Midlife crisis. It is a term bandied about, which can conjure images of sports car purchases, new gym memberships, flirtations/affairs/divorces, botox and bikinis. Midlife is, for many, a time of transition, including whether or how to retire. It can be a time of more questions than answers, a time in which you feel less steady as you review and revise who and what you find most meaningful, valuable, and worthwhile. Some changes are desired and welcome, while others feel forced or unavoidable.

I believe, as I share in my upcoming book, The Ageless Way, that  “Those of us who are entering, in the midst of or, like me, leaving our rich middle years, are well poised to use such times of transition as opportunities to tap more deeply into our reservoir of innate soulful greatness – what I refer to as our Signature Greatness DNA. As history has shown, change makers and world shakers always deepen their culture and leave a legacy for future generations by confronting the difficulties of such times with invention, insight, and transcendent understanding.”

It is at these times that many people choose, whether out of desire or necessity, to begin a second (or third, or fourth…) career, which is often referred to as an encore career. There are different reasons people choose to pursue an encore career, such as: financial security; personal fulfillment and meaning; the desire to give back to the local/national/global community; flexibility; work/life balance; learning new skills and utilizing those that have been acquired over decades; sustaining social connections; pursuing a long-held dream…

Regardless of the reason(s) for selecting an encore career, those in their middle and later years have garnered personal and professional experience and wisdom which they can offer to employers and clients. In addition, Boomers and Matures (members of “The Silent Generation”) grew up in eras which inspired active, organized involvement in response to diverse current events, such as WWII, the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and the fights for civil and women’s rights. As a result, these workers are often valued for their efficiency, sense of responsibility, loyalty, hopeful attitude and strong work ethic.

The trend toward an increasingly older and diverse workforce creates multiple opportunities for building successful intergenerational office environments. Encore career professionals offer a variety of abilities and knowledge to enhance the capabilities of the younger generations and benefit, in return, from their colleagues’ perspectives and talents with new work aspects like technology. Such mutually supportive business cultures ensure a more solid future for everyone, from those engaged in encore careers to the generations yet to come.

There is even a movement afoot to support those choosing or hiring for encore careers. Encore.org’s mission is “building a movement to tap the skills and experience of those in midlife and beyond to improve communities and the world.” It seeks to engage the vitality, wisdom and talents of those in the third and fourth stages of life while emphasizing social purpose. Seeing an aging society as a solution to, rather than creator of, problems, Encore.org connects generations in diverse ways, including hosting an annual conference and offering The Purpose Prize for people over 60 who integrate their passion and experience for the betterment of society. Created in 2005, the prize aims to “showcase the value of experience and disprove notions that innovation is the sole province of the young. It’s for those with the passion to make change and the experience to know how to do it.”

I mentioned the term encore career in a blog posted earlier this week, “Second Time Around” , in which I wrote about Barbara Beskind who is now in her third year of work as an inventor, a lifelong dream she achieved just shy of her ninth decade. Additionally, I have met/worked with diverse women and men who have chosen (are choosing) to embark on an encore career. One 51-year-old woman hot shot media executive left her job to pursue what she always wanted to do as a teenager — she went back to school to become a social worker. Another high flying 62-year-old woman left an intense demanding sales executive post to return to the beloved art career of her youth. A 63-year-old retired teacher became a published author. In her January 16, 2015 New York Times article, Older Job Seekers Find Ways to Avoid Age Bias, Kerry Hannon shares the story of a 66-year-old man who was laid off from a high-powered position. After undergoing the unease of transition, questioning his purpose and averting age discrimination encountered in interviews, he ultimately ended up teaching part-time, making money, and feeling valued. And I am one among many who have found fulfillment in an encore career by creating their own business.

Encore.org and the AARP  are just two of the organizations offering programs, resources and information for those embarking on an encore career. In the short term, this transition may require additional investment of education and retraining (including working with a certified professional career coaching and strategy-creation coach). The rewards, however, can be infinite. Following your passion while giving to others can be stimulating, enlivening and offer adventures which demonstrate that, despite pleasurable memories, the best is still yet to come.

When musicians are called by an audience to perform an encore, a demand for more, it is surely a sign of success. Whether you choose an encore career out of need or want, in honoring and utilizing your skills and knowledge you are the one whose success is to be celebrated. Bravo!!

