Over-50

Incidentally, We Members of the Mickey Mouse Club Didn't Care About Who Walt Disney Really Was

M-i-c-k-e-y M-o-u-s-e. 

Poof. The iconic Disney logo can be eliminated from popular culture.

Deadline reports there is growing scrutiny of Disney's founder Walt Disney.

He was an obviously flawed human being. In fact, on speeches I had created on leadership for chief executive officers I leveraged his attitudes about his workforce as negatives. For example, he couldn't understand why employees would want higher compensation. After all, went his thinking, weren't they fortunate to be part of his team. In addition, he was in no way the kind of verbally polished leader of today. The undertow of his messaging signaled prejudice.

But that was then. A different time. Entrepreneurs, be they Disney or Henry Ford, could operate by their own rules. 

Today, Bob Iger, by so many current metrics, scores high on leadership. His memoir "The Ride of a Lifetime" captures his ethos of deep caring, especially of all the humans in the loop. They range from employees to consumers. 

On Glassdoor, the overall rating for working at Disney is "4" out of a possible "5."

After retiring from the job of chief executive officer, Iger parachuted back in when the business of Disney became troubled. 

Actually, as I argue in this article, Disney seems stuck. But that's a strategic matter, not a cultural one. Iger has a big job ahead of him.

That, unfortunately, will likely include the struggle to preserve the Disney logo. The founder's flaws have tainted the essence of what Mickey Mouse meant to generations. Part of that was the extreme power of creativity. 

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COVID-19: Blindsided by Forced Retirement

There is a confluences of forces.

One is that the aging, always targeted for the ax, are finding themselves shown the door more often during COVID-19. That's just the way it is. The route could be accepting a package, being on the list for a reduction in force, harassed into resigning, or a stealth layoff, that is being terminated for supposedly performance reasons. 

The other is the fear of returning to a communal work situation in which the risk of COVID-19 is high. 

The result, observes Alicia Munnell in MarketWatch, has been a significant increase in early retirements, that is, leaving a career or long-term work situation sooner than intended.

According to the findings on the Current Population Survey, in April 2020 - only one month into COVID-19 - there had been a 7% uptick in the number of those who had been employed and suddenly fell into the retirement category. For those between 55 and 64, the percentage was less but still significant enough to get on the radar.

Overall, the feeling about this development is: blindsided.

Because of the shock, there could be a rush into pessimism.

At the top of the list is assuming that the only way to continue to make ends meet is to apply for Social Security early. Usually, that's at age 62. Long term, that means a reduction in the monthly benefit.

The reality is that being knocked out of the career box doesn't mean the end of the ability to earn income from work per se. There is always work. Here, free to download, is my bible on that Download Outwitting ageism.

That stopgap can be the bridge to a new career path. For example, an in-house lawyer, who had been a communications client, had been forced into early retirement. He spotted an ad about being a residential leasing manager. Eventually he became licensed as a real estate agent. He made the contacts to sell at the high end. 

Another bit of pessimism is the mindset that relocation to where the cost of living is lower comes with shame. Those who thrive, despite the reversal of fortune, frame that as the unique opportunity to start over again. Also, many, to their surprise, discover it is a relief to leave their former life, embedded with careerism, behind.

There is also the predictable syndrome of regret - that is, replaying the past. It consists of the If-Onlys. When I lectured at the New York State Bar Association to displaced lawyers over-50, most were replaying their earlier decisions. The pattern was the magical thinking that if they hadn't done X, Y, that is, their termination, wouldn't have happened. Sure, it's important to learn from what could have been ineffective behavior.

However, nothing will change the past. What has helped some of my coaching clients in shaking off that preoccupation with the past is studying forms of Buddhism. Several schools recommend not perceiving the past - or any entity - as good or bad. It just is.

There are plenty of resources out there to navigate this new kind of rite of passage: early retirement.

Since the 1970s, for instance, "What Color Is Your Parachute?" has been a game-changer for those who need to market themselves to land work. Its tenet is that the person who is hired or gets the account is not necessarily the most qualified. Most often the winners are those who are best at presenting themselves in the labor market.

