Despite the insensitivity, we can emulate our colleague and “take quiet pleasure” during our Autumnal years in being grandparents to new ideas and programs. But it is not an easy transition for many men and women. In some instances, we may need to encourage and support these Generativity leaders as they confront shifts in their organizational role. At the very least, we might support their emerging interests in reflective matters. In our study of senior Sage leaders in California, for example, we found there is a significant role to be played by community “grandparents.” These men and women of Autumn benefit the communities in which they live—and they often benefit themselves as quiet leaders who are appreciated and valued for their current contributions, rather than just being honored for past contributions and achievements.
Being Honored
Sometimes we are formally acknowledged and honored. We are given credit for being the founder of an organization, and we serve in the “George Washington” role or are identified as the new “Margaret Sanger.” At other times, we are honored for bringing the organization through a critical period by playing the role of “Abraham Lincoln” or “Martin Luther King” or “Rosa Parks.” Alternatively, we might be honored for leading the organization to its current level of functioning—as when we honor our recent presidents. In each case, we are honored more for our past work than for what we are now doing or potentially could do in the future. If we are accustomed as men and women of action to being praised for what we just did, or can do in the near future, we may find it difficult or even embarrassing to witness and accept the acknowledgment and gratitude of others for what we have accomplished in the past. We may even interpret these ceremonies as condescending efforts to get us out of the way, or as public statements that we are “over the hill.”
We are best served by setting aside these fears and negative assumptions and accept the accolades as genuine and well deserved. Ceremonies to honor us are meant to move us along to another role, and we would be wise to acknowledge this motive in our co-workers as we become grandparents and leave the role of organizational parents. The result is that we are likely to have less direct impact on the organization and more indirect influence.
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