What’s your encore career story?  Please share your experience below.

I often wonder…how would I bring up my grandkids today? Certainly differently than their parents when they were growing up in the 1970s and 80s. I parented them with optimism because the future showed so much promise and possibility. Only later on did I come to realize that I did my kids a disservice by not preparing them for the derailing truth that we citizens can’t always trust what our elected representatives say, much less those we trust the most.

As (grand)parents, we want to protect our kids’ innocence and teach newer generations to emulate leaders and ideal citizens…those who know what’s real and what’s not, who will stand up for what’s “right” and just, freedom, equality and opportunity for all – the basic tenets of the American way…

I clearly remember the day my son told me “I’ve seen the Wizard (of Oz)!” I knew instantly that his innocence was gone. Even as he brings up his young family now, he too carries the torch of hope and possibility for them but knows not to trust wizards.

And so it goes, we keep keepin’ on. Until one day when the Wizard is thrown out of the magical castle for being a fraud! It’s time we cleaned out all of our castles and towers. Don’t you agree?

A few weeks ago New York Senate’s Dean Skelos and his son were arrested on corruption charges.

In another notable failure of integrity and leadership, look to J. Dennis Hastert, the former elected official who, for eight years, held the title of Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives (third in line to the presidency, I might add). This current Washington Lobbyist was said to be an upstanding role model, yet has just been indicted by federal prosecutors on charges that he violated banking laws (and lied to authorities) in order to pay $3.5 million to an unnamed person to cover up “past misconduct.” Though innocent until proven guilty, reports suggest this was hush money paid to a man Mr. Hastert is alleged to have sexually abused decades ago.

Then there’s the unraveling FIFA disaster and the final shoe dropping with FIFA president Sepp Blatter resigning as its head after a 17-year career. That career has ended in infamy due to a U.S. Justice Department corruption investigation for wire fraud, racketeering, and money laundering.

The congressional castle is truly turning my stomach these days. It’s past time to vote out all the self-serving wizards choosing hatred and power abuses above actual leadership and democratic representation.

In late December, before heading into surgery, I heard the tiny news snippet that twisted up my insides: how at the 11^th hour the Arizona senators had slipped a mickey in our holiday drinks so those in congress and the country wouldn’t even notice their trickery.

Arizona has the second-largest Native American population in the U.S. with 22 sovereign Native American communities inhabiting nearly a quarter of the state’s land. As the longest currently serving member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Arizona Senator John McCain is said (on his own website) to have “tirelessly supported the bedrock principles of tribal sovereignty and Indian self-governance and self-determination.”

If I took those words at face value, I would automatically believe that this elected politician was an admirable American role model. A leader enabling the “American Dream.” A hero rectifying the wrongs done to a people who were the country’s original citizens who taught the “founding immigrants” how to survive and thrive on this land before being systematically undermined and devalued by those very same newcomers they had welcomed.

But actions speak louder than words.

As it turns out, Mr. McCain is one of several politicians whose behaviors have included sneaky actions that continue stripping Native Americans of sacred lands, areas of our planet they have sustained for centuries with reverence and care. Lydia Millet shares the latest abomination in her NY Times opinion article, “Selling Off Apache Holy Land.”

In December 2014, Congress promised to hand the title for land in Arizona to a private, Australian-British mining concern owned by the company Rio Tinto, who has coveted the area for the high-value ores beneath the land. “A fine-print rider trading away the Indian holy land was added at the last minute to the must-pass military spending bill, the National Defense Authorization Act. By doing this, Congress has handed over a sacred Native American site to a foreign-owned company for what may be the first time in our nation’s history.” Who slipped the giveaway language into the bill? Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake of Arizona. At the 11th hour.

Millet further suggests “It’s worth noting that Rio Tinto affiliates have been McCain campaign contributors, and that Mr. Flake, before he made it to Congress, was a paid lobbyist for Rio Tinto Rössing Uranium” (a huge uranium mine in Namibia of which, according to The Huffington Post, Tehran owns a 15 percent stake). And, apparently, Rio Tinto “has been called out in the past for environmental devastation.” Taking local citizens’ lands and livelihood to personally benefit from a foreign-owned company with ties to Iran? Degrading the environment, which has unhealthy repercussions for us all?

