My good friend, Al Martella, Executive Coach to the Stars who coached and mentored thousands of financial advisors at a major financial services firm is back with another nugget this week and next! Al is chock full of great, practical advice and speaks from his vast experience advising and working with financial advisors for many years.
In Al’s words:
“It was a year ago that I decided that after an incredible career in corporate America it was time for me to “reinvent” myself through retirement. An important part of that transition centered on networking. How so?
- In the year before retirement, I reached out to my network of retirees and asked how they made the transition. I benefited from both their wisdom and their willingness to speak about those things they wished they had done differently.
- In the month before retirement, I scheduled two or three breakfast or lunch dates weekly that I would have during the first month of my retirement with my network. These conversations were instrumental in realizing how much potential existed in this new phase of my life. (By the way, these meals have now become a regular part of my schedule!)
- In retirement, be open to the “lead” of your network. One of my networking friends told me of an online course she completed in gerontology – the study of old age. I decided to take the course and it was fascinating. I’ve gotten so many great ideas on travel, technology, leisure activities and life from my network.
I find that I am able to use so many of my talents and things I learned in corporate America in this new phase of my life. One of the greatest compliments I have ever received is the fact that my wife saw I was having so much fun in retirement that she decided to retire!
A small suggestion – set up a post-retirement calendar on Google Calendar or a similar app. If you plan to be busy in networking, it will be a great help!
What do you think? Andrea and I would love to hear from you and your thoughts and suggestions.
Al, thanks for another great article! I’m so glad we’ve been keeping up with our regular conversations; I always learn something new from you!