Part II of a two-part series.
Jeri Sedlar and Rick Miners are the co-authors of the book Don't Retire, Rewire®!: 5 Steps to Fulfilling Work that Fuels Your Passion, Suits Your Personality or Fills Your Pocket! They are Eons experts in the area of "rewirement®," their term for a new way to "do" retirement.
Jeri was formerly editor-at-large of Working Woman magazine, and Rick was president of Goodrich & Sherwood, a global executive search and outplacement firm. Together they now manage Sedlar & Miners, a rewirement® solutions firm and will be writing regularly for the Eons Career Center.
What are "drivers" and why are they important?
JERI: Drivers are the emotional and physical payoffs one gets from doing an activity. We discovered the importance of identifying one's drivers through our executive search clients and candidates. A straight-forward way to identity your drivers is to answer the question "Why do you work beyond a paycheck?"
RICK: Drivers are our motivators. They're what make us tick, give us satisfaction.
In your experience, what percentage of people over 50 even know what "drivers" are?
JERI: I recently asked an audience of 185 people, "How many of you know what fulfills you?" Twelve hands went up. As a society we don't do much self-exploration until we're in a crisis or transition. We don't think about why we like or dislike an experience at work until it's gone and we miss it. If you leave a meeting and feel great you should know why. Did you get recognition? Feel valued? Was it because you accomplished something?
RICK: We're trying to get people to realize what they're giving up when they retire. It's easy to think of the negatives, like the commute or working for a bad boss, but what might not be so clear is the daily community of colleagues and friends, the mental stimulation, even the economic advantages of entertaining clients.
Are there other reasons why people miss working?
JERI: We asked over 300 pre-retirees and retirees, "Why do you work beyond a paycheck?" and, unprompted, we got back 85 different reasons that we called "drivers." We culled the list down to the top 30 drivers; in our book, we give prompter questions that make it simple for people to home in on what's important to them.
RICK: We recommend that you take three passes at identifying your drivers. That's key. Too often people see their drivers through the lens of the work they're currently doing. By doing three passes, or at least two, you realize that some of the drivers you thought were important really aren't.
Your book also has "dream-catching" exercises. What are those, and how do they work?
RICK: The dream-catching exercises are designed to help people discover the kid in them. Everybody has a story about what they wanted to do before someone said they couldn't or shouldn't do it.
JERI: Think of ballet. You're not going to become a ballerina at 50. However, if you still love ballet, you could work for a dance company - in the gift shop or handing out programs on the night of a performance. This is what working at something you love in retirement is all about.
How much stock should I put in what other people think about my skills and strengths as opposed to what I think?
JERI: People can put too much stock in what others say or in what others think they should do. I believe you need to have the guts to write down what you believe in. People don't give themselves enough credit for their accomplishments. That's really the key.
How is networking for rewirement® different from networking for a mid-career position?
RICK: Networking when you're older is just as important -- if not more so --as it was earlier in one's career. However, now you're trying to align new work activities with your drivers and not just trying to get a new job or continue on a career path.
JERI: You still need to identify individuals who might be able to open doors for you, once you've identified what you want. Also, people 50-plus need to make sure that they have friends in all age groups. Don't have too narrow a band of resources.
What advice would you give to Eons members who are retired or beginning to think about retirement?
- Identify the activities that are giving you fulfillment today and figure out how to translate those into another format.
- Know why you want to retire and what you hope to accomplish with your time.
- Identify a person whose retirement you think has been terrific and pick his or her brain.
- Join an Eons community and discuss your ideas!
- Check this site regularly for ideas about rewirement®
