Page 13 - Forbes - Asia (April 2019)
P. 13
A Genuine Gem: Late Bloomers The book is no Panglossian
guide that guarantees all will
By Rich Karlgaard (Currency, $28) be well, which gives its posi-
tive insights such credibility. In
WHAT YOGI BERRA observed about points await those fact, in one sobering chapter we
a baseball game—it ain’t over till it’s who have been! Sum- are warned there may be times
over—is true about life, and Rich Karl- mer activities must be when an activity we’re passion-
gaard’s new book is the ultimate proof of carefully calibrated to ately engaged in isn’t going to
this. Read it, and you’ll be both relieved impress admissions work out, and despite the “never
and inspired. It’s a keeper. officers as to the social be a quitter” motif of our cul-
There are three big takeaways. consciousness of your ture, we must drop it and move
• We’re destructively overdoing the offspring. Play a sport on. We’ll ultimately be better off.
“You must be on the road to big success just because you like it? Heaven forbid! After all, we’re not endowed with unlim-
when you’re young, or you’ll never re- It must be one that will help you gain ited energy: “We can’t simply apply deter-
ally amount to much” mentality. Today’s that coveted acceptance—and to do that, mination like a jelly spread to everything
culture obsessively glorifies youthful you must relentlessly practice 10,000 we do in our lives—we’ll burn out.”
prodigies and is hostile or oblivious to the hours a year! The theme of Rich’s book is optimis-
basic truth that many of us don’t reach a The scandals erupting over “fixing” tic, very much reflecting the American
productive career rhythm until years after college admission test scores and brib- trait of never giving up the “pursuit of
we leave school. It often takes a lot of trial ing coaches are an ugly symptom of this happiness.” As Rich concludes, “Bloom-
and error to discover our path and then frenzy. Rich cites a Stanford professor ing has no deadline. Our future story is
develop our real talents. Rich, a Stanford lamenting the brittleness of incoming written in pencil, not carved in stone . .
graduate, even did a stint as a nighttime undergraduates. . . As we lose some capabilities, we gain
security guard before he bloomed! This book will help create a collec- others that far outweigh what is lost.” As
But such is the zeitgeist that people tive cry of “Time out!” The happy truth wise employers recognize that produc-
are made to feel inadequate if they’re is that what really counts for a satisfying tive careers don’t follow a rigid trajec-
not quickly in an ostensible success life is what you do after you leave school. tory, they will develop ways to nurture
groove, which, perversely, then stands • We must, as individuals and as a cul- and tap a mother lode of unrecognized
in the way of their breaking away from ture, “celebrate the full range of human and underused talent.
conventional expectations and trying to ability and diverse timetables for indi- • We are wasting immense talent by
find the right path for themselves. vidual success and achievement.” We the way we treat older people. Un-
Or, just as harmful, individuals pursue should embrace the need for “a kinder derstandably, companies always want
careers for which they’re not really suited, clock for human development.” to have open pathways for younger,
trying in workaholic fashion to achieve This brings us to the heart of Rich’s dynamic people and, concurrently, want
success and then finding themselves masterpiece. Skillfully mining a treasure older managers and executives who are
deeply dissatisfied when they reach their trove of informative studies, as well as slowing down and are “past their prime”
goals. Rich cites the case of a brilliant a number of interesting and instructive to make way for those who can better
woman who vaulted to partnership in individual stories, he walks us through do their jobs. So employers try to find
a prestigious, high-pressure law firm. the ways we can actually become “late ways to put “oldies-but-goodies” out to
Shocked at how profoundly unhappy she bloomers” despite cultural prejudices pasture. Yet while these individuals may
was, she made the courageous decision to and obstacles (“when it comes to cultural not be willing to travel a zillion miles a
quit and start over on another career. norms, breaking up is hard to do”), not year anymore or work umpteen extra
A manifestation of this do-it-young- to mention “a near-universal human hours a week, they still possess immense
or-bust mania is the extraordinary pres- trait, our tendency toward conformity.” experience and wisdom that can be
sure parents feel to shepherd their kids Reassuringly he cites a mountain of enormously helpful to younger people.
into the “right” schools. A vast industry evidence that proves we develop many Shouldn’t we work to develop a legal
of consultants has arisen. Woe to the ad- critical attributes as we age, such as wis- and cultural environment in which, if a
olescent who hasn’t been tutored in how dom, insight, curiosity, compassion, cre- person chooses, he or she will take a cut
to do better on the SATs; 50 to 100 extra ativity, dealing with ambiguity and “men- in pay but remain available as a mentor
tal calmness, composure and evenness of and consultant? Their credibility advan-
Introducing
What’s Ahead temper, especially in a difficult situation.” tage is that they’re not competing for
the new podcast hosted Even self-doubt can be a positive catalyst. promotions or expanding their turfs—
by Steve Forbes. It’s no coincidence, myth to the those parts of their career are over—but
Subscribe now on iTunes contrary, that most entrepreneurs are they can still play highly useful roles.
or GooglePlay Store. middle-aged or older. Something to think about. F
APRIL 2019 FORBES ASIA | 9
