The Upside of Aging: How Long Life Is Changing the World of Health, Work, Innovation, Policy and Purpose

Preface Aging and Change—A New Day Is Coming

Paul H. Irving

President, The Milken Institute

In 2009, I was enjoying what many would consider to be the perfect career—a successful senior leadership position in a large law and consulting firm. For many years I had enjoyed my work—and I valued my practice, my clients, and my colleagues. But after three decades as a corporate lawyer, I began to realize that something significant was missing. Approaching 60, I felt called to a different purpose—to something new.

That year, my life changed. I was given the opportunity to spend a year at Harvard University as a fellow in its Advanced Leadership Initiative, which is dedicated to educating and deploying a group of experienced leaders who are interested in addressing national and global challenges.

Harvard is an impressive place to be sure, but equally impressive was a talented cohort of new friends in their fifties, sixties, and seventies—all enthusiastic about learning, changing, risk-taking, and giving back after decades of accomplishment in their primary careers. Here was an older group excited about tackling hard problems, expert at navigating complex environments, skilled at relationship development, and highly collaborative, emotionally intelligent, and thoroughly energized. Life had given us a special opportunity—in which our advancing age and years of experience were recognized as assets.

As I finished my year in Cambridge and faced the next stage of my life, I thought about ...