“Life begins at 50” – or does it? By 2020 it is forecast that 33% of workers will be over the age of 50. What does this mean for companies and employees?
Like many people, Lisa has spent a large part of her working life with the same, large corporate organisation, when she reached a “is this it” moment with regards to her career. Do we have to adopt an attitude of “it will see me out”, or is it possible to explore other options and flourish during the second half of your working life?
The Untapped Programme, run by UntappedX, specialises in the mid-career dynamics for individuals and organisations, focussing on career planning, personal development and organisational success through high performing Second Halvers.
Here, in her own words, Lisa Smith explains her experience, and how the Untapped Programme helped her to focus on her ‘second-half’ working life and develop the clarity (and confidence) to make important, possibly life changing decisions.
“I had worked for the same large corporate organisation for over twenty years in a variety of different roles but I had reached a career crossroads. I felt that I loved my job and the people I worked with but was tired of the corporate politics. I had great credibility with my business partners and they clearly appreciated my expertise but my team constantly asked what more I could do. I wasn’t looking for promotion but wanted to continue to make a worthwhile contribution to the business…the unanswered question was how could I do this?
The UntappedX programme helped me take stock of where I was with my career, focus on my strengths and be honest with myself that I was truly not enjoying my role and needed to do something about it. It was great to have the opportunity to work with a diverse group of facilitators and participants connected by the common theme of wanting to flourish at this important time of our lives. We all had different stories and I truly appreciated the coaching and insights from the whole group…the sum of the parts was very powerful.
At the end of the final session I still didn’t have a plan, but knew that I needed to put an exit plan in place very soon. What I didn’t know was that I was about to be offered to opportunity to take voluntary redundancy. I do feel that the timing of the programme was perfect for me; it certainly contributed to me having the confidence to accept the chance to leave under the terms offered and helped me immediately embrace the opportunity and think positively about the future. The fact that I am feeling unbelievably energised and really looking forward to working out what I will do next tells me I have made the right decision.“
If you would like to find out more about the Untapped Open Programme, email Ros Sutton at ros@untappedx.com, or visit them at http://www.untappedx.com/