I’m outraged, horrified, and ashamed. Who are these elected representatives representing?

One last word on words… Corrupt political-speak isn’t the only way in which falsehoods are propagated. In my work transforming how we approach aging, I often address the language we use to describe being and growing older (e.g.: past blog posts Language Matters, Deactivate Office Ageism, and Words are Power). It’s important that our actions match our words. Just as essential is knowing that what we say and how we say it matters.

I’m stymied about what to do to reverse the rider other than venting and spreading the word. Do you have any ideas on how we can make this happen?

We know it’s not all bad news…what examples of integrity (and situations in which carefully chosen words were followed by matching actions) have you recently witnessed or been a part of?

I often say that most of us have the potential to do 95 percent of our best work in the last 5 percent of our lives. As we age, we become well poised to offer a range of perspectives and skills, which can only come with time and experience. This is true throughout our lives starting from when we are babies learning how to walk and speak. Our middle and later years can be a time in which many of us have raised families, had some success in our work (and perhaps reached the silver ceiling…), and may wish to pursue old (or new) dreams if we have the ability, opportunity, time and financial security.

A perfect example of someone who has learned from experience and is using her personal history and decades-long patience to find opportunity, satisfaction, and meaning is 91-year-old Barbara Beskind. Beskind was the focus of a Today Money piece by Scott Stump (February 25, 2015, Today.com), the title of which tidily sums up her story: ‘Age is not a barrier’: Tech designer, 91, lands her dream job in Silicon Valley. 

Beskind’s inventiveness began “out of necessity” during the Great Depression in the 1920’s. As she tells it, “I wanted to make a hobby horse, and I made it out of old tires. I learned a lot about gravity because I fell off so many times.” Despite having decided by 10 years old that she wanted to be an inventor, a high school counselor told her that females weren’t accepted at engineering school. She, therefore, pursued other avenues and hobbies until two years ago, at 89, she had an opportunity to follow her original dream. Beskind applied and was hired for a one-day-a-week job testing and designing aging-related products at the Silicon Valley global design firm, IDEO, where she still works today.

While praising the welcoming inter-generational culture and atmosphere at the company, in the Today story Beskind also shared her perspective about hiring someone from her generation for that position. Suggesting that many younger designers “…can’t put themselves in the shoes of the elderly” and, therefore, often design for fashion rather than functionality, she shared her feeling that “… elderly people bring experience that you can’t teach.” 

The idea of pursuing one’s passion and meaning in an “encore career,” a career after retirement, is becoming increasingly popular as we live longer and have more opportunities. Whether following through on an old dream or creating a new one, if situations permit, many of us find our satisfaction in such pursuits.

My own experience involved shifting careers in midlife (in what I have since termed my second “midlife reclamation”) from a successful corporate career to that of an educational GeroFuturist with my own consulting, coaching and publishing business. Was it easy? Not at all! Transition rarely is. Experiencing somewhat of a crisis of the Soul, I agonized while reviewing who I was and wanted to be, what was most important to me and how I could find meaning, significance and fulfillment while also giving back and making a difference for others. These are often common hallmarks for anyone pursuing their heartfelt passion and/or looking to have an encore career, whether by choice or even by necessity.

Career changes, whether they follow retirement or not, may involve some unexpected shifts, detours or delays. For those of us who are ready, Radical Reinvention is in order. Sometimes, when we consciously choose to pursue a process of breaking away from what was to what can be, we will traverse what I have long called The Canyon of the Soul. In this trek you will transform based on the best of you, as well as reclaiming the core of what really matters to you. As I mentioned in my February 11, 2014 blog, False Alarm: Reinvention is Boomer Friendly (www.karensands.com/false-alarm-reinvention-is-boomer-friendly), “Now is the last chance we get to embrace the gift of turning crisis into opportunities.”

Yes, you often have to toss out old definitions of yourself and of success, as well as aspects of your life that do not really matter, that are merely clutter. You have to remove the tangential plot lines, the side stories that distract from the main plot, and sometimes you have to even cut characters who are dragging the story down. Radical Reinvention is a purification process, getting down to your essence, to your Signature Greatness DNA, and to your core values. At the same time, you don’t have to toss the gold with the dross, so it is key to know yourself and have a clear vision.

