INTHEBLACK April 2022 - Magazine - Page 65
“Put together a list of who could want your skills
and your specialist knowledge. That might be large,
medium or small businesses, or it might be community
organisations or non-profits. Who would you most
like to work with?”
Finally, he says, if you’ve got a few years until
retirement, focus on building networks that will assist
your retirement goals, just as your networks have
assisted your professional goals during your career.
“Perhaps pick up some engagements before you
sell your practice or before you move out of your
corporate job,” he says. “You’re creating a ‘side hustle’
that becomes your main focus in retirement. Very
importantly, along the way, you’re beginning to realise
your value in the market.”
A MODEL OF RETIREMENT SKILL SUCCESS
In the years leading up to his retirement, Deighan
had gone through an upskilling process, consciously
and otherwise, that helped his confidence in the
retirement realm.
“A general comment on society and business in
Australia is that we have this problem with how we
treat older workers. We don’t regard them as very
useful,” he says.
“I think that’s a disadvantage to society and business.
And, just as we don’t properly utilise the experience
and wisdom of older people in business, sometimes we
also don’t make better use of the energy of our youth.”
There is a synergistic benefit of bringing together
those two groups, Deighan says. As he was nearing
the end of his career, he had an opportunity to act as
a mentor, initially to younger people on his team and
then to others within the organisation.
“That was a tremendous thing for me,” he says. “I
realised the philosophy that drives me means I want
to adopt the passing on of wisdom and experience to
younger workers. I find it very rewarding.”
The bank at which he was working offered several
days off each year to do volunteer work for charities and
other non-profits. These experiences helped Deighan
realise his own value outside his immediate job.
“It occurred to me when I was coming up to
retirement that, when people retire, they start to make
a ‘bucket list’ of experiences that will fill gaps and help
keep them occupied,” Deighan says. “But my driver
was all about giving back. So, the question was, how
could I, using the skills that I had, give back?
“My advice to people who are approaching
retirement is to look within, look at who they are
and what interests them. Perhaps you’ll be paid for
doing that thing and perhaps you won’t, so start off
by considering that you won’t be paid. Removing the
financial reward helps enormously in discovering what
are the things you’ll do that will be truly rewarding, all
that’s left is upskilling, networking and creating a plan
to ensure you achieve that goal.”
Jacinta Whelan
POSITION VACANT:
INTERIM EXECUTIVE
AS S O C I E T Y R E D E F I N E S W H AT I T M E A N S T O B E R E T I R E D ,
O R G A N I S AT I O N S A R E I N C R E AS I N G LY O N T H E L O O KO U T F O R
INTERIM EXECUTIVES AND OTHER PROFESSIONALS TO FILL
C R U C I A L , T E M P O R A RY R O L E S . J A C I N TA W H E L A N , PA R T N E R AT
WAT E R M A R K S E A R C H I N T E R N AT I O N A L A N D C O -A U T H O R O F T H E
R I S E O F T H E I N T E R I M E X E C U T I V E , TA L KS U S T H R O U G H T H E
OPPORTUNITIES THIS BRINGS.
Q
A
Why is the role of interim
executive becoming more
important?
What we’re seeing is an
overlay of demographics
with how organisations are
working. Organisations are
thinking differently about how
people work. And, of course,
we’ve got the very large baby
boomer population making
changes to what retirement
means.
Q
A
How is the meaning
of retirement
changing?
There is a tsunami of people
who are saying they still
want to work, but on their
own terms. It no longer must be
all or nothing, as it once was.
We are seeing people shift from
traditional full-time roles to more
of a portfolio approach.
Q
A
Why are “portfolio”
workers in
such demand?
About 30 to 40 per cent of
the entire talent market is
made up of people who do
not choose to have a permanent
role. If a business is not
considering those people, it is
missing a lot of talent in a market
where talent is harder to find.
Businesses are realising you no
longer must “buy” people to
succeed – you can simply
“borrow” them instead.
Q
A
Is the interim
executive role only
for C-suite execs?
Interim roles are increasingly
popular across all levels and
not only in the C-suite.
Executive interim roles require
someone to overhit the mark.
When companies engage an
interim, they are looking for
proven skills and a track record
of delivering. Interim roles are
across all functional areas, and
what is important is that you
package your skills so you still
have currency. You need to be
technically proficient and have a
track record of delivery and of
problem solving.
intheblack.cpaaustralia.com.au April 2022 65