Leadership In The Longevity Era with Leanne Clark-Shirley (American Society on Aging)

There is a demographic shift hiding in plain sight. In a few short years, the United States will have more people over 60 than children under 18. For Leanne Clark-Shirley, that statistic is not a curiosity for actuaries. It is “the mega trend of our moment” and a direct test of how leaders think about work, culture and contribution. Leanne is the President and CEO of the American Society on Aging, a seventy-one-year-old professional home for everyone who cares about aging, from community nutrition sites and academics to tech startups and interior designers. She is a social gerontologist who has spent more than two decades in aging-related nonprofit, consulting and academic roles, including senior work at AARP and in policy research and evaluation. In this episode of Leadership NOW, we discuss: • why executives continue to treat aging as a backstage topic about benefits and pensions • how language, especially words like “elderly”, quietly swindles older workers out of opportunity • the evidence that older entrepreneurs and older workers are powerful sources of innovation and stability • the practical moves leaders can make to design “with, not for” across ages • two simple experiments Leanne recommends to change how you notice age in your own life and organization Leanne also shares ASA’s North Star, captured in her line that “longevity is the goal, and aging is how we get there”, and what it means for leaders who want their organizations to thrive in the longevity era. Find out more: American Society on Aging: https://www.asaging.org Dan Pontefract: www.danpontefract.com