Eight decades after dreaming of becoming an inventor, Barbara Beskind chose to make her vision a reality. Her story exemplifies that dreams can be achieved at any age. I imagine (and hope) that as we live longer, stories like this will become commonplace.

 Do you have an old dream you are pursuing? What advice do you have for others wanting to do the same?

•  Download a FREE mini-book, “The Origins of the New HERstory of Our AGE“ based on The Ageless Way 
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Here’s one secret which I have learned over decades of exploring and adventuring toward success and fulfillment: “Having it all” (whatever “it” means to you, individually) can ONLY happen when you build community.

Though online connections have become commonplace, I still maintain that there is no substitute for in-person connection. There are many different types of communities where you can find (or create) such resources and support, including: a friend or group of friends/family; a professional or religious affiliation; a conference, class or workshop; your neighborhood or community center; a book group, etc.

What happens when you no longer have the burden of going it totally alone? You may experience an improvement in health and overall well-being, less stress, greater meaning, more ease, energy, manageability and pleasure in life. As an added result, you touch others’ lives and the positive effects get reflected into the world.

What is a good way to begin forming, or adding to, the interpersonal foundations which will ensure your desired future? Networking. And here’s another secret. Networking does not have to be nerve-racking, groan-inducing, or boring. In fact, it can be quite the opposite. Networking is not just about selling, the idea of which makes many people cringe. It is more about meeting others who are open to sharing passion and ideas and can respond with meaningful perspectives, support and wisdom. It is about expanding your genuine connections and enhancing, rather than detracting from, your confidence and achievements.

Networking is simply about meeting others so you can move forward with the support of your chosen community(ies). This will not only be more beneficial to you with your desired accomplishments, but it also makes life a lot more fun. Instead of being a stressful chore, when you connect with others who can assist you with your specific needs, you build your life’s tapestry in a way that is not only innovative and enjoyable, but something you will look forward to and want to keep creating (as well as fostering it in others).

It simply requires one person taking action to begin making that difference. And as with a pebble tossed in a pond, the ripples keep moving ever outward. I have seen real examples of community collaboration happening time and again, and have been both host and beneficiary of such connections.

~ Friends got together for a New Year’s dinner where conversation led to sharing and writing down goals for the coming year. Upon reflection a year later, the participants marveled at how many of those goals had been accomplished with each other’s encouragement. Out of this gathering came the creation of an annual public event so that other women in the region could also improve their lives with group support.

~ One person at a networking event shared information about a non-profit working to end child sex trafficking. A magazine publisher in attendance felt moved by the conversation and printed an article about the agency, which, in turn, inspired a group of readers to create a volunteer group to support the organization.

~ I was able to find the courage to embark on an encore career because I had a supportive community of family and friends.

All of us have something of value to offer, which, when shared, can result in a better life for ourselves, each other, and the world.

You, too, can begin creating, building on or joining a community right now to exchange ideas, companionship and encouragement. Having a sense of community simultaneously enables you to stay grounded while also being able to soar.

 What is your idea of community? Do you have suggestions for others to build theirs?

Anne Garland,“The Pollinator,” is known for inspiring events enabling women over forty to share support, ideas and connection. Garland is managing director of the Greater Hartford and Shoreline chapter of eWomenNetwork, whose aim is to assist women with finding ways to turn networking interactions into new clients while connecting with other professionals to enhance business success. Opportunities include in-person meetings, events and a 24/7 online community of professional women. Garland is also founder and creative director of Anne Garland Enterprises, based in Connecticut. Contact: 860-575-4970, AnneG@AnneGarlandEnterprises.com and ewomennetwork.com/chapter/Hartford, AnneGarland@eWomenNetwork.com.

These historic first few weeks of July reminds us of just how much we have been through together, as a nation and as individuals, from the civil rights movement we honor because of Martin Luther King, Jr., to women’s rights, so much of which is embodied in Roe vs. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision made over 40 years ago. To this month where that same court passed legislation that allows same sex couples to get married in all 50 states and where we in the US celebrate our freedom that so many fought so hard to accomplish.

Only that isn’t what the voice of our society is focusing on. The problem is that instead of seeing what has been accomplished, in our present as well as our past we are quick to be offended. We are listening to respond. Instead of listening to learn.

