Elizabeth Pope

Don't go gently into the good night of retirement. Hire a coach - and make the most of your second "career."

By Elizabeth Pope

Like many CEOS,Tomasz Schellenberg
clocked 50- to 6O-hour workweeks. "My
life centered on my desk and my kids; says
Schellenberg, 58, a single parent in Sudbury,
Massachusetts. "I love to windsurf; ski, play
tennis, travel, but I had no time."
So four years ago, Schellenberg sold his
IT temporary staffing company, Adept, Inc.,
to TMPW, the owner of Monster, and he
had all the time he wanted. Too much time.
in fact. He didn't know what to do with it.
"I'd worked all my life and suddenly there
was this huge hole in it,"he says. "I was very
anxious."
At a friend's suggestion, Schellenberg
called Richard Haid, a self-described "adult
mentor" in Hamilton, Ohio, who coachesretiring
CEOs and small-business owners via
online and phone consultations. Through
weekly sessions with his coach - plus
homework assignments and Haid's gentle
prodding - Schellenberg devised a plan
to turn vague desires into concrete actions.
"Dick led me through a number of exercises
to help me rediscover my passions; Schellenberg
says. "Then it was a question of
being clear about goals and aligning my behavior
with my values."
Schellenberg's number-one priority was
his family. With Haid's help, he devised a
list of family-oriented activities: volunteering
in his children's schools as a room parent
and advisoryboard member, organizing
a reunion with relatives from his native Po--
land, and producing a video about his uncle
and father. Then, to make use of his business
background, Schenenberg decided to
serve as a mentor to former colleagues. "I'm
busy doing worthwhile. meaningful things,"
he says. "I'm just not paid for them."
Why couldn't a talented CEO puzzle this
out alone? Leaving a career means leaving
behind friends, colleagues, personal identity,status, and daily routines. A smorgas-
bord of follow-your-dream options can fill
those empty hours - phased retirement,
part-time work, volunteering, lifelong
learning - but many new retirees are stymied
by their choices. Schellenberg believes
he would have come up with his own plans,
but only after years of soul-searching. "I
needed a sounding board; he says. "I could
have done this on my own, but it would
have taken three years, not six months, and
a lot of fumbling."

(Editors: e-mail Elizabeth to read the complete article.)