Strenger Carlo, Ruttenberg Arie
Tel Aviv University, Israel.
Harv Bus Rev. 2008 Feb;86(2):82-90, 137.
As life expectancy in the West increases and companies can no longer promise lifelong security, many businesspeople will need to make major changes during middle age, embarking on a second life and a second career. They must start by getting beyond two pervasive and opposing myths. The first is that midlife marks the onset of decline. Problems do arise during middle age--concerns about health and finances, for instance--but one's life force does not expire at 65, nor do possibilities vanish. In fact, by middle age, most executives have gained a freedom that only self-knowledge can impart, and they relish unprecedented opportunities for personal growth. Midlife transitions, however, must be rooted in realism, not driven by the second myth, which paints middle age as a time of magical transformation. Contrary to what self-help books and inspirational speakers proclaim, such transformations do not happen. A 50-year-old with little musical training, for instance, will not suddenly become a concert pianist. People who buy into this myth find that their inevitable disappointment can be debilitating. Paradoxically, the doctrine that aims to encourage change actually stifles it. To make successful transitions, executives must stay open to the possibilities their experience qualifies them for but remain realistic about what they can achieve. For companies, employees' midlife transitions represent both a challenge (senior managers seemingly on track to become CEO may instead leave) and an opportunity (other midlife executives, with different perspectives and experiences, may knock on the door). Organizations must help middle-aged executives through this difficult period, not just by offering a workshop or two but by providing ongoing coaching and opportunities for personal and professional development.
随着西方国家人均寿命的延长，以及企业不再能够承诺终身保障，许多商务人士将需要在中年时期做出重大改变，开启第二段人生和第二份职业。他们首先必须摒弃两个普遍存在且相互对立的误区。第一个误区是，中年标志着衰退的开始。中年确实会出现一些问题，比如对健康和财务的担忧，但人的生命力不会在65岁时枯竭，可能性也不会消失。事实上，到中年时，大多数高管都获得了只有自知之明才能赋予的自由，他们享受着前所未有的个人成长机会。然而，中年转型必须基于现实，而不是受第二个误区的驱使，这个误区将中年描绘成一个神奇转变的时期。与自助书籍和励志演讲者所宣称的相反，这种转变并不会发生。例如，一个几乎没有音乐训练的50岁的人不会突然成为一名音乐会钢琴家。相信这个误区的人会发现，他们不可避免的失望可能会削弱自己的能力。矛盾的是，旨在鼓励变革的学说实际上却抑制了变革。为了实现成功转型，高管们必须对自身经历所赋予他们的可能性持开放态度，但同时也要对自己能够取得的成就保持现实态度。对公司来说，员工的中年转型既是一个挑战（看似有望成为首席执行官的高级经理可能会离开），也是一个机遇（其他具有不同观点和经验的中年高管可能会前来应聘）。组织必须帮助中年高管度过这一艰难时期，不仅要提供一两个工作坊，还要提供持续的指导以及个人和职业发展的机会。
