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ATD Blog

Are You a Senior Executive? What Comes Next?

Wednesday, November 5, 2014
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This is the first post in a blog series discussing career development and planning for senior talent executives and leaders—and visions for their next life stage. 

At a certain stage in their career—and life—senior-level professionals begin to take stock of where they have been, what they have accomplished, and what they want and need to do in the future. How will their life stories continue to unfold?  How will their self-defining reference points be re-configured?  

When people try to picture their place in the future, they typically focus on the following features: 

  • Changing identities: How much or in what ways will they present identity change and how do they think people will see them?
  • Changing role: What skills, knowledge, and experience will they continue to use and what new ones need to be learned or acquired?
  • Changing relationships: In what ways will their network or affiliations with people in the workplace, social circles, and home life be reduced and expanded?
  • Changing routines: Are they flexible and adaptable—so as to welcome altered, readjusted, or replaced practices and activities? 

Reinventing yourself can be risky, but also exciting and adventurous. Deliberate planning and preparation for initiating steps toward a new stage in life will lead you to a stronger acceptance and deeper satisfaction in experiencing the transition.    
Whether you like it or not, almost everyone brings closure to work life at some point. However, due in part to current economic and financial situations, retirement is more frequently postponed and looked at with a revised perspective and definition. People may want to work part-time or reduce responsibilities, and others may take this time to pursue an avocation that is their passion.   

Whatever the reason, more senior-level professionals are opting to remain productive, engaged, and contributing to the workplace, community, and society. In other words, they want work to be meaningful and enjoyable. Most of all, they want to be able to look forward to doing it.  

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Life is full of possibilities and potential, and everyone should want to take control of their future and determine its path and direction. I recommend reading the book, When I’m 64: Planning for the Best of Your Life (Tributary Press, 2009), by Marvin Tolkin and Howard Massey. The attitude reflected in the book title should be the same motivation you use for deciding which road to take to reach what you imagine is your ideal place—and it likely lies just over the horizon.  

Moving forward 

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The goal of this blog series is to present options and strategies that can help senior talent executives successfully proceed toward a new stage in their careers—and lives. I want you to think about how, when, where, and why you can use your L&D background and experience within this next chapter of your story.  Will you continue working where you are now, or are there changes you are contemplating? 

The next post will discuss work modifications, career movements, and professional shifts.

Editor’s note: Some materials have been adapted from Career Moves by Caitlin Williams and Annabelle Reitman (ASTD Press, 2013).

About the Author

Annabelle Reitman has more than 40 years of experience in career coaching and counseling, specializing in résumé development that targets clients’ individualized professional stories. She also does short-term coaching for people in work transitions, enabling them to successfully continue their career journey. Reitman is an established writer and author in the career and talent management arenas. She is a co-author of ATD's Career Moves (2013) and contributed the Take charge of Your Career: Breaking Into & Advancing in the T&D Profession Chapter to the  ASTD Handbook, 2nd edition (2014). Reitman holds doctorate and master’s degrees in higher education administration from Teachers College, Columbia University.

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