Bob Buford is serving as a contributing writer to the American City Business Journals.

Twice per month, Bob’s writing is featured in 46 Business Journals across the U.S. This week’s article features current Halftime Institute CEO and new author, Dean Niewolny. Dean’s debut book, Trade Up releases on July 18.

For a complete list of all Bob Buford’s articles in the American City Business Journals, CLICK HERE. 

5 Keys to a Successful Halftime Journey

Sept 4, 2017, 3:10am EST

There is a growing number of successful individuals out there who are reaching a point in their careers and lives when they are sensing that a transition of one kind or another is at hand.

They have come to a point in their lives when they begin to ask, “Is there more for me to do?” and “How can I finish well?” They have been successful in their roles and chosen fields in Life I, and they have an as-yet-unclear assignment for them in Life II.

These people are in halftime. Thankfully, they are not alone, and there are answers.

In our almost two decades of work with halftimers, we have found that those who reach their goals develop specific and very important relationships and attitudes that help them stay committed to finishing their halftime journey and launching into a second half that has joy, impact and balance. Across a diverse spectrum of men and women who have taken the halftime journey, let’s discuss what the successful finishers have in common.

1. Successful halftimers know they need encouragement

In a small group recently, one of our directors said, “I crave admiration from my fellow man.” The rest of us nodded.

Who doesn’t know the crucial, central, imperative need for a pat on the back? People who finish know that affirmation is oxygen. Without it, a person withers and dies.

My cautionary story on lack of feedback involves a halftimer who was clear on his calling but was a loner. We had urged him to build a personal board of directors, but he put it off.

When the market crashed in 2008, he was especially hard hit, but worse, he had no human resources. No friendship backstop. No cheering section. No one at all. He took the blow on his own. And in a period that destroyed many fortunes, this man, feeling unusually alone, took his own life.

I’m committed to making sure no one is going alone in this journey and that none should perish for lack of support…READ MORE