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  • Published: 1 October 2018
  • ISBN: 9780241367711
  • Imprint: Portfolio
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Pages: 272
  • RRP: $40.00

Wisdom at Work

The Making of a Modern Elder




A passionate and practical guide on how to reinvent the second half of your career

In our increasingly accelerated world that venerates the new, bright and shiny, many of us in mid-career sense that the ground is shifting beneath our feet, leaving us feeling invisible, undervalued and threatened by the 'digital natives' nipping at our heels.

Chip Conley is not buying it, arguing that experience is on the brink of a comeback.

At the age of fifty-two, after selling the boutique hotel company he founded and ran for twenty-four years, Conley joined Airbnb as Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy. Though rich with experience, the industry veteran lacked the digital fluency of his twenty-something colleagues. He quickly discovered that he'd been hired as a teacher and mentor, but was also in many ways a student and intern. What emerged is the secret to thriving as a midlife worker in today's world: learning to marry wisdom and experience with curiosity, a beginner's mind and a willingness to evolve.

Igniting a bold, urgent conversation about age and ageism in the workplace, Conley liberates the term 'elder' from the stigma of 'elderly', and reveals the value of wisdom that can only be accrued through years on the planet. Wisdom at Work will teach you how to be indispensable in the second half of your working life.

  • Published: 1 October 2018
  • ISBN: 9780241367711
  • Imprint: Portfolio
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Pages: 272
  • RRP: $40.00

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Praise for Wisdom at Work

As more people live in good health for longer they are asking themselves what they should do with this new stage of life. In this marvellous book Chip Conley gives them a great answer - rewire don't retire. The Modern Elder is about combining a youthfulness in later life with the maturity and wisdom of experience

Andrew Scott, co-author of The 100 Year Life

This is ultimately a book about how we can develop deeper connections, disrupt how we think about teaching and learning, and make more meaningful contributions in our lives and our careers. With stories, questions, and strategies, Chip shares his heart and wisdom on every page. This is exactly what we need right now!

Brené Brown, Ph.D., LMSW, Author of the #1 New York Times Bestseller, Braving the Wilderness

An engaging, timely exploration of how to bring more wisdom into our work lives. Chip Conley has lived it, and here he teaches you what it takes to find more of it

Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Originals, Give and Take, and Option B with Sheryl Sandberg

I love the idea that society needs more Modern Elders who offer generosity without an agenda. Chip Conley's articulation of the growing need of wisdom and emotional intelligence in a world obsessed with speed and digital intelligence is spot-on! Every young company could use some "wisdom insurance"

Marshall Goldsmith, Thinkers 50 World’s #1 Executive Coach, #6 Most Influential Business Thinker 2017

Wisdom at Work beautifully illustrates the opportunity that each of us has to embark on an encore career. Bravo to Chip Conley for writing this timely and inspiring book. Having begun my third chapter at the age of 60, I can attest that this is the most productive and rewarding time of my life. Applying one's knowledge and passion in the service of missions larger than ourselves is the greatest gift of being a Perennial

Sherry Lansing, Founder & CEO, the Sherry Lansing Foundation, Former Chairman & CEO, Paramount Pictures

In an era in which a brilliant idea or even gut instinct seems to be celebrated as success, Chip Conley's book is a great reminder that wisdom, including analysis, hard work, patience and the like, is still essential

Arne Sorenson, President and CEO, Marriott International

Being smart comes from studying or understanding complex things, yet wisdom is something deeper. We don't become wise simply because we get old; wisdom is something we must actively cultivate in order to accumulate. Every one of us should learn what it takes to gain wisdom, and Chip Conley is wise to give us the guide for our journey

Simon Sinek, optimist and bestselling author of Start With Why and Leaders Eat Last

Anyone feeling jaded, jejune or just plain past it at work can read this book in a morning and feel revived

Financial Times, Business books of the month

Chip Conley will be your guide in learning how to cultivate a beginner's mind...and be the sage counselor

Brian Chesky, cofounder and CEO, Airbnb