These are words that I hope everyone can take to heart, not only in terms of where we are headed as a nation, but in terms of where we are headed as individuals, generations, personally and professionally. Now is the time to act on that big vision you have inside you, to act knowing it will be imperfect, to act on something so big that it simply can’t be carried out entirely in a lifetime or two lifetimes or ten. Nor alone on your own!

Millennials, early and late Boomers, and Matures—are becoming more vocal about putting aside the generational stereotypes and looking at the common ground.

The question then becomes not whether these generations will work well together but how, and what changes we are likely to see in the future of society and government as a result of the changing, more age-diverse face of tomorrow’s leaders.

The Age of Greatness won’t be ushered in by nations or corporations or even non-profit organizations. It will be ushered in by individuals, like you and me, acting on what moves us and discovering that the more of us who do so, the more we will resonate with each other across all generations. Collectively, what moves us will create a movement that changes the world, rippling out into the next 4, 40, 400 years  . . . and beyond.

 With those words in mind what have you contributed to the voice of society this week? Are you proud of what you’ve said or done? How would you change it?

Karen Sands, MCC, BCCPhone: 203.266.1100 Email: karen@karensands.com Website: www.karensands.com Address: PO Box 43 Roxbury, CT 06783-0043

With more people living longer, active lives, we are at a historical crossroads in which the demographics of business environments are shifting. It’s time to drop the narrative that persists about Boomers vs. Millennials battling over jobs, being on different planes or coming from opposing perspectives. It’s time to undergo the complex transformations necessary to modify our connections, attitudes, and work environments to create, as in our best relationships, “great chemistry.”

No transformation is inevitable, however. It is up to all of us, together, to shape the changing workplace for a future which will benefit workers of all ages (hence society as a whole), one, as I discuss in my soon-to-be-published book, The Ageless Way, that is focused on the Triple Bottom Line of people, planet, and profits.

I see signs of this trend toward intergenerational cooperation developing, such as in the egalitarian digital future laid out in Dan Abelow’s book Imagine a New Future: Creating Greatness for All. Despite such progress, however, we need to keep moving forward with unity of intent and purpose, since life and society “can change on a dime.”

I believe multigenerational age-friendly trends are worth developing and will result when we all work together based on common interests and visions for the future. A future that has a place for all of us is one with more genuine connections and fewer artificial barriers, such as those based on age, gender, race, and class stereotypes.

For starters, we can:

~ engage in collaborative multigenerational conversations, hands-on discussions about best practices, (mis)perceptions, inclusive decision-making that supports all ages;

~ explore alternative scenarios and solutions together based on the probable and preferred future, not the past;

~ look at intergenerational partnerships, such as job sharing/mentorship arrangements (which enable two people to be employed instead of one, combine training costs and salary, stretch a company’s dollar and quicken the pace at which younger employees can gain the skills, knowledge, and some experience they need to be more valuable to that company and the marketplace);

~ cultivate environments in which diversity and work-life balance are key (Whether we want that balance because we’re starting a family or because we want time to visit our established families, the outcome is logistically the same. Work locations and hours must be increasingly flexible for everyone, without penalty);

~ encourage people over 60 (and in fact those 40+) to remain employed by starting their own businesses – as encore entrepreneurs (These could be less complex solopreneur home offices or larger operations that would not only remove the competition for the same job between two generations, but would also generate employment, services, and products relevant for healthful, fulfilling lives).

The world in which we are living and working longer demands a new business model to serve consumers, our culture, and our workplace environments. By working together, we can solve, or at least ameliorate, multiple societal problems simultaneously through the specific social missions of companies serving multiple generations. No doubt the formation of more startups focusing on the Triple Bottom Line will have a significant positive effect on the job market, offering a way for all generations to make a living and a difference, and to secure their future and that of the world for generations to come.

Again, it’s the chemistry that matters. Together, we are stronger and can share our skills, knowledge, and creativity to discover more than “just” a new molecule. We can discover — we can create — new worlds. Together, we can engage in interactions that generate reactions which change the story around aging so that we model the new Ageless Way across generations.

In what ways is your company, or another business you are familiar with, already mastering the art of intergenerational collaboration? How are you doing this in your own life?