The search for income from work is a game. That game keeps mutating. Currently, my clients who are hired use the direct approach. In all their marketing materials, ranging from the cover letter/resume to the interview, they state and back up with data what they can accomplish for that employer or prospect for their business. Essentially, the pitch is: Here is what I can do for you.

Coaching, lecturing, and writing/ghostwriting thought leadership content on human resources and careers.  

For individual coaching – sliding scale fees. Complimentary initial consultation. The special area of expertise is the displaced over-50 professional. Please contact Jane Genova janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

Career Interrupted - Shift Mindset to Earning a Living

Even before COVID-19, ProPublica documented two brutal realities.

One was that if you are 50 or older, the odds were not on your side that you would hold onto that good career job. You would be forced out. That could take the form of being presented with an early-retirement package, being laid off, or getting the ax through a termination with cause. 

And, two, there was only a 10% chance you would earn comparable compensation in your next job.

COVID-19, of course, has darkened that employment situation. 

Currently, 2.4 million between age 55 and 64 are out of work, primarily because of COVID-19. Among those 65 or older, beginning in March when the pandemic took over, the jobless rate surged from 3.7% to 15.6%.

Clearly, there is a phenomenon taking shape on a large scale: Career Interrupted. Losing a job, whatever way that occurs, could mean the end to that career for the aging.

However, that doesn't have to mean the end of being able to earn decent or even abundant income from work per se. AARP documents that twice as many of those 65 or older are working currently than had been in 1985. Their earning power can be good.

The ways they are bringing in income may not be through what had been their long-term career path. 

A replacement that is gaining traction, confirms the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, is entrepreneurship. During their former careers, the aging had developed the skills and confidence to operate their own business. That could be a franchise in which the structure is there. Or it could be an enterprise from scratch.

Also, there is the exploding-in-growth field of contract assignments. Those laid-off over-60 in-house lawyers can register for contract document review work. The compensation will not be peanuts. But it won't match the full-time former salary, plus benefits.

Another option is training, including online, to be certified in a line of work that is new to the professional. That could be an Google AdWord expert or a counselor for substance abusers.

What might be a surprise to some seniors is that in states such as Arizona which are aging-friendly it's possible to pick up full-time employment, which includes benefits. The examples range from call centers to sales. There are versions which are totally work-at-home.

Given the volatility of the labor market, it might not just be the aging who have to make the mindset shift from careerism to simply earning a living. I recommend to Gen Z and their parents that's how they assess educational majors, minors, internships, and part-time jobs.

The issue is: What combination will equip members of Gen Z to start and continue to make a good living?

Careers come and careers go. Just ask journalists. In the 2017 book "Disrupted," former reporter Dan Lyons tells his story of extreme hustle, after he was knocked out of the media box. 

Across generations, the scary reality is putting together what can ensure, at least for a while, financial survival. A useful guide is the book "What Color Is Your Parachute?" Each year an updated edition comes out. Public libraries stock multiple copies. And Amazon sells them used as well as new.

The timeframe has mutated into just-in-time for making a buck.

John Walters, who's in the creative niches, advised those in the difficult field of the arts to position and package work as a kind of hitchhiking. Stick out the thumb. The wait might be tedious. But eventually someone stops and says, "Hop in." For a while, yeah, it's okay. A good living is being earned. Walters' book is "Make Trouble." That attitude seems to apply to most lines of work, not just the creative arts. 

In my late 50s, I was an early adopter of blogging. A public relations agency said, "Hop in." I earned outstanding compensation for four year. Then, it was back on the road with my thumb out. Since then, that's been the ritual, over and over again.

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The Future of Work: Pay to Play Could Become Standard (especially for over-50)

On its website, Rooftop Slushie describes itself as platform in which job searchers can anonymously ask questions about careers and seasoned professionals, who have been vetted, answer them.

One of the categories on the website does indicate that the latter can earn money doing this. Well, since career experts and executive coaches bill all the time for such help, the transaction seems benign.

