Are you being honest about your professional relevancy level? Ask yourself these questions to gauge your situation:
1. Do people say to you often : “Great idea! Let’s roll with it?” Or, “We’d really like your insight/input on this?”
2. Or, are people saying: “You don’t need to waste your time coming to this strategy meeting.” Or, “This is the way we’re going to do it, period.” Even worse, do you fully grasp the direction and why they have come to a specific conclusion? (Even if you don’t agree with it, are you clear?)
If your input, point-of-view, and presence are still in demand by your professional colleagues, this is a good sign that you have value to offer within your firm and to your clients. Keep a keen eye out for any patterns where you may be excluded from decisions/meetings where you once played an active part.
If, in fact, you realize that perhaps you’ve become stale or stagnant in terms of your intellectual offerings at work, then you have control. You can do something about it! See Part I for initial ideas. As well, consider ‘partnering’ (perhaps ‘mentoring up’ or ‘co-mentoring’ are the better terms) with a coworker who is still considered relevant and wholly necessary to the success of the business. Do whatever you have to do to adjust, alter, or even reinvent yourself. Bottom line, you want to keep adding value until your retirement day!
