is Michael Clinton, former Head of Publishing of Hearst Magazines, and author of ROAR: Into the Second Half of Your Life. Meanwhile Bradley Schuman is author of The Super Age: Decoding our Demographic Destiny, as well as CEO of Human Change. Both brought their deep insights to the podcast.
Avivah ended the season with two pioneers in the longevity space. Chip Conley is the Founder of the Modern Elder Academy and his latest book is Learn to Love Midlife. He uses his own life as a radically honest exploration of the new shape of life. Finally, Avivah talked with Professor Andrew Scott, of London Business School, who has just followed up his massively impactful book The 100-Year-Life, with his latest, The Longevity Imperative. This is big-picture thinking, encompassing not just individual change but cultural, social and economic at a global level.
Some Useful Links
The universities around the world running midlife transition programmes
OECD report summaries
4-Quarter Lives: Lessons from Season 5 Conversations