2021年经济学人 巴托比职场专栏--高管如何适应退休后生活(1)（在线收听）

Business

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Bartleby

巴托比职场专栏

Stepping down is hard to do

退休很难

Adjusting to life after the C-suite

适应不再是高管的生活

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.

总有一天，即使是最辉煌的事业也必然会走到尽头。选择合适的退休时机已经足够困难了，但很多人同样难以想象自己接下来可以做些什么。前猎头简·霍尔和心理学家乔恩·斯托克斯在他们的新书《换挡》中，讨论了经历童年和职业生涯之后的人们在进入人生的“第三阶段”时可以遵循的策略。

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，人生的第三阶段涉及个人重新定义自己在社会中的角色。这一过程对于那些曾经位高权重的人来说可能尤其困难。他们必须接受自己地位的丧失，并意识到自己是可替代的，而且终有一死。就业为人们提供的不仅仅是收入：它为人们安排了一天的行程，开启了新的友谊，还提供了一个共同努力的目标。

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.

那些事业登顶的人往往忽视了他们生活中的其他方面——事实上，如果他们没有位高权重，可能就不会那样自命不凡。对这些人来说，退休可能很像悲伤的五个阶段：否认、愤怒、讨价还价、沮丧和接受。否认的感觉尤其显著。霍尔女士和斯托克斯先生观察到，“当权者逐渐与现实隔绝”，并且“过分夸大自己的重要性”。高管们可能没有意识到，他们已经与新市场发展脱节，或者他们的行为过于傲慢，以至于疏远了员工。当其他人建议他们该下台时，他们可能会对明显的背叛感到愤怒。

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.

有权势的人在辞职以后也很难规划自己的未来。他们在工作时可能没有时间考虑其他活动。离职可能有点像一个瘾君子突然戒毒。霍尔女士和斯托克斯先生指出，“退休”这个词让人联想到消极和退缩，许多人反感这样的想法。个人之所以选择领导角色，可能是因为他们喜欢支配他人或左右事件。对他们而言，转变为非执行董事或者慈善机构志愿者，似乎都不是合适的替代。他们仍然想掌控一些事情。