La Nouvelle Tribune
ILLUSTRATION: FABIO DELVO'/ THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Many baby boomersâespecially those at the top of their gameâstruggle with the decision to step down. And when they leave, the transition is often âpainful and messy,â says one career coach.
Older workers have a problem. They donât know when to quit.
As baby boom-era CEOs, professors, lawyers, engineers and others get older and keep their jobs longer, it is raising uncomfortable questions.
Is there an art to stepping down gracefully? âIâm not sure thereâs an art. I think it requires will,â says Anne Mulcahy, who was 56 when she voluntarily gave up the CEO job at Xerox to make way for her successor, Ursula Burns. She is now 68. âItâs hard. Itâs not something that happens naturally if you like what you do and youâre good at it. You have to set time limits for yourself.â You also have to know what your purpose is after you retire or âyou go into this void thatâs really very tough,â she adds. Leaving the C-suite was one of the hardest things sheâs ever done, says Ms. Mulcahy, who lives in Connecticut and is now actively involved with nonprofit organizations.