Article by Charles Handy on how individuals often only discover their talents and true callings later in life, and how they should remain open to such developments in spite of age. Handy begins the article discussing how, during a visit to the Maltings Concert Hall, he heard Mikhail Rudy playing pieces by Franz Schubert for the solo piano. He then reflects on the fact that Schubert was only 25 years old when he wrote the pieces and 31 when he died, observing that at that age, he was just getting started with life. Handy goes on to wonder whether today’s institutions and systems account for the fact that there are Tolstoys and Schuberts in almost every occupation, where people bud early in their expertise in professions. He proceeds to observe that no one really expects athletes to go on competing successfully beyond their mid-20s, while those in other professions, like painters, musicians, and other kinds of artists, often get better with age, understanding that perhaps those in management careers should be interpreted as being more fit for their jobs later in life, as well. Handy then postulates that most people really do not know what they can do best, or want to do most, until they are much older, and gives the example of his wife’s education and career to support such a conclusion. He closes the article praising the Japanese style of the horizontal fast track career practice.
Handy, Charles B Management today series Snape (England) Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus, 1756-1791 Beethoven, Ludwig van, 1770-1827 Wright, Ian, 1963- Handy, Elizabeth Rudy, Mikhail, 1953- Schubert, Franz, 1797-1828 Japanese
Source
Article by Charles Handy on how individuals often only discover their talents and true callings later in life, and how they should remain open to such developments in spite of age, 1997; Charles Handy Papers; Box 20, Folder 12; 1 page
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