(Image credit: test-tubes-color-fluid.jpg by r.nial.bradshaw, Flickr.com)

Marco Rubio recently announced his run for the presidency of the United States. In his statements, and in what is clearly being interpreted as a snub to Hillary Clinton, he suggested that we do not need “a candidate of yesterday” and declared himself a “generational choice.” What does it mean to want to nullify both history and the experiences of a person who has lived longer (to say nothing of her diverse experiences which have inspired women’s leadership on a global scale in what is known as “The Hillary Effect”)? How does someone who claims to want to be the leader of the free world act so dismissively about the fastest growing population (those over 65), which, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Community Living numbered 39.6 million in 2009 and is anticipated to reach over 72 million by 2030?

In the past, I’ve written about my shock upon hearing from clients, colleagues, and even family members, that Hillary Clinton is too old to run for president in 2016. Yet, when I press for an age that is “too old,” no one is able to answer me. Why? There is no such age. The myth that there is has its roots in views and expectations about aging that have gone unquestioned for decades, perhaps centuries. Many of us even parrot it to ourselves when we are anxious to take a leap into something new. It does not seem to be changing even as we live longer, healthier, active lives to unprecedented ages. We rarely think to question it, yet when we do (as I have done with the Clinton example above), we find it falls apart. Ageism has no basis in reality.

Of course, Hillary Clinton’s age is not the only issue here. There’s something else emerging from the shadows. Both genders experience ageism, but for women the bigotry is especially potent. Ageism is always mixed with and strengthened by sexism. Unfortunately, both are embedded in society’s story about aging and women…in our story. No matter our political stance, age, or gender, we have all internalized this narrative to some degree.

In a show on Sirius XM Satellite Radio, host John Fugelsang and guests discussed bracing for the likely ageism and sexism which will accompany Clinton’s candidacy. Their comments included foreseeing the racism concerning the Obama presidency being replaced with sexism, increasing disparaging remarks about Clinton’s age (despite the irony of her being the same age as Mitt Romney or the fact that Ronald Reagan was older when he became president and served two terms) and more focus on, and constant judging of, her appearance (her suits, glasses, and hairstyles…), which happens rarely, if ever, when considering male candidates.

Despite cultural gains regarding treatment of women (after all, before 1920 we didn’t even have the right to vote…), the continuing sexism, workplace discrimination, and crimes against women are staggering. Even though many issues go under-reported, statistics substantiate the issues women face across the globe, such as The United Nations Development Programme’s information that 3 out of every 10 women report having experienced violence by an intimate partner and, globally, women hold less than 22% of parliamentary (hence decision-making) seats. It also remains indisputable that women still make less than men for the same work. In fact, that issue remains so prevalent that an annual “holiday” was created; Equal Pay Day aims to draw attention to the additional number of days women have to work to earn the same money as men earned the previous year.

It’s time to change the story we tell as a society and the story we tell to and about ourselves. For women, especially, the old misogynistic story about aging is a powerful weapon against us, no matter our age, stage or cycle, a mis-story that starts when we’re young, in how we view older women, and only builds from there, preventing us from realizing the potential for greatness that ripens as we age. We owe it to ourselves and to generations to come to step forward visibly and be not who we should be as we age but who we can be.

And here’s to an election cycle in which we all consider who to vote for with civility and without discriminating against any candidate’s gender, party, age or race.

What experiences have you had with ageism and/or sexism and how have you resolved them? Do “-isms” create schisms?

(Image Credit: Photo by essygie)

In her Huff Post 50+ article, Women Over 50 Are Invisible? I Must Have Missed The Memo, Erica Jagger asks “Here’s an if-a-tree-falls-in-the-forest question: if society didn’t tell older women they were invisible, would older women still feel invisible?” She shares her surprise at another over-50 writer’s depressing acceptance/submission to the idea that women of a certain age have little value or appeal.

When something is invisible, it is unable to be seen, unobservable, the opposite of detectable, obvious, visible. Sometimes, as in films, comics and other media, invisibility happens through magical means (or like the Wizard of Oz, simply with the aid of a curtain) and can be a desired state.

I address this timely issue and perspective in my forthcoming newest book, The Ageless Way, as evidenced in the italicized excerpts below:

One of the biggest fears we have about aging is of becoming invisible, irrelevant to the world. Women, who are valued for their appearance first and foremost in our society, tend to feel this diminishment more acutely than men as they age.

