The 50 years old threshold for top managers

Madrid, August 3, 2023.- The world is constantly changing, and we must change with it, how many times we have heard these words and didn´t get the message. Current enterprises scale of values and the economic dynamic environment is inviting many top managers to ¨permanent¨ leave, this is fine in a constant changing world but not so fine when it comes to over 50 years old managers. Logic and common sense would be to face the current economic instability and uncertainties with experience ¨skippers¨ at the helm, most of the big brands could have avoid ¨unintentional accidents¨ with an experienced CEO onboard but common sense most of the times is not ruling the destiny of companies, instead internal politics and ¨save your image¨ policies are imposing their ways into company´s important decisions. What it seems job loss at the end of your career it´s cruel and can be tough to overcome, especially if you had a traumatic dismissal but if you don’t think this is the end of the line but just a temporary derailment read the following tips that I have highlighted from different reports and articles and enjoy the reading!.

1. Acknowledge your achievements and successes.

Where do you see a transition and a learning cycle over the past 50 years in your life? Was it going to college, finding a job and career, getting married, having children, creating your business, or all of these? Make a list of all things you learned, the takeaways, and the skills you developed in each phase. Embrace those moments and feelings that accompanied those achievements. Praise yourself for all those things you achieved and feel proud of yourself, your personal life, family and work life.

2. Cultivate curiosity and embrace lifelong learning.

The fuel for reinventing your life lies in curiosity. My burning curiosity is my no—1 trigger and motivator that has triggered and sustained me through all my life transitions. Genuine curiosity is the steering engine of all emotional states, thoughts, ways of thinking, and undertakings. It is the fuel for any new experience. It’s a trigger that helps you learn more about yourself, boldly dive deep into the unknown and be open to stepping out of what looks and sounds familiar.

Some people have it as a natural gift, and others need to cultivate it. Genuine curiosity can ignite a burning desire to learn new things and embrace change with ease. It automatically leads to growing social connections, networking activities, and attracting the right things into your life. Curiosity is also a natural deterrent to fear, i.e. it helps neutralise our fears.

3. Listen to your feelings and attune to your desires.

Listening to our feelings is one of those skills we need to learn lifelong. Our emotional state guides us in all our actions, and the thing is that we are only sometimes aware of it. Our brain and inner survival mechanisms protect us from rejections and emotions that may hurt or make us uncomfortable. So the only way to move towards what we desire and want from our life is to be ready to listen to our feelings, grab that underlying message, convert it into a positive affirmation, and transform the overwhelm into a challenge.Please don’t fall into the trap of labeling emotions and feelings. Instead, accept them as they manifest and focus on the message that they bear with them. Learn to convert the energy of emotions into positive thoughts and actions.

4. Practice gratitude and reframe appreciation.

To transform those feelings that hold you back from getting ahead and moving forward, becoming aware of all those small and important things we have in life and take for granted. Being grateful for having them in our lives is critical. Here it’s not just a matter of listing them in a nice list. It is about growing self-love and confidence.Go through the list of things in your personal life, such as your personality, achievements, and skills. Reframing what appreciation is by giving it a sensory dimension is also tremendously helpful. Dive into each of these domains with all your senses, and you will see the difference.

5. Embrace small changes with an open heart.

If you are serious about finding a new meaningful life that is not only filled with new things and maybe a new environment but, first and foremost, lets you grow as a person, you must embrace change at 360°. What I mean is that change will instead have to happen inside you. When your way of thinking attunes to your desires and, once internalized, they create those magic vibrations.

Science shows us that our mind believes in our thoughts and imagery without distinguishing between an actual event and one we get visualised. If you feed your mind only with the right ideas and words, your mind starts to believe them, which is the turning point in the change process. There are many more ways to help you create your future self in your mind. Many people love to create a vision board, and there are many kinds of visuals you can build on. You can start jotting down a list of new experiences you want to do in the next 1-3 years and grouping them into relevant categories.

Then you can list the skills and abilities you want to learn along this path and add the positive statements and the contribution of how you want to help others. Moreover, you can add your legacy: i.e. what you would like to be remembered for.

6. Build a bridge between your present and future self.

Any life reinvention starts from where you are, physically, mentally, and emotionally. The way to go is to build a bridge between where you are now and where you envision yourself in the future. Start taking the small and first steps towards your future self. By creating a safe playground, or “safe stage”, as I call it, you can practice change and build your mental and emotional muscles. This way, you can envision and believe in growth possibilities, identify the following steps, and implement them into your new empowering life.

7. Take action. Go with the flow.

You cannot build a cathedral overnight. You are taking small steps every day is how to start. No matter what, when, and how. Be prepared to make mistakes and learn from them. Observe, reflect, focus your attention, and let go to activate the most profound flow, attract the right things in life, and move in the right direction.

If you are more interested in the subject I would recommend you to click on the following link: (PDF) Temporary Derailment or the End of the Line? Unemployed Managers at 50 (researchgate.net)