A recent
cover story in Southwest, the inflight magazine for Southwest Airlines, featured Chip Conley, hospitality expert, entrepreneur, New York Times bestselling author and founder of the
Modern Elder Academy, a weeklong program designed to help those dealing with midlife transitions.
The article began with a description of Conley's move to Airbnb
in 2013 to become the company's new head of global hospitality and strategy. At 52, he was twice the age of the average employee. In fact, Conley's own boss, CEO Brian Chesky, had just celebrated his 31st birthday. As the founder of boutique hotel chain Joie de Vivre, Conley had decades of experience in the hotel industry, but he related how, early on in his new role at Airbnb, he sat in on a meeting with app engineers and found himself completely in the dark as to what they were talking about.
And yet, during the four years that Conley worked full time at Airbnb, he rolled out two highly fruitful initiatives, Airbnb for Work, which is used by well over half a million businesses, and new quality standards, which have resulted in extremely positive guest satisfaction reviews. In addition he greatly expanded the company's Superhost program. He was incredibly successful and the company values him so greatly that he still works part time as a consultant.
So what was his secret? How did Conley manage not just to stay relevant in this new and fast-paced business environment, but to thrive?
Here are some of the lessons we can draw from Conley's story on how older workers can flourish in the workforce today.
1. Be open. One of the most important skills to embrace as a mature worker is openness - openness to learning new things, to change, to collaboration with younger (and older!) workers. It is critical to cultivate this mindset.
In the first few months on the job at Airbnb, Conley began to think of himself as part-intern, part-mentor, which he dubbed a "mentern." He began to see his role as that of a "modern elder," he said - someone who is responsible not just for bestowing wisdom upon the younger generations, but also for seeking out wisdom. He details this concept in his book
Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder. "Mutual mentorship is the future," Conley
has said.
2. Ask questions. As one of Conley's colleagues explained in the Southwest article, "Chip made it very clear that he was not interested in always being the smartest person in the room, so he was able to bring a certain amount of humility into any conversation. What he did was empower other people around him to ask questions and be teachers."
The best way to stay relevant is to learn, and the best way to learn is to ask questions. By indicating your desire to learn, you may even help create a "learning culture" in the organization that can lead to better business results.
Do it however you feel comfortable-for example, if you're not comfortable speaking up in meetings, consider scheduling one-on-one tutorials with colleagues or seeking out courses or help from your networks-but don't be afraid to ask questions!
3. Go back to school. Access to education has never been greater, thanks to the plethora of online courses and certificates available. Forbes
recommends
older workers check out sites like Udemy, Lynda.com, Coursera and Khan Academy, as well as open courses from schools like MIT, Yale and Stanford, to learn new skills (such as programming or supply chain management) and brush up on the latest techniques. Consider attending industry conferences when possible, too; their course content is usually tailored to current working conditions and challenges.
Not only will you gain valuable information, skills and contacts by enrolling in a course, but the simple process of learning can help open your mind to new possibilities and creative solutions back at the office.
highlight the impact of older workers creating and marketing a "personal brand." Think about what you have to offer, and capitalize on it. For example, are you the one to always jump in and take on new projects? Or do you love coaching and mentoring colleagues? What you are or want to be known for is your brand. It should be refined enough for people to easily recall it and associate you with it, but not limiting in any way. And the things you do at work should tie back to that brand.
5. Network! So many career opportunities come down to who we know and who knows us. Make connections with colleagues at work, through networking conferences, forums, and other outlets.
And make sure your connections come from all walks of life. Conley is actively striving to get more organizations to recognize age diversity - and you should, too. "The workplace should be like an intergenerational potluck," he told Southwest. "We need to create a compact where everybody brings what they have to the table - what they're best at, generationally."
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