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Stepping down is hard to do
退休很難
Adjusting to life after the C-suite
適應不再是高管的生活
There comes a time when even the most glittering career must come to an end. Choosing the right moment to retire is difficult enough, but many people also struggle to imagine what they could possibly do next. In their new book, “Changing Gear”, Jan Hall, a former headhunter, and Jon Stokes, a psychologist, discuss the strategies that people can follow when approaching the “third stage” of life, after their childhood and their careers.
總有一天，即使是最輝煌的事業也必然會走到盡頭。選擇合適的退休時機已經足夠困難了，但很多人同樣難以想象自己接下來可以做些什么。前獵頭簡·霍爾和心理學家喬恩·斯托克斯在他們的新書《換擋》中，討論了經歷童年和職業生涯之后的人們在進入人生的“第三階段”時可以遵循的策略。
As the authors note, the third stage involves individuals redefining their role in the community. This process may be particularly difficult for those who have been in high-powered jobs. They must come to terms with a loss of their status and the realisation that they are both replaceable and mortal. Employment provides people with a lot more than just an income: it gives a structure to the day, opens up new friendships and provides a purpose that comes from taking part in a shared endeavour.
作者指出，人生的第三階段涉及個人重新定義自己在社會中的角色。這一過程對于那些曾經位高權重的人來說可能尤其困難。他們必須接受自己地位的喪失，并意識到自己是可替代的，而且終有一死。就業為人們提供的不僅僅是收入：它為人們安排了一天的行程，開啟了新的友誼，還提供了一個共同努力的目標。
Those who have reached the top of the tree often neglect the other areas of their life—indeed, they may not have got so high if they didn’t. For such people, retiring may be a lot like the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Denial is particularly significant. As Ms Hall and Mr Stokes observe, “those in power gradually become insulated from reality” and “develop an inflated sense of their own importance”. Executives may not realise they have grown out of touch with new market developments or so overweening in their behaviour that they are alienating their staff. When others suggest that it is time for them to step down, they may feel angry at the apparent betrayal.
那些事業登頂的人往往忽視了他們生活中的其他方面——事實上，如果他們沒有位高權重，可能就不會那樣自命不凡。對這些人來說，退休可能很像悲傷的五個階段：否認、憤怒、討價還價、沮喪和接受。否認的感覺尤其顯著。霍爾女士和斯托克斯先生觀察到，“當權者逐漸與現實隔絕”，并且“過分夸大自己的重要性”。高管們可能沒有意識到，他們已經與新市場發展脫節，或者他們的行為過于傲慢，以至于疏遠了員工。當其他人建議他們該下臺時，他們可能會對明顯的背叛感到憤怒。
It can also be hard for high-powered people to map out a future after they quit their posts. While they are working, they may have no time to consider alternative activities. Leaving their jobs may be a little like a drug addict going “cold turkey”. The word “retirement” conjures up ideas of passivity and retreat that many find unattractive, Ms Hall and Mr Stokes point out. Individuals may have chosen leadership roles because they like having power over others or sway over events. Shifting into a role as a non-executive, or volunteering for a charity, will not seem like an adequate substitute. They still want to be in charge of something.
有權勢的人在辭職以后也很難規劃自己的未來。他們在工作時可能沒有時間考慮其他活動。離職可能有點像一個癮君子突然戒毒。霍爾女士和斯托克斯先生指出，“退休”這個詞讓人聯想到消極和退縮，許多人反感這樣的想法。個人之所以選擇領導角色，可能是因為他們喜歡支配他人或左右事件。對他們而言，轉變為非執行董事或者慈善機構志愿者，似乎都不是合適的替代。他們仍然想掌控一些事情。
譯文由可可原創，僅供學習交流使用，未經許可請勿轉載。
