Our guest author is Stanley Litow, a professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and a Shanker Institute Board Member.
At the end of the Biden Presidency there was a lot of discussion about whether people who pass the 80-year threshold should even be in public service at all, let alone be President. That view has intensified since the current White House occupant turned 80. And recent and upcoming elections have focused on replacing seniors in office, at all levels, with a next generation of leadership. Given that I recently turned 80 and a few weeks later my older brother passed away at age 83, I have a personal view of what living past age 80 or serving the public interest, means, and what a post-80 life means
I retired after a 50 plus year career, including service as President of the IBM Foundation, time as NYC Deputy Schools Chancellor, founder of a major think tank and head of the Educational Priorities Panel plus City Hall service under Mayor Lindsay heading the NYC Urban Corps. A long and satisfying set of experiences. During my service as Deputy Chancellor NYC adopted the “children of the rainbow” early grades diversity curriculum. At IBM I helped organize three National Education Summits for the President of the United States, the nation’s Governors, CEO’s and school leaders, but my most significant achievement was designing a new combined high school and college model, called PTECH where students get both a high school and no cost college degree concurrently with a clear pathway to successful careers. This includes mentors and paid internships. PTECH started with one school in Brooklyn but spread globally, and now over 100,000 students across 600 schools are enrolled. Students who were not expected to achieve, are achieving at nationally high levels with mentors to aid in their school years. Just recently a new national not for profit the PTECH Alliance has formed to spread the PTECH opportunity to far more young people.
I often refer to post retirement as “encore career” time. While no longer working full time is the time to focus largely on a legacy and empowering others. High on that list for me is mentoring the next generation, including PTECH students and PTECH alumni, as well as supporting the types of young education and civic leaders whose future will involve education reform and whom our cities, states and nation need to thrive
When people hear the words mentor or mentee, oftentimes they are not clear what that means, and who are the mentors and who are the mentees. In my view Mentors are people with high level experience in education, business and society. People whose knowledge and experience is extremely valuable and can be shared so that the next generation, their mentees, will benefit from insights, and especially ongoing support and guidance. I was fortunate to have a mentor early in my career. Julius Edelstein worked for President Truman, Mayor Wagner and US Senator Herbert Lehman, and I was fortunate that he decided to mentor me. Over more than three decades we met regularly for breakfast or lunch and whenever I needed him he was there to share his best guidance and advice based on his high-level experiences. When he passed away at 90 plus years, I helped his daughter go through some of his papers and found a box containing notes he had taken and left after our meals together. In reading through them it was clear that while he meant the world to me, I also meant a good deal to him as well. It touched me deeply and I was determined to do what Julius did for me and mentor others
That is why I have determined that during my “encore career” mentoring is a critical part of my life and my legacy. At age 80, while I would hope to have many years left, the reality is that they will not be all that many. That is why mentoring the next generation is critical. Whether they are my students, staff at the not-for-profits on whose board I sit, or others in government, education, business or society, it is clear that given the right guidance and ongoing support, young people can achieve at MUCH higher levels. Some might help build and scale more P TECH schools, providing opportunity to many more. Others will create new innovations that will benefit society. And hopefully all of them, will, when they reach the encore state of their lives, agree to mentor their next generation and continue paying it forward
This brings me back to those in government, business, education, and society who are aging. While there may be some still able to be effective for a period of time, most should think seriously about their “encore career.” At the top of that agenda ought to be mentoring and assisting the next generation of young leaders, especially students, in whatever time they have left. Young people have strength, energy, and abilities, but access to experienced and supportive mentors can help close BOTH the skills and income gaps, and further empower them. This is vitally important, and while technically it’s “not a job,” when done right, it can make a huge impact and improve the lives of so many. Pay it forward. Be a mentor
View the original article and our Inspiration here