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.

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

Why Rugged Individualism Doesn’t Cut it in a ‘Second-Half’ Career

Jun 8, 2017, 3:15am EST
Recently bestselling author and executive coach Marshall Goldsmith and Halftime Institute spokesperson Lloyd Reeb sat down for a conversation about the season of halftime and why moving from success to significance is so important. Bob Buford and Dean Niewolny, CEO of the Halftime Institute, also share their thoughts.

Marshall Goldsmith: You know, one of the things I do is coach executives, so I am very sensitive to the concept of coaching. I have some ideas of my own, but why do you think it’s important for people who go through this halftime journey to have a coach?

Lloyd Reeb: Even the fastest swimmer in the world has a coach, and it’s for a reason. We need someone to witness our life; someone to bounce ideas off of; someone who can listen carefully, and draw observations and ask probing, difficult questions and wait quietly for an answer.

I find that most of the real value of all these years of coaching fits into four different categories: First, to give people permission. Permission to dream, permission to explore an idea without all the practical implications standing in their way, because I remove those. Second, it gives them a benchmark for what is common to this season of halftime. I can observe their life and tell them “At this season of life, when I listen to your story compared to the thousands of stories I have heard, here is what I observe…. What are the implications for you?”

Third, I can ask difficult questions and they can draw the answers. When they draw the answers they own them a lot better than if someone tells them. And the difficult questions push them to get further clarity than they would have on their own. Then, fourthly, I can hold them accountable in a gentle, loving way where my entire agenda is all about their long term best interest.

Marshall Goldsmith: If you had just one piece of advice for someone who is on the cusp of halftime, what would it be? READ MORE