Interested in more careers-related content? Check out our new weekly Work Life newsletter. Sent every Monday afternoon.
Consultant and former Telus chief learning officer Dan Pontefract says your office is composed of Rivers, Rocks and Rubies. Don’t discard the Rubies.
He is talking of generations or, more broadly, what he terms “eras”:
- Rivers are the youngest – free-flowing, gushing and almost infinitely curious.
- Rocks are next, settled, standing firm and steady in the currents, no longer carving out new paths like a River, but with a strong dose of fluid creativity.
- Rubies have moved beyond the impetuosity of youth. Their edges have been smoothed and their wisdom honed through years of learning and contributing, yet they are still open to new ideas.
In his book The Future of Work is Grey, he quotes Cicero: “The weakness of childhood, the impetuosity of youth, the seriousness of middle life, the maturity of old age – each bears some of Nature’s fruit, which must be garnered in its own season.”
At 55, a Ruby, he worries that group, despite its experience and wisdom, stands out as a perceived problem in many organizations while it should also be considered a beacon. “Age diversity could be your greatest asset; yet many organizations treat age as a liability. Imagine a workplace where age isn’t a limitation but a foundation for collective wisdom,” he says.
While organizations claim to desperately need experience and skills, he argues they often overlook the individuals who actually possess those qualifications. Many leaders aren’t creative enough to rethink how older workers can make significant contributions; instead, leaders moan such employees are too expensive. The result is ageism in hiring, promotions, project assignments and daily interactions.
“Organizations must challenge and eliminate those outdated beliefs about age and foster a culture that appreciates contributions at each career stage,” he says.
Leveraging age as an asset rather than treating it as a liability provides, he believes, an “experience dividend.” He points to BMW design director Tom Allemeier, who stepped back from that role to be an individual contributor again, mentoring up-and-coming leaders and also taking on non-leader responsibilities in automobile design. “A Ruby is polishing a Rock to eventually become another Ruby while helping Rivers along the way,” Mr. Pontefract says.
Instead of discarding Rubies, discard the traditional notion of the career ladder. Replace it with what he dubs a “career canvas,” which allows people at all ages, stages and experience to find the best next role. This envisions career movement as a fluid, multi-directional journey, rather than a “move up” or “move out” necessity.
In your palette to paint this canvas are nine “oils,” or moves. Five are major ones:
- Stay put: A deliberate choice for a team member to remain in their current position without expanding their responsibilities. Whether a River still in learning and development mode, a steady mid-career Rock or a seasoned Ruby, this choice is respected and treated as positive by the organization.
- Move up: This is a proactive decision to expand responsibility, scope and organizational impact. Again, it can happen at any age: A fast-charging River seeking fresh challenges, a mid-career Rock ready to leverage deeper expertise or a well-seasoned Ruby eager for an expanded role.
- Move down: This is a conscious reduction in scope or seniority, a recalibration of workload and focus but not a demotion. “It benefits a mid-career Rock or a seasoned Ruby who must balance new personal priorities to ensure a deliberate realignment rather than a retreat. They remain full-time employees,” he says.
- Move laterally: A shift to a comparable role at the same seniority level. He notes this might attract a River seeking wider exposure, a Rock aiming to broaden skill sets or a Ruby who craves a renewed perspective.
- Move out: A planned or unplanned exit. This can occur when a River, Rock or Ruby wants to leave on a high note, preserving goodwill and the possibility of a boomerang return to the same organization down the road. It could also, of course, be an involuntary departure after poor performance or a reduction in organizational head count.
He lists four complementary moves to those, less flashy but still vital for the palette’s full range:
- Phase out: A gradual easing of hours or responsibilities, over months, quarters or years, providing a softer runway out of the organization. The organization continues to benefit from institutional knowledge and the individual adjusts to life changes at a gradual pace.
- Boomerang in: A River, Rock or Ruby returns with established credibility and new knowledge to familiar processes and practices.
- Spark up: A time-bound expansion of scope on a high-visibility project, short-term rotation or apprenticeship. It offers a short-term leap toward a broader scope with ample room to resume the baseline duties if needed.
- Slow down: A temporary reduction in workload and schedule distinct from retirement. Examples might be a mid-career Rock juggling eldercare or childcare or a Ruby needing to recharge after intensive commitments.
“As a leader, you should always have at the ready the following question: What career move – if any – sets my team member up best now and in the future,” Mr. Pontefract says.
Cannonballs
- We tend to identify human shortcomings when trying to explain why something went wrong at work. But veteran HR executive Ashley Goodall believes we would be wise to follow the approach of The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, which pays great attention when investigating aviation crashes to systems as it seeks the deeper causes. He says if “we assume, until the evidence compels us otherwise, that people acted in a way that made sense to them at the time, and then ask why it made sense to them, our insights about organizational systems will be better, and our actions to support them more effective.”
- Pessimists can’t lead, argues executive coach Dan Rockwell. They emphasize risk more than ability, making their team feel small. His challenge to managers: Go a day without saying what you don’t want and don’t like.
- If your message is predictable, your advertising will be invisible, marketing consultant Roy H. Willams says.
Harvey Schachter is a Kingston-based writer specializing in management issues. He, along with Sheelagh Whittaker, former CEO of both EDS Canada and Cancom, are the authors of When Harvey Didn’t Meet Sheelagh: Emails on Leadership.