Freeze Frame

I've been on the board of my community pool for almost 9 years now. We're a volunteer-run organization with no guaranteed funding, so we need to keep our membership numbers up in order to pay the bills. This was a weird transition for me - I was a city kid and our neighborhood pools were funded mostly by tax dollars. I grew up with a completely different model and different norms. Kids would pass their tags through the pool gates so that their friends could get in for free. Definitely simpler times for sure.

As a board member, there are always interesting discussions going on about how to make the best decisions that we can for our community. Something changed after COVID - I don't know what exactly it is, but I know that even though we have more than double the number of members that we had 9 years ago, it's harder to get people to engage in the same way.

Really, though, I shouldn't be surprised. Almost everyone that I know is living the "sandwich generation" life right now. We're constantly balancing work, caregiving, health issues, financial questions, and other major stressors. There is no rest for the weary because we're constantly on: there's always another text or email where someone needs something from us. No wonder we aren't engaging in our communities in the same ways that we did in the past: we simply don't have the time or energy to do it.

This fits with what we're seeing right now in the career space. Job hugging has been the trend for the last year or two as people decide that it's just too risky to jump ship. It's also no wonder that Korn Ferry research shows that 60% of baby boomers don’t plan to change roles anytime soon (up 50 percentage points from 10% last year). With so much going on, it's easy to understand why people are choosing stability over change right now.

So, if you are looking to make a change, you may be wondering how to get started. In doing this work for almost 20 years, small steps seem to be the best way out. The needle typically doesn't move through dramatic changes: it's small, sustainable change over time. It's thinking about where you'd like to be in 5 years and then doing one thing to get closer to that point.

Maybe that's where we get stuck. When I started on my community pool board, we had lots of different areas that needed help, so it was hard to know where to get started. You might feel that way today as you assess your current career situation. For today, just think of one small thing: a quick DM thanking someone for help, a LinkedIn recommendation for a colleague, or a 5-minute brain dump outlining your wins for the past year are easy places to start.

These small things add up over time and before you know it, the Freeze Frame starts to fade and you get closer and closer to where you want to be.

Additional resources:

I recently shared my best practices for fighting ageism with the University of Pittsburgh Alumni Association: Navigating Ageism: Career Tips for Executives Over 50 by Colleen Paulson (BUS ’02G)​

I talked with Business Insider about what to watch out for when assessing job scams: A fake job offer can look surprising real. Here are the warning signs.​

I shared my career insurance best practices with Fast Company: 13 career insurance policies every professional should have​

I talked with ageism expert Janine Vanderburg about my career and entrepreneurship journey: Build Your Own Boat podcast​

Take care of yourself and have a wonderful weekend!

Colleen

ps: I'm booking into Q3 - I do have a few open spots right now if you've been thinking about working together. Here is a link to my service offerings and here is a link to my calendar if you'd like to setup a time to talk.

600 1st Ave, Ste 330 PMB 92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2246

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