Coaching for Boomer Enterpreneurs

Recently, I was asked to give a speech to a client’s church group (The New Beginnings Group for those who had lost a loved one and needed to get on with their life). I told him I typically speak only to business groups. He suggested my succession presentation, with some tinkering, would do nicely.

The tinkering, though, gave me some additional insight into the loss we, as Boomer entrepreneurs and Senior Executives, face in moving on to a new stage of life when our “business” is at least NOT our central focus.

When I started talking, I shared my view that life is about giving up the things you love (because all living creatures and situations are transitory). I suggested the grieving process has its place but too often we stop there, not thinking we have mountains yet to climb. I shared with them the notion of the Hero’s Journey, as told so eloquently in books, recordings and videos, of Joseph Campbell (and Bill Moyers). And then, I asked them to consider answering the 5 Questions I had found were most important to my clients in my succession and executive coaching (for those moving on) work. They tend to be the most important because, the talk about having a “life” after work and without some vision of where you are going, moving on tends to be both scary and a health risk.

Here are the five business succession questions:
1. What do I want to do with the rest of my life?
2. Who do I want with (or around) me as I undertake new adventures?
3. Where do I want to call home as I move forward?
4. How can I minimize anger / worry about the past and the future?
5. How do I want to be remembered?

I hope you find them helpful.