Have you thought much about retirement? Personally, I have not given it much thought, at least not yet. Retirement is still pretty far in the future for me. But I’ve seen other people retire, and watching them occasionally makes me wonder what “retirement” will be for me when the time comes. As attractive as the idea of retirement sometimes seems, like most CEOs I am so used to the 24/7 work- and lifestyle that it is hard for me to imagine ever having no work to do.

Lucky for me, I don’t have to personally make any decisions about retirement yet. But as we all know, the oldest Baby Boomers have now started reaching age 65 at the rate of about 10,000 every day. A lot of them are putting off retirement, some for financial reasons and some because they feel conflicted about the decisions they are facing, or will soon face, about retirement.

I have known Beverly Hall Burns for several years now. Bev, a labor attorney with Miller Canfield, right now is working on loan from the firm—and through a fellowship with national nonprofit encore.org—for  Gov. Snyder’s office setting up the Encore Executive In Residence Program. The word “encore” is in the title because every professional, like every artist, wants to deliver an “encore” at the end of his or her career “performance”—i.e., to add one more piece to his or her body of work that is meaningful and that makes a difference.

Currently in the prototype stage, the program will pair senior talent from the private sector with senior-level teams in various state departments to tackle projects for the State of Michigan. The idea is to take on specific, transformational projects that can make state services better, increase public-private collaboration, and be completed within six months to one year. While the executives’ companies or firms provide salary and benefit compensation, the executive receives administrative and other support needed for the project from the state.

The program, announced by Gov. Snyder in June in his Special Message on Aging, recognizes that neither the public nor the private sector has a “corner” on best practices for innovation, responsiveness, fiscal responsibility or operational effectiveness. Clearly, government can benefit significantly from the experience and leadership of the private sector, to the ultimate benefit of the citizens of Michigan.

But executives, who participate in this program, and their employers, can benefit from it as well. Here are some of the possibilities:

1. A senior level executive or professional, who is near retirement but worried about, or resistant to the reality of retiring, can be provided an alternative pathway to full retirement by working, possibly at reduced compensation, for the duration of the project.

1. A senior executive or professional who isn’t near retirement but is smart enough to plan ahead can be rewarded with a “public service leave of absence” or “public service sabbatical” which could provide ideas for the “encore” that’s still some time in the future.

1. Support for the Program gives a company options for difficult retirement transitions and appealing rewards for high-performing mid-career executives and professionals.

1. Support for the Program can boost a company’s public and community profile.

1. And participating executives and companies alike are having a hand in Michigan’s continual reinvention.

Right now about a dozen proposals for projects are under consideration during this prototype phase of the program. They come from departments as diverse as the State Police, Technology/Management and Budget, Civil Service, Agriculture, Natural Resources and others.

Does your organization have senior executives approaching retirement or in the early or middle stages of planning for retirement? If so, it could be to their benefit, to Michigan’s benefit, and to your organization’s benefit for them to participate in this program.  Bev would be happy to share more information about it with you. Contact Beverly Hall Burns at burns@millercanfield.com or burnsb@michigan.gov  if you would like to know more about the Program and possibilities for your company to participate.