WORKSHIFTER - Dispatches from the New Executive Frontier

Dr. Mildred L. Culp, WorkWise syndicated columnist, recently investigated the challenges that “would-be working retirees” are facing in the workforce.

She spoke with a number of staffing agencies and myself to bring to light the fact that there are companies out there ready to not only answer their questions, but to provide options.
According to Dr. Culp, such individuals are at a loss to know:

• What they can do at this point in their careers.
• How they can earn money doing it.
• Who can help them.
• Where they should go to find that help.

First and foremost, something that I think everyone on the brink of retirement should know is this: you are in high-demand, on a project basis. For a company, especially in today’s economy, hiring someone who can complete a project at a variable cost is in most cases the most desirable and efficient way to get things done. If you know this ahead of time, it will help you to assess your marketable skills and present those to a company in need of specific skill sets.

Another reason why such individuals are appealing to companies is because they are looking for people who have been there, done that. Someone who has already made the mistakes, worked through the solutions, and is seasoned and prepared to tackle a project from start to finish. And with the potential talent gap in the workplace I have already begun to notice that companies are looking for a new kind of mentor. Unlike the traditional coach/mentor, who works on the softer skills, like how to influence people, how to work collaboratively etc., companies are in need of business coaches to teach the real skills of running the business, how to measure performance and how to communicate results, etc.

Another reason using project based resources is so important to companies is their need to respond rapidly to market changes. That is evidenced most in looking at product life cycle. The average life cycle of a new product or service historically averaged about five years. Today, it in our global and competitive marketplace, it is less than 18 months. In order for companies to respond that rapidly, they need to engage resources who have done similar things in similar organizations around the world. So, just in cast you were wondering….The Workforce Still Needs You!