Crush Ageism… Unleash Your Potential!
My favorite advertising company owner, digital marketing, social media guru and “influencer” - he hates to be called that - predicts the elderly will be recognized as the most important source of knowledge and wisdom in the next decade.
The have lived it…they have context for decade-over-decade change in business and industry to pay attention to, while we navigate our career planning. In this time of technology explosion, social media influence and corporate instability, context is vital. The term “all of this will pass” or more accurately “all of this will change”, provides context for all of us. Therefore, to survive and thrive in a healthcare career, we must adapt and change…embrace the fact that nothing is permanent.
So why are we so focused on age in our careers?
Too young for that leadership role. Too old to lead a sales team. Perhaps we are focusing on how people may be thinking about us and not focused on how we want to be perceived.
It may be that in the very essence of “healthcare” is the implications of health and youth. However, we all know health doesn’t equal youth, as there are many healthy 80-year-olds and many unhealthy 30-year-olds. But perception is reality, so be ultra-aware of these 4 aspects in your career interactions every day: energy level, cognitive function, relevance and relatability.
Energy – I have a ton of this. It is the trait that has driven my success across 7 major healthcare career sector transitions. I radiate it when I talk, when I work and most importantly, when I get inspired about a new career adventure. Ask anyone who has worked with me.
So how do you build and project energy? The basics - diet, mental health, stress and sleep are all intertwined with energy. So, make a goal to get a handle on these. Also, be aware of the effect of forgiveness, regret and spirituality on your energy levels.
THEN, practice radiating your energy. Channel it and bring excitement and authenticity to your colleagues, leadership and interviews. People respond to energy!
Cognitive Function – As a life-long learner, I believe cognitive function is directly related to using your brain, stretching that muscle and pursing some new aspect of awareness every day. Although there are some aging realities related to cognitive function, the actions you can take to stay sharp and knowledgeable are mostly within your control.
Read or listen to a podcast to stay current on healthcare trends for the first 15-30 minutes of your day. It clears your mind from your sleepy subconscious thoughts and gets you ready for the day.
THEN, take responsibility to apply cognitive function to stay current in this ever-changing healthcare industry, especially researching every aspect of your role or the role you are seeking, to be the SME (subject matter expert).
Relevance – By learning every day in healthcare, I have bridged decades of success, but the most important and challenging aspect as I reflect on every year, is relevance. I eagerly dive into the latest and greatest subjects related to my business every day.
Apply that energy and thirst for knowledge. Focus it on relevant subject matter to stay current in your field and one layer beyond.
THEN, have the conversations about transformative technology, consumerism and the global economic impact on our healthcare industry. Write down the trends that make you uncomfortable and take 15 minutes while standing in line to get coffee - look up the basics. Talk to peers you consider experts and attend conferences on subject matter that is relevant, even if not aligned to your current role.
Relatability – This is my favorite. It involves listening and sharing. The more you share with every generation and practice, while “being in the moment”, the more you will learn and the more relatable you will be.
Staying relevant allows you to be the interesting person in the room or at the dinner table, but listening and finding what interests others improves your relatability.
THEN, make sure you are creating professional, mentorship and personal relationships with persons of every generation. Take your time with this. Just as I spoke of the value of context learned from someone who is 80 or 90 years-old, you will not “hear” this context if you do not take the time. Make sure in your 20s and 30s, to interact often with 50- and 60-year-olds. And make sure in your 50s and 60s, to interact often with 20- and 30-year-olds. These are the generations in the center of career advancement and the most change.
Dismissing youth is as damaging as dismissing elderly. Find your relatability and grow your network with these relationships!
One last consideration…do not make age the focus in a conversation, interview or collaboration. Why would you? Lead with your energy level, passion, awareness of the topic, expertise and experience. Share and ask the other generations in the room to share. Learn to value the inter-generational relationships you build with respect and acceptance.
An NPR analysis states that some consider the word elder, as a vaunted title of veneration (Weeks, 2013). Although I had to look up the word veneration (feel free to laugh), I loved this description. Simply a “praised title of admiration”. So, let’s move gracefully and intentionally into each decade of our healthcare career and our lives in praised admiration.
Dedication
This blog is dedicated to Nancy, my 90-year-old aunt who is an insightful, funny, classy woman, who inspires me and gives me context in regards to aging, every time I see her.
Reference:
Weeks, L. (2013, March 14). An age-old problem: Who is “elderly”? NPR. https://www.npr.org/2013/03/12/174124992/an-age-old-problem-who-is-elderly