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It\u2019s an unfortunate reality that most people don\u2019t have enough saved for retirement, especially those in my Gen X cohort. Many of us, looking ahead with tired eyes, realize we will be working for a long time. Our kids need help, our parents need help. Plus, we hope that we have much life yet to live and things to do. That 401(k) may not be as well-funded as they tell us it needs to be.<\/p>\n
And is anyone else skeptical about the whole concept of, you know, putting yourself out to pasture?<\/p>\n
But Gen X is nothing if not adaptable. We\u2019re the famously feral latchkey kids who were left to our own devices after school; we made the shift from analog to digital with competence; and we are known for our pragmatism, creativity, and hard work with minimal complaint. So perhaps we can apply that self-driven spirit to forging a new mindset for our next era of work. It\u2019s time to pull our heads out of our laptops and for a moment consider rewiring<\/em> our future instead of retiring<\/em> from work entirely.<\/p>\n Rewirement can be whatever you want it to be. It\u2019s rethinking how your skills and values fit together to create a life for your style that\u2019s based on what (and whom) you truly care about. Imagine working with those who share a common purpose, or making progress in an arena that matters deeply to you. Or perhaps it\u2019s applying your skills in a way that changes how much, when, or where you work.<\/p>\n It\u2019s been two years since I retired as an operating unit CEO after a wonderful 32 years at AT&T. Once a shy, introverted engineer, my trajectory led me to become the first woman of color to earn a chief executive title at the company that was once known as Ma Bell. During those years, I started a family, had two great kids, and embarked on a fulfilling career path that took me from the East Coast to Texas with responsibilities spanning the globe.<\/p>\n Since leaving corporate life, I\u2019ve had to evolve my identity and reinvent my purpose. I knew I was too young to retire, so instead I decided to rewire<\/em>\u2014a process that involved completely reimagining my life\u2019s next chapter.<\/p>\n As an engineer, I know that the word retired is used to describe a device or service that\u2019s no longer supported and is headed for the one-way exit. Rewiring, on the other hand, is something I can get excited about. Mechanical or technical solutions to a problem don\u2019t always involve building something new. They are found by taking apart what already exists, fortifying the foundation, and reframing it for a new, stronger, often better purpose.<\/p>\n It became a simple choice for me: Rewiring my brain\u2014my incentive\/reward reflexes, my go-big-or-go-home ethos, my instincts about where my expertise could be impactful\u2014would help me imagine a bold new stage of my life.<\/p>\n Prior to this career change, I made most decisions on the basis of critical needs<\/em>, such as providing for my family. Now, in what may be the capstone of my work life, I have the opportunity to focus on what I can offer based on what I want<\/em> to do. What bubbled to the surface for me was engaging in business transformation, but, even more strategically, developing global next-generation leaders across industries, and having a broader reach in areas that matter to me, like inclusion.<\/p>\n So how is my rewirement going? My book, Lead Bigger: The Transformative Power of Inclusion<\/em> is being published in September. I write columns for national publications, and I\u2019m a board director at three impactful publicly-traded firms. I get to speak at various companies and organizations while also teaching at Northwestern University\u2019s Kellogg School of Management. Retired and bored I am definitely not!<\/p>\n In fact, I think I\u2019m likely on the front edge of a trend.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s put my experience in context. Pew research finds that 19% of adults 65-plus are employed today<\/a> vs. 11% in 1987. That\u2019s because Americans are healthier, and pensions with a set retirement age have largely been phased out (ahead of Gen X\u2019s entry into the workforce) and replaced by 401(k)s that allow people to save (or not!) in their own time.<\/p>\n For many of us, retirement will necessarily be delayed<\/a> if we haven\u2019t saved enough, so making work sustainable into these extra innings is an important consideration\u2014less a choice of whether rewirement will be needed then of when and how.<\/p>\nRewirement vs. retirement<\/h2>\n
The need for social connection<\/h2>\n