Laying Down and Picking Up
Laying Down and Picking Up
Contributor David Griffith brings his follow up guest post with “Laying Down and Picking Up.”
I retired the first time at 60 and the second at 70. For the first time in 48 years, I could sleep in. That was 15 months ago, and I have continued to reallocate my time, but I have also learned some things.
Going from 80 MPH to 0 is very tough when you run hard. A good friend reminds me that when you do nothing, you are dead. Fair, but I have also lost one older brother in his mid-80s, and I have another fighting dementia also in his early 80’s.
I have been a member of a YPO forum for some 30 years and one of our good discussions is how do you want to play the back nine? So, while I believe in the kingdom, and that faith comforts me, how do I/we want to play the back nine?
Jacqui and I are committed to giving back. We have been blessed to have had solid careers, are comfortable, and have our kids close. We also have terrific friends. My first decision was to move from being the leader to being a coach and advisor.
At 60, I stepped away from Modern but remained Chairman.
At 70, I retired from Episcopal Community Services.
In March this year, I will step down as Chair of the Academy of Natural Sciences and the Drexel board.
I will fish and travel more, but the joy now comes from being a coach, advisor, and partner with Jacqui’s causes.
I now serve on several private company boards as a director, I joined a family business firm and coach individuals through the firm, and I work with some non-profit organizations and foundations whose mission aligns with our view of the needs and challenges of our time.
There is great joy in being a coach and seeing the individuals you work with benefit from your scar tissue. To focus on talent and team.
I have learned not to tell but to ask the right questions, to teach an organization the power of radar and the value of time to react to change, to share experiences and mistakes, to challenge an individual with the potential to stretch, to learn the power of listening, asking questions, and yes, to wear muddy boots.
I would share that there is a time to lay down and a time to pick up. That time is a gift. That experience can be both an example and an inspiration that you can indeed do more. As Yoda said, “There is no try, only do.” Accountability is a wonderful gift to give, as is experience to individuals and organizations.
At ECS, I learned the expression, “To go fast, go alone, but to go far, go together.”
So, I am on the back nine, laying down the old, picking up the new, and going together with some new friends.
Life is good.