{"id":38711,"date":"2024-10-08T09:09:30","date_gmt":"2024-10-08T16:09:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=38711"},"modified":"2024-10-08T09:09:30","modified_gmt":"2024-10-08T16:09:30","slug":"the-gift-of-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/the-gift-of-time\/","title":{"rendered":"The Gift of Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 100 Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity<\/em> was co-authored by psychologist, Lynda Gratton who is considered one of the top 10 business thinkers in the world by Thinkers50[1]<\/a>and Andrew J. Scott, professor of economics with a focus on the financial aspect of living a long life.[2]<\/a> The authors approach this subject from their respective disciplines, delving into the impact a long life has on finances needed throughout the lifespan and the physical, intellectual, fears, and social emotional aspects of aging. Throughout the blog I will take a look at concepts discussed by the authors, how I see them interacting with my life and finally, some possible impacts this topic has on leadership.<\/p>\n

A significant portion of the book spoke about financial realities for senior adults depending on the retirement funds saved during their most productive working years. I enjoyed reading the information as this part of the book felt personal. However, I did not see it changing my way of life. Having worked in non-profit settings most of my adult life, I would be a bit late to the party if I thought I could amass a huge retirement nest-egg that would carry me to 100. I am now working past the minimum retirement age, living debt free and honestly believe that by the time I stop working, my needs, wants, and activities will diminish so that I won\u2019t be spending as much. My accessible home and long-term care insurance will also help bridge the gap as my health declines so that I won\u2019t be a burden on others. More than that my faith encourages me to trust that following the service God put on my heart is sufficient no matter how I would need to live.<\/p>\n

One portion of the book that stood out to me was the impact of technology on the workforce. Depending on when someone was born, the person\u2019s approach or acceptance of technology might be different. While some people may fear that technology could replace people in the workforce, it also offers new opportunities to access and synthesize information while also making processes easier to accomplish.[3]<\/a> My question isn\u2019t about how to use technology. However, I do wonder if future technological advances will negatively tip the balance with unintended consequences on personal privacy.<\/p>\n

In so much of our work in the DLGP the element of self-awareness is important. Whether it was by seeking clarity with a coach as Tom Comacho espouses[4]<\/a> or taking the diagnostic resource on the 100yearlife.com website, awareness of ourselves in relation to a world where longevity is increasing is important. Psychological, practical, and financial aspects of aging are real.[5]<\/a> In that light, the discussion about our lives going through different transitions was worth reading.<\/p>\n

Previously, common transitions included education, work, and retirement[6]<\/a>. Today, the work stage is prolonged and often filled with multiple iterations. It is no longer the norm for someone to stay in one job for a whole career as once was the standard. Today, people change both places of employment but also their field. As I grew up, my parents and their friends worked in the same jobs for their entire lives. The authors think the elongated work stage could be an exciting gift, allowing people to be productive for a longer portion of their lives in a number of different positions.[7]<\/a> I have worked in about five different career settings. While my current job has been the longest, I do not anticipate it to be the last. As I read this section of the book, it seemed the authors were telling a common story.<\/p>\n

There is another gift that time provides. Using personal example, there is one gift for which I am ever grateful and do not take lightly. I have been married for 42 years. All marriages go through typical stages. Mine included the newly wed early bliss, the beauty, joy, fatigue and fears in child rearing, the bittersweet launching of adolescents, navigating the empty nest, grandchildren, and now the sweet realization that God has gifted me with someone who loves me deeply in a way that was nearly impossible all those years ago when we were busy with family and work. Without living to this age and anticipating the gift of whatever years we have; I would have missed a spectacular journey.<\/p>\n

Each of us can decide if we think living a long life is a gift or a curse. When parts of our earthly body begin to fail to the point of shrinking our world, there is still another gift that I learned from my mother-in-law. She lived to be 97 but lost much of her eyesight as she aged. She worried about being a burden on her family. Yet what we realized is that all of her grandchildren were, independently, calling her to pray for them. Once we gave her the title of family pray warrior, she again had a purpose, peace and joy.<\/p>\n

The impact on leadership this book brings is the need for balance and awareness. Leaders need to be cognizant of the value younger generation employees offer regarding cutting edge techniques, energy, and technology that can enhance a company. This group may also become impatient waiting for older employees to retire opening doors to career advancement. The drive to succeed may be strong. At the same time, employers need to recognize the value of wisdom and experience older employees bring while still holding them accountable for production. The authors were looking for the book to spur conversations on the journey of aging.[8]<\/a>\u00a0 Mission accomplished.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Lynda Gratton and Andrew J. Scott, The 100 Year Life Living and Working in an Age of Longevity <\/em>(London, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2020), A Note On The Authors.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Ibid.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Ibid.,74.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Tom Comacho, Mining for Gold, Developing Kingdom Leaders through Coaching <\/em>(London, Inter-Varsity Press, 2019), 48.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> www.100yearlife.com\/diagnostic<\/a>\u00a0 accesses 10.2.2024, 8:45pm.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Gratton, Ibid., 35.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> Ibid., 56.<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> Ibid., 319.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The 100 Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity was co-authored by psychologist, Lynda Gratton who is considered one of the top 10 business thinkers in the world by Thinkers50[1]and Andrew J. Scott, professor of economics with a focus on the financial aspect of living a long life.[2] The authors approach this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":211,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3294,2967],"class_list":["post-38711","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-grattonandscott","tag-dlgp03","cohort-dlgp03"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38711","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/211"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38711"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38711\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38712,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38711\/revisions\/38712"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}