The negative side of being invisible is clear to most of us. The world no longer seems to notice or care about us or what we have to say. We seem to lose our voice because no one is listening. Sometimes, we don’t even use our voice because we don’t believe we’ll be heard, so why bother? Being invisible contributes to the vexing problem of low self-esteem, robbing women of the confidence they need to stand up and make a difference.

But there is a positive side to being invisible, as Doris Lessing captures so eloquently, “And then not expecting it, you become middle-aged and anonymous. No one notices you. You achieve a wonderful freedom. It is a positive thing. You can move about, unnoticed and invisible.”

Lessing had it right that there is a power to being able to work behind the scenes and make change without worrying about our own egos. We have the ability to go with the flow of nature, of life, and the profound opportunity to influence others to make earth-shattering changes without anyone even realizing we are doing so.

Thus, we women must step forward today and act on our power to make a difference—through our votes, purchases, leadership, vision, and yes, entrepreneurial success. Striving for meaningful, sustainable, and profitable success is necessary if we are to have the resources and power to lead significant change—at any age and for all ages.

 The challenge is to balance the invisible and the visible, to know when we need to work behind the scenes and when we need to speak up and be heard—be present. We need to learn how to marry our invisible power with our visible, visionary leadership.

 We need to lead the way toward women being a powerful presence for change without losing the invisibility required to effect that change. I suggest we start by recognizing the power of invisibility in the first place and understanding that to be invisible doesn’t mean to be inadequate or without value or voice—just the opposite.

 Invisibility is inherently powerful. By understanding and learning how to use this power, we will begin to see more clearly the times when stepping out of the shadows will make remaining in the shadows the only way to shine a light on a future that matters, to all of us.

 In what circumstances have you felt invisible? Most visible? When have you best balanced being visible and invisible?

(NOTE: If you want to learn more about The Ageless Way, or to order an advance copy, please contact me at Karen@KarenSands.com)

(Image Credit: Photo by Clarita on morgueFile).

Both his points are good ones, but I would take them a step further. The crisis of leadership is not just a problem with “them”—business leaders, politicians, nonprofit directors, and organization heads. The crisis is a problem with all of us. We live in an increasingly smaller world, made so by technology and population growth. The future is changing, becoming one of more intricate connections among people, governments, businesses, and organizations. We can no longer lay the problem of leadership at the feet of some distant person we may never interact with directly. In our changing society, we all must meet the challenge of leadership.

First, we need to start with how we lead ourselves, for until we can meet that basic challenge, we cannot begin to lead others, businesses, our communities, our nation, our world. From the bedroom to the boardroom, around the kitchen table and at our laptops, we are all leaders in this new society.

At a minimum, we need to solve the exact same problems Ashkenas lays out in his article. We need to figure out how to make time to reflect, to get in touch with our own inner wisdom, so that we spend more time responding than simply reacting, often rashly. We need to cut through the volume of issues we face in our modern lives by choosing what is most important and ruthlessly cutting the rest out of our lives.

In taking these steps, we will in part solve the second problem, the one of leading based entirely on the opinions of others, for we will have a sharper focus on what really matters and time to listen to others and consider whether their opinions match what we find when we take time to reflect and listen to the visionary voice inside of us. But then we need to take the next steps. We need wisdom and what Dr. W. Edwards Deming called profound knowledge, “knowledge for leadership of transformation. Transformation is not automatic. It must be learned; it must be lead.”

To lead others in this transformation requires a commitment to transformation in ourselves, including self-knowledge and actualization; understanding change and transition; accepting that the future is already here: singularity, nanotechnology, cyberspace—we must embrace and master these changes; honing our skills to meet 21st-century demands, which requires lifelong learning; envisioning alternative futures and our response to them, then taking practical steps to create these futures.

Further, we need to ask ourselves if we are living our lives based on what really matters to us or what we think should matter, what other people tell us we should be doing. Only when we take these steps in our own lives will we begin to see change in our world and in our leadership. Only when we accept the challenge to lead ourselves and our world into the future will we be able to turn this crisis into an opportunity to make historic changes around the globe.

Whom do you hold as an example of visionary leadership in the boardroom, in virtual business, in politics, in social justice, around the kitchen table?

Image credit: Stock.xchng, photo by Joan Kocur