For leaders, retirement is not an end but rather a new set of opportunities for new experiences and continued growth and learning. At the end of this month, I will retire from an academic position that I have had for over 40 years. In my first posting “Giving Back” in November, 2008, I provided a list of ten ways that a leader can give back to his colleagues, community partners, and the community. Retirement allows giving back often without conflicting demands on the leader’s time. To review the giving back list, the ten giving back mechanisms included:
- Sharing Knowledge through mentoring and coaching
- Commitment to use our leadership for doing things differently as old ways become obsolete
- Give opportunities for growth to others
- Provide training opportunities to the staff of our agencies
- Start a leadership book club
- Teach others to become systems thinkers
- Help others to become systems thinkers
- Teach others to learn and to utilize leadership tools
- Tell leadership stories
- Continue your own personal growth
Retirement increases our opportunities to make our leadership continue to grow. Here are ten more ways to give back and grow in retirement:
- Write about leadership and how to become a leader
- Apply your leadership wisdom to new venues
- Help the arts expand by volunteering to help the arts grow
- Run for political office
- Use your age and a quality of life plan to show that retirement can be a growth thing
- Continue to read and attend professional meetings to keep up with your profession
- Give workshops on leadership topics. You might even get paid for these.
- Offer your services to Executive Service Corps where retired leaders help local businesses and organizations succeed
- Continue to travel and grow with your spouse
- Give your time and knowledge to young people like your grandchildren.
I am excited about what retirement can mean for me. I am not ready for the rocking chair yet. Retirement is just a change of venue.
Rowitz On Leadership 