However, Business Insider picks up on the possible undercurrent of lousy ethics. The media outlet portrays the platform as really about "selling" job referrals for $20 to $50 each. Those interested in applying for a job at the tech giants, especially Facebook and Google, present themselves anonymously to those employed at those corporations. The professional vets them, if appropriate makes a referral, and then makes a few bucks on the side.

Business Insider observes that some experts in the job-hunt niche have ethical concerns about this kind of transaction. 

In addition, some might wonder why do employees in major tech corporations, who likely earn better than average compensation, engage in this process? Doesn't that raise a red flag about how much clout they have in their sector? 

On the other hand, there are myriad digital sites oriented toward seeking work that are essentially pay to play.

One is LinkedIn ProFinder. That platform operates like this. Freelancers, including those searching for public relations assignments, sign up for the version of Premium which offers access to ProFinder. The cost is $59.99 a month, with a discount for an annual subscription. Cancellation with full refund is possible for 60 days. Note that it's the freelancer, not those hiring, who ponies up the fee. This is very different from the executive search business. 

After signing up, what LinkedIn assesses as appropriate opportunities appear in the LinkedIn inbox. During that month, the freelancer can provide a proposal for 10. The prospect may or may not respond. Along with the ability to submit proposals the subscriber has other benefits such as contacting 15 LinkedIn members whose profile is behind the Premium wall. 

Another pay-to-play platform is Upwork. It also charges the freelance the fee. For billings under $500, that will be 20% of the revenue. But that goes down to 5% for a lifetime when billings reach $10,000.

The problem with Upwork is that it's a global platform. In bidding for assignments, the U.S. ghostwriter could be competing with a communications expert in India who is willing to accept considerably less. 

Ethics?

For those who are ambitious to land a good job in a brandname corporation and for those who need freelance work to keep a roof over their heads, the issue of ethics may seem irrelevant. To those analyzing that dynamic it could be assessed as exploitation.

Meanwhile, as The New York Times detailed, the second wave of COVID-19 layoffs hit white collar workers hard. Many have been unable to land comparable jobs or even freelance assignments. Their professional lives are in limbo. Given that the worst might not have kicked off in COVID-19, they may be in limbo for years. To them pay to play might not seem reprehensible. 

Actually, pay to play could be the salvation of the over-50. ProPublica research hammered that they are likely to be forced out of those good jobs. Also, if they are hired for another job, the odds are that only one in 10 of them will earn comparable income. 

A useful guide for the hunt for work is "What Color Is Your Parachute?" It points out that those who are hired are not necessarily the best at what they do. Their edge is that they become the best at marketing themselves. Each year a new version is published. Multiple copies are available at the public library. Amazon sells used ones. 

No surprise, more media outlets are chatting up Universal Basic Income (UBI). One way of describing that concept is this: Those opting out of work receive a monthly strings-fee stipend. They can apply those funds to paying the rent and/or financing their art. 

The Future of Work may be less and less work available. Pay to play may become standard, configured to pass ethical and legal muster.

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Bob Dilenschneider, 76 - In the Era of The Social Brand as Everything (and when Google is your homepage)

How is your social media branding doing?

Likely if it's serving your professional needs well, it probably doesn't include a book you published recently.

In digital, "real" books are an anachronism, with some exceptions.

Sure, though, knock out some free e-ones as a download on your website. But, since Google is your new homepage, that website per se has less and less ROI.

Now and then, Google will pick up some content from your website. But the game is actually about what makes it onto search engines about you. Add onto that reality this: Google is currently a major part of your resume. Employers review your social branding. 

And, just as important, in the era of Amazon - as public relations player Bob Dilenschneider should have known - publishing a book is a risk. If it doesn't get traction in Amazon rankings, that book puts the author in what could be called The Amazon Corridor of Shame."

Here's an interesting tidbit in the annals of branding. There's a lesson here. 

On December 31, 2019, scheduled to help folks with their own decisions in 2020, Dilenschneider published the book "Decisions."

Since then, it never did catch fire.

Right now, at 6:00P.M. ET, its Amazon ranking is 700,749.

The number of customers who had reviewed: six.

No Big Brandname has given it gush. After all, both the long-time business celebrities on Dilenschneider's network - Roger Ailes and Jack Welch - have died.

