Hospitality expert/mentor to the millennial founders of Airbnb, Chip Conley celebrates the value of wisdom in the workplace and shows older workers how to thrive in the second act of their careers. In our increasingly accelerated world that venerates the new, bright, and shiny, many of us in mid-career are left feeling invisible, undervalued, and threatened by the "digital natives" nipping at our heels. But Chip Conley argues that experience is on the brink of a comeback. At a time when power is shifting younger, the need for wisdom, emotional intelligence, and the ability to collaborate and coach is greater than ever.
At age 52, after selling the boutique hotel company he founded and ran for 24 years, Conley joined Airbnb as head of Global Hospitality and Strategy, tasked with helping the millennial cofounders grow their disruptive home-sharing start-up into a global hospitality giant. Though rich with experience, the industry veteran lacked the digital fluency of his 20-something colleagues. He quickly discovered that he'd been hired as a teacher and mentor, but was also in many ways a student and intern. What emerged is the secret to thriving as a mid-life worker in today's world: learning to marry wisdom and experience with curiosity, a beginner's mind, and a willingness to evolve.
Part manifesto and part playbook, Wisdom@Work ignites an urgent conversation about age and ageism in the workplace and shows how to be indispensable in the second half of your working life. Conley liberates the term "elder" from the stigma of "elderly," and reveals the value of wisdom that can only come from years on the planet. Whether you've been forced to make a mid-career change, are choosing to work past retirement age, or are struggling to keep up with the millennials rising up the ranks, Wisdom@Work will help you write your next chapter.