were not come. "With few exceptions, refused to see reality, thought: that's not going to happen to me. I'm too clever, I'm different, "he said. Account Yiannis Gabriel, Professor of Bath, how all the people interviewed for Temporary derailment or the end of the line? Unemployed managers at 50, a management study of more than 50 years he performed with David E. Gray and Harshita Goregaokar, only realized that his dismissal was at hand. Not that the tracks were missing. "One of them clearly recognized that senior levels of the company he worked as a senior officer finnance there was nobody who had 55 years, so he was on notice. And although I knew could happen, did not expect the dismissal so soon. " That attitude, however, is not surprising, given the psychological profile of the managers, "who like to be seen as people who drive the helm of their lives and take their successes as a result of its efforts and its star." That attitude also leads them to be very individualistic. "I was very appealing as they were reluctant to help each other in times of need. Most of them seemed to think 'I'm different, I'm not like these losers,' "says Gabriel.Por that, the fact of losing his job was particularly traumatic, as many did not think could never be in a situation like that. As Gabriel says, the ways to tackle such unexpected circumstances vary psychological makeup of each person, but can be summarized in three. The first group is seen at the end of the road, as if his career came to an end because of the injustice and cruelty of others. Others see it as a break in a career they hope to return soon, though their real options are not in keeping with his wish. A third group sees its situation as a radical discontinuity, but refuses to feel and act out negative feelings such as shame or anger. TraumáticoDe dismissal Somehow, these forms to see things made them better understood and gave me a coherence to them was essential to face a very traumatic event. Many of them had been regularly in the top of the same company, others had used to jump from one company to another but none of them imagined being unemployed. And in that attitude completely unexpected, said Gabriel, have a narrative to explain events, they provide comfort and to attribute responsibility is essential. It is even more fragmented and uncertain world like ours, which makes it very necessary that we be able to give meaning to our lives. Therefore, Gabriel believes that psychotherapy, coaching and counseling are the industries that grow in this new recession. Especially because "older people have many difficulties in dealing with insecurity, as they grew and achieved success in an environment of consistency and safety. Probably the younger people, like my students, will be less traumatized by living situations how are you because they have grown into a world they do not expect consistency or loyalty. " This lack of consistency in the environment appears quite clearly in the career of those to reach 50, since their careers began to bifurcate. For many of them are in the final line, the time will jump back or must leave the labor market. By contrast, a select few reach the moment of his career success. As noted by Monika Hamori, a professor of IE Business School, "the CEOs of the largest U.S. and European companies have 55 years on average. His successors, who are usually the presidents or directors of companies' operations, have an average age of 49 years when they take such positions. Therefore, the most rigorous training period begins at that age. " However, these cases are less frequent. Once you reach 50, it's time for the decline, and for several reasons. First, because the motivation decreases, "because employees are less interested in training and developing their career after that age. Studies show us how more interested in developing their careers are college graduates. The motivation is declining since then. Because companies know, especially Americans, are not willing to invest in training older workers, if you have a choice. Another thing is having to deal with situations such as a shortage of trained workers due to demographic reasons, but unless these cases, companies do not want to invest in older workers. " This lack of affect companies in times like these, says Antonio Sanz Strong, professor Business at the University San Pablo CEU, managers, and that "many of them have ended in failure because of the restructuring caused by the crisis. Companies often reduce high charges, which are those with higher salaries, so they have been one of the groups most affected. Some of them have been able to remain as technicians, but many others have been fired. "However, Sanz believes that, fortunately, we're not in recent times in which they made the mistake of neglecting the workforce who had a history dilated. "In the 80 and 90, as the manager approached 60, he rolled away to make way for people of 30 and 40 because they knew draw lessons from these people. Today it is valued. A manager with 55-60 years, unless the internal crisis, has become quite secure, because competition and competitiveness is very much in and they can bring know-how that the young do not have. Maybe in the business environment are pushing more young people, but not in other sectors. "NuevoLa Start great difficulty for these managers appears if they leave companies. "If you are laid off will be very difficult to be hired in management positions similar. Unless you've been well known in your workplace, you will be complicated chips. " As usual in these cases, says Sanz, is find work in lower occupational categories, the race almost starting again. And despite the fact that we talk about a sector that has been upgraded significantly. According to Sanz, "the older managers of the service environment have adapted quite well to modern times, but has not been the same in the productive sector, where changes in technique and technology have taken their foot changed. " Gabriel, however, the major difficulty with these managers found when return is its inflexibility, that is, their limited ability to think differently, learn new skills and try new approaches. "However, the news is not all negative. Of the people interviewed for the study Gabriel, about "half found a job fair, with characteristics similar to that occupied before being fired and with a similar salary and 25% had to lower their expectations, taking jobs with salaries well over low, and the rest remains in and out of temporary or self-employment. "
Tomás Segovia in Madrid. January 2011. Photo: JB 