The composite social brand is what counts, not being the author of a book, at least not one which isn't a best-seller or a juicy expose.

The elephant in the room is: Could "Decisions" or, by extension, any book had done okay had there been no coronavirus? A judge on the bench assessing who's in and who's out would rule that issue speculative and irrelevant. All that matters is what's getting attention for and enhancing the social brand in the now. 

Those in the trenches of executive communications in the Fortune 100 and in marketing for BigLaw, for instance, have to embrace that development. That is, if they want to generate results for their clients.

In addition, they are probably struggling to hold onto their jobs during the latest Stalin-like purge of white-collar workers. As The New York Times reports, once they are knocked out the 2020 sandbox, they wind up in suspended animation. Too many do not understand how to grab onto work in a very different phase of the American labor market. They may never land comparable jobs. 

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It's Becoming Okay Again Not to Be Wealthy

Once golden, publishing empire Conde Nast has become a symbol of what are now labeled Un-American values - or of values which should be Un-American.

In this case, it's the ethos of exclusion.

To consider oneself a member of the Conde Nast "tribe" you had to enjoy elite tastes. Yes, you read Bon Appetit. You looked to Anna Wintour for guidance on fashion. You were probably even invited to the Vanity Fair Academy Awards party.

Slowly and currently very very rapidly the culture of inclusion is replacing that sense of specialness. The New York Times asks if Conde Nast can survive the new order.

However, it isn't only in the values sandbox that Conde Nast struggles. Like so many with a print legacy it can't get its footing in a digital world. In 2017, it lost $120 million and financially things haven't gotten much better since. Folio calls it "Paradise Publishing Lost."

Meanwhile, Wintour personally keeps taking it on the chin for not being a kind human being. During another era of upheaval - the Industrial Age - novelist Charles Dickens declared it was only the Milk of Human Kindness which could get society through all that. It seems America is taking that to heart. Even help-wanted ads are specifying that only nice people apply. 

It's unlikely that Conde Nast and its leadership such as Wintour can retrofit themselves, at least not fast enough, to be relevant in the new order.

Influence has shifted to social networks such as LinkedIn Updates, Twitter, and Instagram. And those, instead of being controlled by publishers and editors as at Conde Nast, are totally open.

Some of us who were on the front lines of the early 1970s counterculture see myriad parallels between 2020 and then. Society broke open.

The Boston Women's Health Book Collective let us know that we females were all beautiful. Its manifesto had been the publication "Our Bodies, Ourselves." Finally, women could love themselves in the body they were born with.  

In the emerging culture of inclusion we can love ourselves even if we're not wealthy. In some circles minimalism is catching on. That contentment with what one has is replacing the hunger for more. 

Be a Post COVID-19 winner. Exactly the right positioning and packaging for your messaging. Complimentary consultation for what you need for strategy, research, ghostwriting, and editing janegenova374@gmail.com.

No Longer the Elephant in the Room: Professional Decline

" … full-scale professional … decline can feel, to some, as threatening as death itself." - Arthur C. Brooks, The Atlantic, June 4, 2020.

Careers are lasting longer. That could because human beings are living longer and maintain good health. Therefore, they can remain productive in the workforce well into their late 60s, 70s, and beyond. Also, the increase in the years of a professional life can be the result of simply needing the money. This is not your father's retirement. The cost of living, with a few exceptions, has become high throughout the U.S.

Along that extended career journey there are those who blossom in new ways or fit into unexpected roles. 

Among the late bloomers has been Clint Eastwood. Now 90 years old, his later productions such as "Miracle Dollar Baby" and "Unforgiven" have been authentic art. 

At law firm Paul, Weiss, chairperson Brad Karp has added on a global leadership position in philanthropy and social justice. His initiatives range from the Paul, Weiss Coronavirus Relief Center to creating a consortium to eliminate racial bias. Simultaneously, he manages about 1,000 lawyers at the firm.

University of Chicago research professor David Galenson documented that phenomenon of the late bloomer or game-changer in his book "Old Masters and Young Geniuses."

