Episode #283: Wisdom at Work with Modern Elder, Chip Conley

New York Times bestselling author and hospitality entrepreneur, Chip Conley is a leader at the forefront of the sharing economy. At age 26, the founder of Joie de Vivre Hospitality took an inner city motel and turned it into the 2nd largest boutique hotel brand in the world. After being CEO of his innovative company for 24 years, Chip accepted an invitation from the founders of Airbnb to help transform their promising home sharing start-up into the world's largest hospitality brand. In four years as Head of Global Hospitality & Strategy, he taught his award-winning methods to hundreds of thousands of Airbnb hosts and created the world-renowned Airbnb Open.

Chip's books share his theories on transformation and meaning in business and life. In WISDOM@WORK: The Making of a Modern Elder (September 2018) he shares experiences from his tenure at Airbnb. Chip is also the founder of Fest300 (part of Everfest), San Francisco's annual "Celebrity Pool Toss" that has raised millions for children and families, and the Hotel Hero Awards that shine a light on outstanding hospitality employees. He is the recipient of hospitality's highest honor, the Pioneer Award, and holds a BA and MBA from Stanford University, and an honorary doctorate in psychology from Saybrook University. He serves on the boards of the Burning Man Project and the Esalen Institute, home of the Conley Library.

Chip brought a wealth of modern elder wisdom with him into this conversation so expect to learn lots, including:

The critical importance of a beginner’s mind
How Chip reinvented himself and joined a company whose product he had never used, where the average age was half his own and their way of doing things was not always what he was used to
How to separate from your self-imposed identity so that you can support personal reinvention in midlife, especially after you have invested decades into your skills, your career and your brand

This is a must listen for anybody listening to this who is beyond the age of 35 or so, in fact, there’s lessons in this for all ages, because we are all living in a world that is constantly changing, and in order to survive, we must reinvent.

With that, I bring you Chip Conley.

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Topics Discussed:

Why life gets better after 50
The concept of a ‘midlife atrium’
Being invited to join Airbnb at age 52
What is a ‘modern elder’
Operating at the intersection of mentor and intern
How to disassociate from ego to support personal reinvention
Why a beginner’s mind and curiosity is critical
Asking the right questions
How to get respect from people half your age
Modern pushback against the tech elite and how the wisdom of modern elders can help turn the tide
The number one skill people in their 50s need to learn to reinvent
Why regulating technology early is not a good idea
Ethics in technology

Show notes:

Get the book: https://amzn.to/2po9tUM

Twitter: @ChipConley

Web: www.ChipConley.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/i-died-10-years-ago-today-my-life-started-over-chip-conley/

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