Time to face the baby boomer crisis

Succession planning, knowledge transfer and building internal capability – facing the baby boomer crisis

By Natalie Ashdown

It’s one of the biggest and well-documented issues facing Australian organisations today - the pending retirement of the baby boomers from the workforce. I have spoken to a number of clients and it’s estimated that up to 40 per cent of the workforce will enter into the retirement zone in the next five years. This is particularly prevalent in government organisations where long-serving members with 40 years of service are getting ready to retire.

The pending retirement has major implications for workforce planning, including succession planning and knowledge transfer, because when these people leave, so does 30 to 40 years of experience and tacit organisational knowledge. Whole departments are facing a skills shortage and, in some instances, the skills are not being replaced or are not easily replaced.

The ‘younger generations’ don’t want to be told what to do! X-generation managers and leaders have fought their way to the top in a very competitive, climb the corporate ladder world, and in many instances are highly educated to MBA level. The Y generation have their own unique way and style of management so ‘old-style’ management is not going to cut it with these ‘younger generations’.

My research confirms that there is also a large group of baby boomers who are not ready for retirement, may never really ever stop working, and want to continue to make a difference, contribute to the organisation and build a legacy, something which they can be very proud of. They have a good 10 years left in the tank, but they don’t want the managerial responsibility and they want to do it easier than the last 30 years! They are over the politics, the 60-hour weeks, missing the family; they want to spend more time doing what’s important, including focusing on family and health and, in some instances, service to the community.

This is where coaching becomes vitally important. Coaching at the departmental level enables the baby boomers to bring out the best in the people around them, transfer knowledge where appropriate, and give guidance and mentorship where it is requested.

Coaching baby boomers to become coaches enables them to focus on their future and to set some real goals and direction for the forthcoming years; it allows them to contract back to the organisation as coaches and mentors, helps with the retaining of subject matter expertise in the organisation, enables knowledge transfer and, most importantly, gives the baby boomers a new lease of life.

In addition, developing baby boomers into coaches in the organisation and continuing to invest in their learning and development is an extremely strong way for the organisation to demonstrate to their most distinguished people that they are valued. Rather than have these people serve out their last five years taking sick leave and becoming increasingly bitter and twisted, they are re-inventing themselves and finding a new lease of life.

I call it the ‘grey-haired factor’.  In working extensively in the area, transferring coaching skills to this senior group of people across a number of organisations, it is clear that the amazing contribution that this generation can continue to provide, both personally and professionally, through coaching and mentoring cannot be underestimated.

Natalie Ashdown is the CEO of the Open Door Coaching Group and author of the latest book on corporate coaching Bring Out Their Best – Inspiring a Coaching Culture in Your Workplace.

Contact Natalie at www.opendoorcoaching.com.au

What are you doing to address the baby boomer crisis?

How I discovered story coaching...

by Natalie Ashdown

I attended the ICF Global Conference in Las Vegas in September 2011 and was looking to attend sessions that would stretch my coaching skills and to explore areas of coaching that I had not previously had exposure to – the topic on story coaching caught my eye!

But as all good stories go, a marvelous sequence of events and personal discoveries shaped my introduction to story coaching.

As adventure would have it, I didn’t initially have clear goals for going to the ICF Conference which is very unlike me!  I felt like I should have set business outcomes and planned meetings and business contacts to "maximise my time in America".  But alas the best I could do was: that I knew that I had to go overseas; I had to find out what was happening in the coaching world outside of my box (Australia) and I knew that I HAD TO GO to America!  

I had to explore, find out new things, expand my skills and learn.  

Eventually I narrowed it down to a simple goal: Find my “next big thing”.

So I find myself at breakfast, scouring the program for “story coaching”, only to hear the announcement that the session had been cancelled.  I was a little disappointed and headed off to opening plenary - Sir Ken Robinson. 

What a privilege to once again hear Sir Ken Robinson speak.  He spoke about one of America’s greatest male gymnast Bart Connor and how as a young boy he described stepping into the gym for the first time to be “intoxicating”.  The ropes, the horses, the bars, the rings, everything about it – he loved and he had discovered in this moment “his element”. Connor’s bio can be read here:  http://bartandnadia.com/bios/48-barts-bio

I will post the full story that Sir Ken shared about Connor shortly!  Suffice to say that Sir Ken wove a story throughout his talk that inspired and truly made me happy to be coaching, to be alive and to be living in my element!

At the end of the break, another announcement – the story coaching session was back on the agenda, but it had been moved to a new location, a room at the far end of the building – I found it eventually!

The story coach leading the session was Lisa Bloom.  You can find her website here: http://story-coach.com/

Cut a long story short (if you pardon the pun) by the end of Lisa’s 90 minute presentation I felt a sensation that I had experienced only once or twice in the past 8 years.  Well the first time I felt this way in my recent history was when I discovered coaching, 8 years ago now. And more recently when I delivered a keynote talk and workshop in Malaysia (in March 2011). 

I knew, in my heart and body that I was awakening.  To what, I’m not sure, but to something that I knew for certain would be my “next big thing”. 

For me, discovering story coaching was like in the words of the young Bart Connor “intoxicating”.

I introduced myself to Lisa at the end of the session.

I felt emotional.

I hurriedly told her the story shared by Sir Ken. 

And I told her, I just had a “gymnasium moment”.

What is your gymnasium moment? Share here!