More often, though, is the awareness of not being the player one used to be - or the fear that could soon occur. Among the poignant memes in "Boston Legal" had been Denny Crane's observing that he could no longer sustain his once-brilliant performance as a lawyer. Instead there would be only the occasional flashes of genius. 

Professional decline, points out Brooks, can take many forms. Those range from others receiving the attention and rewards you had to not being able to keep up with what used to be the expected daily workload.

The usual response to that unraveling is denial, embedded in a thick emotional wrapper of fear. Brooks hammers that only worsens how decline impacts a professional life.

As in so many spiritual programs - be they Buddhism or the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous - Brooks' advice is acceptance. Yes, embrace that reality and go on from there.

That "there" could be a shift to semiretirement, rebranding, delegating more and taking on the role of manager, reducing the number or intensity of assignments, and/or forcing yourself to learn new skills. In addition, there is the option of retiring. That's what Johnny Carson did when at the top of his game. 

Among those who are pulling that off well has been Betty White. She created new space for herself as The Aging Woman. Bill Gates shifted from the fast-moving tech sector to funder and thought leader for making the world a better place. 

Among the professionals who might be stumbling is investment guru Warren Buffett. Although not all have given up on him, enough have. It makes you wonder why he hadn't left center stage when his act was still engaging. 

Also, in the legal sector, you got to ask if iconic David Boise, founder of Boies Schiller and Flexner, should consider rebranding. In 2020, there has been at Boies Schiller the "Partner Diaspora."

With the numbers of aging who are still doing paid work growing, the issue of decline is no longer the elephant in the room. It's palpable. Every day you size up your colleagues and yourself asking: Do they and I still got it?

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Broken Networks - Bob Dilenschneider, Post Deaths of Roger Ailes and Jack Welch

Back in the early 1990s, public relations representative Bob Dilenschneider made it part of his marketing strategy to publish a know-how about networking. His photo is to the left. He went on to become an expert on aging.

His book way back then on power and influence provided insight into how those platforms for wealth and professional mobility were built, maintained, and scaled.

Among the dynamics was what he called The Favor Bank. That involved getting into the loop of making things happen.

You help Joe have his kid admitted into a prestigious prep school and Joe refers you to his mother who will be selling her house. That will continue to be mutually beneficial to you and Joe unless one of you makes too many "withdrawals" from The Favor Bank. That is, you request too many favors without having anything to trade in return.

Over the decades Dilenschneider followed his own advice. Carefully, he nurtured a network of brandname business leaders. They ranged from Fox founder Roger Ailes to former GE chief executive officer Jack Welch.

All went well. They extended Dilenschneider's own power and influence.

Then, horror. They died. 

Broken networks are increasingly happening among aging power brokers. Access to whatever could lessen or actually get shut down. 

Executive coach Henry Cloud warned about this in his book "Necessary Endings." Everything keeps changing. It's necessary to continually prune the old branches and plant new seedlings. Although first published way back in 2011, "Necessary Endings" ranks 9,457 on Amazon.

Those who are a genius at managing their careers do that proactively. Every few months they review both their professional and personal networks. Who on them continues to create value and who are stuck (which keeps others stuck)? Is there enough diversity (too many in the youth or over-50 demographic)? And what should they be doing to attract the kind of contacts they need?

During the upheaval of COVID-19, the time is ideal to review a network. They were never meant to be forever. 

In marketing timing is everything. Complimentary consultation on your marketing communications in COVID-19 time. janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

OK, Boomer Reaches Back to Summer of 1967, Counterculture

No surprise, urban unrest has broken out post the George Floyd death. That has spread from Minneapolis to Los Angeles, reports Daily Mail.

Meanwhile the summer has kicked off unusually warm in certain parts of the U.S.

There is also economic despair. Homelessness will surge when folks can't pony up the June rent.

OK, Boomers recall the Summer of 1967.

Cities went up in flames.

Police headquarters were attacked.

The mindset of the front lines of protestors was: We have nothing to lose.

Fear just wasn't in play for them. 

