Lisa Unwin* says middle-aged women returning to the workforce after a break have plenty to offer leadership roles.
Photo: Ingela Skullman
“What does a middle –aged woman have to offer that a 20-something doesn’t?”
It’s a question many of the women I meet ask.
And this time it’s something that’s holding them back.
I’m too old, surely? Who would want me? What do I have to offer?
The short answer: plenty.
Get a grip, have some guts and get on the front foot.
You have plenty, believe me.
You have perspective and wisdom
As a new graduate, I soaked up the message that women could have it all.
Motherhood was not going to get in my way.
And for a while I was right, I made partner in Arthur Andersen in my early thirties and thought that was success.
Ha. Little did I know.
The Enron debacle, a divorce, a new marriage, two kids, relocation … the usually messy stuff of life meant that, like many women, my career didn’t follow a nice straight line.
I quit my job when I didn’t get a promotion I was expecting and my childcare arrangements fell apart.
I spent time outside the city, volunteered in a school in a deprived area of London, became a magistrate, spent time with lots of people in other walks of life.
And yes, I did the school run.
I realised that there’s more to life than false deadlines and annual performance appraisals, office gossip and billing targets.
I also realised that no Powerpoint presentation ever changed the world and nothing is really that important as a loved one with a life-threatening illness.
Little wonder, then, that more “mature” women going back into the workplace are less likely to phased by having to say “No” to some “urgent” and impossible request.
Your social network is deep and wide
OK, you didn’t invent Facebook, but you do know an awful lot of people.
And many of them will be in serious positions, influential and well-connected themselves.
When Deb Khan and I first decided to set up She’s Back, I was venturing into the world of work after six years “on the outside”.
One of the reasons I’d left in the first place was a frustration that my peers were being promoted ahead of me (they didn’t have the responsibilities of “pesky kids” weighing them down, or if they did, they’d worked out how to off load some of those responsibilities to others).
This, obviously, turned out to be a bonus when I needed to reach out to people in influential positions for support with my fledgling business idea.
Funny how I was able to put that frustration to one side very quickly indeed and reconnect with my one-time peers.
One of them even connected me with Arianna Huffington, who very kindly endorsed our book.
You have energy
Anyone who’s had to live with a young child or two will know all about sleep deprivation.
And the challenge of trying to carve out any time for your own hobbies, ambitions and interests.
There is absolutely no way I could have set up a business in my late thirties or even early forties.
And look at me now.
I’ve set up two.
After She’s Back, my new venture, the Reignite Academy, is helping open doors to enable lawyers to return to work after a career hiatus.
And of course, after years of working out that it’s easier to navigate life with the support of other women, I was able to make this new business happen because it’s a collaboration with two other fabulous “older” women, Melinda Wallman and Stephanie Dillon (who I have to admit is not quite as old as me).
You’re not easily scared
Back to my “life or death” point, having a bit of perspective and life experience also gives you some chutzpah.
So, what if you fail, who cares if someone rejects your idea, what do you have to lose by having a go.
You have a laser sharp focus and it’s your turn
The women I’ve met who are picking up their careers after a hiatus or a total break — whether it’s through the Reignite Academy or another channel — have thought long and hard about their decision.
They are returning because they want to: they are ambitious for the next phase of their lives.
They are motivated by a need to fulfil their potential and have moved mountains to position themselves to be able to commit.
They are focused and determined.
And they don’t have time to waste.
Those new graduates?
They’d better start worrying about the competition.
* Lisa Unwin is the CEO and founder of She’s Back. She tweets at @shesback.
This article first appeared at thriveglobal.com.
