man-o-pause

Man-o-pause Domain 4 Sale

Sell Man-o-pause?

Technorati Profile

Yes We Can!

Baby Boomers Move Over

A common refrain of the 60s was "you're either part of the problem, or part of the solution." Today, we stand at the cusp of change, and some believe it's time for the Boomers to step up or shut up.

Rough words but succinct and reflect the sentiments of Jeff Gordinier, author, X Saves the World: How Generation X Got the Shaft But Can Still Keep Everything From Sucking. Gordinier focuses on the contributions and accomplishments of the so-called "lost" generation, those born between 1964 and 1980. He says that the Baby Boomer mythology has actually stunted their growth.

If the following video doesn't inspire you to act, change, hope or dream, then I guess Gordinier is right. It's time to move over.

Starbucks' Mid-Career Crisis

Starbucks is hitting some resistance to its phenomenal growth. Same store sales are down, the CEO has publicly questioned the dilution of the brand and side offerings are getting lukewarm reception in the market. Is Starbucks going through a mid-life crisis?

Sounds similar to a corporate mid-career crisis. After having run half the marathon you're out of juice and not sure which path to take. Are you questioning your ability to make it to the finish line? So what does Starbucks tell us about getting a handle on this mid-career situation?

Growth Strategy: You are probably stuck mid-stream because you are unsure about your career path. Just like adding more stores is not working for Starbucks, you know what is not working for you but are unsure about what will. Strategize your growth and career options. Look at the big picture, and put the pieces together of where you want to be eventually. Then chalk out a plan for getting there. Confer with mentors. Review, evaluate and create your growth strategy. As they say – “if you don’t know where you are going, any road will do.”

Focus: Are you digressing from your strengths? Remember Starbucks trying to sell music and movies? Starbucks' true service offering is coffee, not music and movies. Don’t make that mistake in your career. Diversify, expand, learn, but keep your focus on what you do well and how to leverage those strengths to move forward.

Brand Management: When the Starbucks chairman, Howard Schultz, frets that rapid expansion is diluting the brand, there is something to learn from that message. You have a brand and your brand proclaims who you are. You have spent years inculcating that brand – don’t dilute your brand by being negligent and comfortable. Brand management requires exemplary delivery on the promise. Your brand and credibility is contingent on your execution. You cannot afford to let-up.

Capitalizing on your strengths is a big part of career progression. I recommend this post on career management. Whether you're looking to make a midlife career change or establishing a second career mid life, Mark Runta offers excellent advice on the subject.

Says Mark: "You have come this far and kudos to you for that accomplishment. But the race is still on and the last half is harder. A lot harder! The prepared, resolute and focused usually finish the race."

If you still have the energy to climb the ladder, Mark offers a free e-book, Unstuck, to help you reenergize your career progression.

Thanks to Mark Runta, who offers thoughts and comments on Project Management and Global Outsourcing on his blog.

Mid-life Resurrection

If you're transitioning through midlife full-bore, you may be surprised one day to find yourself stuck in a life you no longer want.

Don't despair. Just as in adolescence, angst and disorientation are all part of the mid-life transition. A spirit of self-acceptance will help.

Midlife is an opportunity to resurrect oneself from the mire of matter and false gods. If you've been laboring in a field that leaves you feeling dull and diminished, recognize labor for its true purpose. Labor is the process of manifesting achievements that are reached through striving. Through labor you open your inner resources. No matter what your profession, it is your striving that defines you, not your title.

A great Sage said, "Through labor we conquer." What is there to conquer? you may ask. We conquer our small, limited, false self.

When labor and striving unite, there is resurrection. Resurrection is freedom from fear, anxiety and distress. Seek each day to stand with new definiteness that you are the Self. Embrace this time of opportunity for expansion.

More radiant than the sun,
purer than the snow,
subtler than the ether,
is the Self,
the Spirit within my heart.
I am that Self;
that Self am I.

How to Be a Man in Mid-Life

I mentioned to a colleague recently that some of my visitors find my blog by typing in to a search engine "mid-life crisis at 25" and his response was "That's just being 25." I couldn't agree more.

The term midlife crisis has become an umbrella term for any "radical change in behavior." The key difference between being a man at 25 and being a man at 45 is perspective.

Bishop Craig offers some perspective on how to be a man in mid life. To summarize, ask yourself

#1 - Where am I in terms of my own primary sense of identity or value?

If the man gains his identity primarily from work he will evaluate himself in terms of his career; if as a husband he will evaluate in terms of his marriage; if from parenting he will evaluate in terms of how his kids have turned out; if as an athlete he will evaluate in terms of his ongoing athleticism, and so on.

#2 - What am I afraid of?

We are socially conditioned as western males to deny fear, but all of us are afraid of something. Perhaps it's death (our own or of those we love), or being alone (either through death or abandonment), or being unloved, or (perhaps worst of all) of being incapacitated and finding no one to care for us or about us.

# 3 - What actions do I regret?

We all have regrets, but at this point in a man's life he starts thinking about them with an eye toward either making them right or making changes and/or doing things we wish we had done years ago but were too busy to do. That might mean taking up a new hobby, or trying a new career, or trying any of a number of other new things - not all of them healthy or productive.

Read more about Bishop Craig’s' thoughts on midlife reassessment.

As a midlife man, he's more qualified to speak on men's issues than I.