If you’re yearning for a major change in yourself, you may
find it’s time to stop trying to fit in and time to transform.
Marty Stanley, certified life and business coach, led a lively
discussion about how to redefine or reinvent your career after age 50 with
members of the KC IABC Masters group at a dinner meeting.
Marty offered tips on a variety of topics:
- Starting your own business
Many people later in their careers decide to leave their
full-time jobs, or that decision is made for them via a layoff, and then they
try to start their own business. Some, however, have no solid commitment to self-employment;
rather, “they hang out their shingle while they look for a job,” Marty says. Of
course, their business is not successful because they had no solid plan.
“If you decide to go solo, this is not a hobby,” Marty says.
“You have to decide that this is your full expression of yourself and what
makes you happy. You also have to sell your services, which is why most
businesses fail.”
Before deciding to start your own business, give serious
thought to what makes you happy and how you want to feel when you work with
your clients, Marty advises. Then come up with a realistic business plan, which
includes how to sell your services, then place your full effort on working your
plan. Most people don't want to
sell or market themselves or their business, which is why only about 1 in 100
businesses succeeds. And give it time, because it’s a rare business
that’s an overnight success.
- Ageism
Many older workers report being passed over for jobs or
promotions that went to younger people. But some older workers continue to
excel at their organization because of their age, not despite it, Marty says.
Being “too old” is often a state of mind, rather than reality,
she says. “Think not of your age, but of how you are adding value. You’ve had
to think situations through and make decisions. You can bring a level of stability
to the workplace and a sense of organizational objectives. And you won’t get
all caught up in drama.”
Besides positive thinking about your age as an asset, appear
contemporary instead of old school. “Your hair, your dress, your shoes, your tie and your
conversation” all send out signals about how you view yourself. And don’t talk
about age and constantly remind your co-workers about the way things used to
be,” Marty advises.
- Know your strengths
“Every time we try to mold ourselves and adapt ourselves to
a situation that doesn’t feel right, it never works out,” Marty says. “It
affects our performance and ultimately it affects our health.” So when you
reach the point where you want to transform yourself, first do your homework.
Marty recommends Strengthsfinder
2.0 by Tom Rath, a book with a timed online assessment that was first
published in 2001 and that has helped millions find their top five strengths. The
book also contains hundreds of strategies for applying your strengths.
Pinpointing your strengths can help you build your resume around your
strengths, rather than a traditional chronological resume, Marty suggests.
- Preparing for an interview
Networking is what will get you an interview, more than your
resume, Marty says, but what wins the job offer is the ability to sell yourself
during the interview. “People get hired on their listening skills and on their
vibrational energy. So ask yourself, ‘How do I want them to feel during this
interaction? What body of knowledge do I possess that no one else has? How can
I package that to be the person who’s the top candidate for the job?’”
- For more information on transformation
Marty is the author of a new book, From
Type A to Type T: How to Be a Transformational Leader in a Bottom-line World.
In it, Marty covers:
o
How
to integrate body, mind and spirit to enhance personal relationships.
o
How
to create a future vision and action steps for personal and organizational
change.
o
Practical
steps to create healthy, empowering and collaborative families, communities and
workplaces.
See more
about Marty at www.alteringoutcomes.com.
