– Lynne Twist

These are extraordinary times of change, loss and transformation.  All of us are needed on deck, especially those of us who are successful and well resourced with networks, talents, wisdom, creativity, money and time.  Prior to the pandemic, you may have been pondering or already been in the midst of a transition to your next chapter of life.  It could be the impacts of the pandemic have launched you into one or had you postpone one.

Don’t despair, whatever stage you’re in, vision, dreaming, and the question of legacy are more important than ever.  What I mean by legacy is contributing to the greater good by leaving those coming behind you a better quality of life in some meaningful way.  Not only is it crucial for the world, I find the clients who are enjoying their next chapter the most are those who have included legacy in their planning and are taking action on it.

The dramatic changes we’re experiencing can inspire a re-evaluation of our values, dreams and desires.  Your desired legacy may be different than it was six months ago. What do you want your contribution to be to your family, friends, colleagues and community now? If you are not clear about it look to your passions, where you see needs in your community or are righteously outraged by some injustice you want to help correct.  It can be as broad and public as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation contributing to vaccine development for the planet or as close to home as helping a neighborhood non-profit.

For me it continues to be a guiding light to others to become their best selves and create a next best chapter of life that is meaningful, fulfilling, and contributes to the greater good.

Start today.  Dream, vision, talk to respected colleagues and friends about what you want to create out of the chaos we’re experiencing.  It will give you grounding and purpose.  Take note of the places in your life and community where you want to make a difference.  If you’re ready to chart and live into a next chapter that includes a meaningful legacy, reach out for more information and a coaching package that will support you in creating a well thought out plan and the action steps to make it real.

Sabrina Roblin, CPCC is Co-Founder of Life Reinspired, offering coaching and training programs for successful Baby Boomers contemplating a meaningful next chapter in life. Sabrina is an experienced executive, mentor, trainer, and coach. She has worked for organizations that include Wells Fargo Bank, Broderbund Software, and The Coaches Training Institute. Sign up for a free 45-minute discovery session!

This is the fourth in our series of blog posts on successful retirement/transition planning from a organizational perspective. In the first blog, we discussed the overall impact of an executive retirements. In the second post, we talked about succession planning. The third post addressed the transfer of institutional knowledge. This final post in the series talks about mentoring both pre- and post- exit. Although this topic is woven into succession planning and transfer of institutional knowledge, it gets its own shout-out in this post.

We’re defining mentoring here as a combination of coaching and advice-giving—coaching in the sense that a mentor needs to know what a mentee wants to know and aspires to so that the advice is on target. Mentoring also can involve sponsorship, wherein the mentor promotes a protegee for projects and/or presentations that showcase her skills and provide development opportunities.

Most organizations place a high value on mentoring because it provides mentees with accelerated acculturation, a broader skill set, and a focused career path. That said, mentor/mentee appointments fall in the category of “ important, not urgent” and thus are often scratched—most often by the mentor—in order to meet urgent work demands.

When the executive has designed a path to retirement and mentoring becomes central to his job description, however, it’s a different story. Mentoring is of course essential for the executive’s designated successor. Picture the win/win curve where the former is ramping down while the latter is ramping up with the help of her soon-to-be former boss. And, mentoring is equally valuable to help:
• new hires to hit the ground running and learn to navigate corporate structure and politics
• individual contributors to prepare for their first management position
• middle managers to figure out how to expand their influence and contribution

In fact, strong mentoring relationships provide value to most all employees—especially when the focus remains developmental rather than task-oriented.

For retiring executives, mentoring yields its own rewards. It is satisfying to help mentees amp up their performance for their personal benefit and that of the organization. It is satisfying to share vast expertise and wisdom accumulated over their decades’ long distinguished careers. And it is satisfying to be appreciated for all that they know and the mentoring value they deliver.

Mentoring is a great way for senior leaders to give back—both before they retire and afterward, as independent consultants or as volunteers. Mentoring is key—along with succession planning and transfer of institutional wisdom—to leveraging the brain trust that retiring executives represent. It would be a shame to celebrate retirements with little more than good-bye dinners and parting gifts when this precious resource is there for the taking. All it takes is a little planning.

Find out more about how Life Reinspired programs can add value to your organization and to the lives of your retiring employees.

Caroline MacNeill Hall is Co-Founder of Life Reinspired, a reset lab for successful Baby Boomers contemplating a meaningful next chapter of life. She is President of MAC Advisors, an executive coaching and leadership development company. She’s also senior faculty for the Coaches Training Institute.