Interestingly, what followed was the Counterculture, a peace and love movement embedded with socialism. There was even a challenge to the legal notion of private property. Abby Hoffman published a manifesto through "Steal This Book."

Coops sprung up to provide low cost whatever to The People.

There were free clinics, for both physical and mental problems.

Careerism was challenged. Yes, certain ideologies encouraged dropping out.

The second wave of feminism seeped into the culture. 

Many OK, Boomers changed. Some, of course, did not. The ones who didn't were on university campuses, tactical bases for spreading the Counterculture message, in schools of business.

Then a severe economic recession swept over the land. The Counterculture itself became an anachronism.

But there remained a vestige of belief in the ability of The People to change the system.

Ralph Nader effectively implanted the consumer revolution. That shifted the legal system to protection and the regulatory one to punishment. Suing became a tool of The People. Today The People include the plaintiffs in the gender lawsuit "Tolton, et al. v. Jones Day." The one-time cowering masses learned about "rights."

Affirmative Action was institutionalized.

Both The Pill and legal abortion freed sexual mores from Puritanism.

Can that kind of scenario become the game-changer again in America:

Urban violence

A New Mindset

Socialistic institutions

Law for The People

Extreme careerism takes a hit

Hedonism (after so much suffering)?

Meanwhile, the legal sector awaits its 2020 version of the Nader Revolution. Jobless members of the JD Class of 2020, laid off associates, and partners forced into early retirement might decide to have a crack at a New Legal Deal for Everyman and Everywoman.

Amazingly, elite law firm Paul, Weiss has been an early adopter in equipping The People with what they need to navigate COVID-19. The Paul, Weiss chairman Brad Weiss organized a posse of pro-bono lawyers to establish the unique Coronavirus Relief Center.

In April, Paul, Weiss also established the Sustainability and Environmental, Social, and Governance Advisory Practice. That embodies the Triple Bottom Line of the new capitalism. That is, business operating not just in the pursuit of profit, but also on behalf of the people and the planet. 

Paul, Weiss can evolve into a symbol of emerging ethos of self-empowerment. 

And, We OK, Boomers can emotionally, socially, financially, and spiritually time travel back to a more simple and more humane time. We no longer have to be only our work - and only our private property. 

The new order post-COVID-19 being predicted by thought leaders such as Henry Kissinger is really the old order of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

In marketing timing is everything. Complimentary consultation on your marketing communications in COVID-19 time. janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

America Yearns for Old-Fashioned Values

" … Powell Jobs [is] the latest billionaire to face questions about obligations to workers in the face of a ruinous pandemic …" - Noah Kirsch, Forbes, May 21, 2020.

In 2017, widow of Steve Jobs - Laurene Powell Jobs - parachuted in to fund The Atlantic through the Emerson Collective. At the time she was perceived as the altruistic force which could preserve The Atlantic's kind of long form thought leadership journalism.

Yes, Saint Laurene. 

That was then.

Recently, The Atlantic laid off 20% of its staff. Constituencies, ranging from critics of capitalism to media players, are pushing back on Powell Jobs. She is worth about $19.5 billion. Why didn't she shake loose some of that to prevent that layoff?

This era of extreme hardship for workers in so many sectors, not just media, has triggered a push back on billionaires.

Capitalism is supposed to be softening from its historic one-dimensional focus on the bottom line.

Well, some of the billionaires such as Laurene Powell don't seem to be in the loop on that one. 

No more Saint Laurene. Could the new moniker become The Professional Woman? As a Professional Woman, Amy Cooper is taking it on the chin for both her seeming sense of entitlement and racism.

Incidentally, in the memoir by her stepdaughter Lisa Brennan-Jobs - "Small Fry" - Powell Jobs is not exactly depicted as Mother Earth. 

America is yearning for the return of old-fashioned values of caring. Part of that is wanting women to have the ability for the kind of nurturing that had been embedded in motherhood and intuitive friendships. Has extreme careerism and being a human being become mutually exclusive?

Be a Post COVID-19 winner. Exactly the right positioning and packaging for your messaging. Complimentary consultation for what you need for strategy, research, ghostwriting, and editing janegenova374@gmail.com.