There are more and more cars on the road, and the complexity of these cars is ever increasing. Who is going to service them? Who is going to fix them when they break? Already, you have to book a few weeks in advance to get your upper-end car in for its regular service. And the quality of the servicing leaves something to be desired. This is a worldwide problem, as a report in “Tire Review online” suggests. Its in the 11 Sep 2006 edition, and is entitled: “Shops in Crisis? The Tech Shortage”, by Steve LaFerre. Read the report here.
Some extracts appear below, and you will see my interest in the matter, as it relates to generational perceptions of the automotive industry, engineering and mechanics as well as the need for knowledge/wisdom continuity from the soon to retire Boomers. If this isn’t dealt with, we’re going to see a trainwreck in this industry in a few years time.
Lynda Smith, trained Retirement Coach and Wisdom Continuity expert, shares some insights into the options facing those who will reach retirement age in the next 10 years. Its fairly clear that this generation of retirees are not going to give up work completely and disappear to the coast or golf courses. But what options do they have?
A week ago I was asked a question in the UK: “Does Japan exhibit generational characteristics”. A quick search on Google and this blog will indicate that the answer is YES. Especially when talking about Gen Xers and Millennial kids. However, there has often been a question mark about the Boomers - born post World War II and into the 1950s and 60s. That generation of Japanese workers still seems to have been ingrained with the work culture of the grey-business-suit, system-will-provide, company-for-life mentality that has served Japan so well and made it a dominant world force. 
Sometimes it’s useful to stand back and ask yourself: If I could vote for anyone for president other than George W. Bush or John Kerry, whom would I choose? I’d choose Bill Cosby - on the condition that he would talk as bluntly to white parents and kids about what they need to do if they want to succeed as he did to black kids and parents a few months ago.
Just in case you still needed proof that Boomers are not just going to slip into retirement quietly, proof comes from the world of Hollywood. A flurry of movies is expected over the next few months - all of them remakes of classic Boomer TV shows. Right now on circuit, we have “
NEXT time you go to the movies, ask yourself the following questions. Does the cinema have (a) a bar that wouldn’t look out of place in a posh hotel, or (b) an easy-wipe counter with hot-dog and popcorn machines? Is there (a) lots of glass, chrome and recessed lighting, or (b) miles of stained carpet beneath acres of polystyrene roof panels? And, finally, do your fellow movie-goers look (a) as if they’ve just left a Virgin Megastore with an armful of classic rock albums, or (b) like all their music comes from downloads?
Fifteen percent of the CEO’s of the worlds biggest 2500 firms left their jobs in 2005 — a sharp increase on 2004 and 70 percent more than a decade ago. More than a third of those were relieved of their duties due to under-performance, some quit simply because they couldn’t take the pace and others reached mandatory retirement age. In many cases they would have been relieved. Being CEO of a top company may be financially rewarding but it’s increasingly demanding and many are bowing out.
An excellent article with a range of Technology opportunities that will open up as Boomers age.
“As the first of America’s 77 million baby boomers turn 60 this year, The Purpose Prize finalists are doing what society least expects people over 60 to do: innovate,” said Marc Freedman, founder and President of Civic Ventures. “These men and women - some national figures, some local heroes - disprove the assumption that innovation is the province of the young and show us the essence of what’s possible in an aging society…. More than just a set of hands, today’s boomers and older Americans represent an extraordinary pool of social and human capital. These inspiring innovators will show that investing in social entrepreneurs in the second half of life yields unprecedented returns for society.”
Australian society’s obsession with looking younger is set to collide with the reality of aging, a University of Queensland researcher warns. The current fixation with trying to postpone aging is increasing and the current senior citizens may be the last to age gracefully, says researcher Mair Underwood, who will present her study at the Emerging Researchers in Ageing (ERA) 2005 conference in Brisbane (Nov 2005).
Rumour has it that one of our BOOMER sales people enjoyed the opening music of our newest presentation, PRIME TIME.
TomorrowToday.biz keeps warning Boomers about the oncoming issues related to their retirement. Its going to be a tough one, and many Boomers are likely to keep their heads in the sand for too long. The problem is that Boomers are an idealistic bunch. And, they’ve largely been working to a script throughout their lives: “Get a good job in a big company (or make a big company yourself), keep your head down, work hard (mortgage your family and your work life balance), and when you hit your 60s, there will be a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, and you’ll be able to sit back and enjoy the ‘Golden Years’”. 
The 
A report from a US-based online newspaper, 
A few months ago, we commented that phone companies wanting to connect with Boomers should stop innovating, and start listening to their customers. 
“Research conducted by Heyday shows that Baby Boomers in Great Britain (those born between 1946 and 1965) are intent on reinventing retirement with many people no longer following a traditional pattern of working up until the state pension age and then retiring full time. The findings of its survey of 1,770 people show that 58 per cent of those in their fifties and sixties who are currently working want to continue to work in some capacity beyond retirement and one in 10 don’t want to retire at all.
While the marketing industry is still intent on understanding how young people think, there are indications that it is beginning to look ahead to when the average consumer is considerably older than she is today. This includes looking at the mental abilities of older consumers and how they make decisions. While many assume that older adults show marked declines in cognitive functions, these changes do not impact on everyday life as much as many expect.
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