Chip Conley, founder of the Modern Elder Academy and former Airbnb advisor, shares his expertise on leading multigenerational teams. He emphasizes the power of age diversity, revealing how Airbnb’s mutual mentorship model fosters collaboration. Conley discusses the importance of lifelong learning and the unique roles of mentors and mentees, blending curiosity with wisdom. He provides actionable insights on creating effective mentorship programs and highlights how intergenerational collaboration can elevate team dynamics in today’s workplace.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Chip's Midlife Career Transformation
Chip Conley founded his boutique hotel company and later joined Airbnb at 52 as a "modern elder".
His midlife crisis transformed into midlife chrysalis leading to the founding of the Modern Elder Academy.
insights INSIGHT
Younger Leaders and Intergenerational Potluck
Younger bosses will become the majority in the workforce, a new dynamic for leadership.
Intergenerational collaboration creates a "potluck" of skills, benefiting everyone.
Chip Conley's "Wisdom at Work" explores the concept of the modern elder, emphasizing the value of experience and wisdom in today's rapidly changing world. The book challenges traditional notions of aging and retirement, suggesting that older individuals can maintain relevance and contribute significantly to society. Conley shares his personal journey, including near-death experiences and career transitions, to illustrate his points. He offers practical advice and strategies for navigating midlife transitions, fostering creativity, and cultivating wisdom. The book encourages readers to embrace lifelong learning and find purpose in their second half of life.
Wisdom at Work
Chip Conley
Chip Conley's "Wisdom at Work" explores the concept of the modern elder, emphasizing the value of experience and wisdom in today's rapidly changing world. The book challenges traditional notions of aging and retirement, suggesting that older individuals can maintain relevance and contribute significantly to society. Conley shares his personal journey, including near-death experiences and career transitions, to illustrate his points. He offers practical advice and strategies for navigating midlife transitions, fostering creativity, and cultivating wisdom. The book encourages readers to embrace lifelong learning and find purpose in their second half of life.
The challenge of leading multigenerational teams is gaining more and more attention. With up to five generations now sharing the modern workplace, how can leaders bridge the gap and leverage age diversity as a strength?
Enter Chip Conley, founder of MEA (the world’s first midlife wisdom school) and Airbnb’s former advisor, hospitality strategist and resident “modern elder”. He draws on his experience joining the then-startup as a 52 year-old, navigating a youthful technology company as an experienced hospitality executive.
In this episode, Chip offers actionable insights for any leader aiming to leverage generational diversity as a strength rather than a challenge.
You’ll learn:
How to embrace age diversity to create more collaborative and dynamic teams
How Airbnb pioneered a “mutual mentorship” model to bridge generational gaps
How to be both an effective mentor and mentee
How to blend curiosity and wisdom in your leadership approach
Things to listen for: (00:00) Wisdom is not taught, it's shared (02:40) What inspired Chip to found the “Modern Elder Academy” (09:28) How an intergenerational workforce changes the way that we interact and work with one another (12:08) The different types of mentorship (16:37) How to build a mentorship program (18:35) Being a “mentern,” both a mentor and intern
How to Make a Leader 
