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Irony is Overwhelming
Coming of Age in Retirement is a funny, thoughtful, and eye-opening memoir-meets-social-commentary about stepping away from a high-powered advertising career and fumbling through the uncertain terrain of retirement. Why was this an important book for you to write?
I was at the point in my life where I was trying to understand the intricacies of life in general and retirement life in particular. The more I thought about my existence, the less about it I understood. I was lost without my nearly 50-year career, my work-friends, the national TV commercials I wrote and directed, the production shoots that I executive produced, and my packed schedule that included more than 180,000 hours of work I had amassed. It wasn’t replaceable, and certainly not in an instant.
I took to heart the words of the Buddha, who said, “There is no path to happiness. Happiness is the path.” And that clicked with me. From that clickage came my new book, which is my path of revelation and enlightenment. I had heard time and again that the transition into retirement, for many, wasn’t as simple as it appears to be, so it was important for me to share my struggles, fumbles, and missteps in hopes that others might learn from my ineptitude.
What is one of the biggest misconceptions that social media and advertising try to convince people about retirement, and what is the fallout when the truth is revealed?
The misconceptions are so prolific, I barely know where to begin. But the takeaway for anyone, regardless of their age, is that the perceptions about retirement, in many shapes and sizes, are dictated to us — both positively and negatively — by advertising agencies and their employees, who, in many cases, are 25-year-olds. The irony is overwhelming that the impressions created about retirement are messages developed by juniors who know nothing about seniors. It’s sorrowful, but also damaging and damning. In my book, I prove this beyond any doubt.
So, what we have are either perceptions of retirement bliss, mostly in an effort to sell retirees something, either a product or a service, or retirement angst, also in an attempt to sell us something, but by way of fear of losing everything. There’s no effort to empower retirees, only a well-established effort to devour us.
There is prolific research that shows purposeful advertising impressions of seniors and the elderly to be incompetent, technologically incapable, lonely and sad, without purpose, and to be physically wrinkled, dotted with age spots, and even imagery of us drooling. This couldn’t be further from the truth. My retired friends, and I have hundreds of them, are probably in better shape than people I know who are half their age.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
It’s difficult to whittle it down, but I think your Editor-in-Chief, Thomas Anderson, did an insightful job when he reviewed my book and wrote, “This isn’t a how-to. It’s not about finances and hobbies. It’s about getting honest with yourself. About reckoning with who you’ve been, who you might become, and what matters in the time you have left. For me, it was both a reality check and a relief.” I think that’s right.
And I also think we owe it to ourselves to be ourselves and not what we are supposed to be because of these myths and stigmas that surround seniors and the notion of what retirement is supposed to look like, which, incidentally, we think of as so American. In fact, most of what we know retirement to be is almost completely shaped by what retirement is in other countries and continents. I would also add that it’s important to find your path, not someone else’s, or some guidebook on how to retire happy. There’s no formula, no concoctions, and certainly no elixir that guarantees some sort of happiness spritzer.
What advice do you have for individuals approaching retirement or who have recently entered it?
Of course, the advice I’ve always given to people, whether it’s business advice, retirement advice, or matters of the heart, has always been, “Don’t take my advice!” That said, I will tell you that I’ve heard from dozens of people and reviewers who have received the ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of the book that they wished they had read the book before they retired. I do remind them that it’s never too late.
Aside from the fact that this sounds swollen-headed, and I’m typically not that way, I would say read the book; there’s literally never been any book written about retirement the way this manuscript is written, and certainly nothing has ever been written about the history of retirement from the perspective of an ad man, the unblemished truth, supported by one fact after another, how our perceptions of retirement are not our own, and the notion of failure in retirement transitioning, my own, in such a raw and honest style.
Author Links: LinkedIn | Website
Coming of Age in Retirement: An Advertising Executive’s Story of Revelation and Enlightenment
Tom Marks’s Coming of Age in Retirement is a funny, thoughtful, and eye-opening memoir-meets-social-commentary about stepping away from a high-powered advertising career and fumbling through the uncertain terrain of retirement. In the first half, Marks digs into the historical and cultural origins of retirement, exposing how our modern view of “the golden years” was shaped more by ad campaigns, policy quirks, and economic conditions than by personal reflection or purpose. The second half is deeply personal, as he recounts his own missteps and lessons while transitioning from agency life into something more grounded, honest, and, eventually, peaceful. What starts as a search for what to do in retirement becomes a much deeper look into how to be.
Reading this book felt like sitting across from a sharp, funny, slightly grumpy friend at a diner who’s finally telling you what’s really going on. The writing flows like conversation, sometimes punchy, sometimes tender, often bouncing between sarcasm and sincerity. I liked that Marks wasn’t trying to be a guru. He admits he got it wrong. He planned financially but never thought about the emotional tailspin that can come from losing your title, your schedule, your identity. He makes fun of his own cluelessness while unpacking how the advertising industry (his industry) has long sold seniors a glossy, unrealistic dream. He doesn’t offer rules or routines; instead, he gives raw, reflective stories. And honestly, I felt seen in them.
What stood out most was Marks’s willingness to be messy. He doesn’t tie things up in a bow. He talks about therapy. About shame. About trying too hard and letting go. And while some parts wandered a bit, especially in the sections about industry history, they always led back to something meaningful. His writing style zigzags, like a curious mind darting between memories, jokes, and gut-punch insights. I appreciated that. It made it feel real. Like a person actually figuring life out, not just repackaging answers.
If you’re near retirement, newly retired, or even just burned out and wondering what’s next, this book will resonate with you. I’d especially recommend it to overachievers, late-career professionals, and anyone secretly dreading what happens after the job ends. This isn’t a how-to. It’s not about finances or hobbies. It’s about getting honest with yourself. About reckoning with who you’ve been, who you might become, and what really matters in the time you have left. For me, it was both a reality check and a relief.
Pages: 264 | ISBN : 979-8-992506-6-8
We Need More Thought Leaders
The Second-Best Business Book Ever Written: The Pursuit of Thought Leadership in Sales, Marketing, and Life encourages readers to rethink the principles of leadership and focus on what truly matters: knowledge, authenticity, and the pursuit of a better world. Why was this an important book for you to write?
It was important for several reasons. I was dismayed at the quality of business books that have flooded the market in recent years (as many as 350,000 per year). Nearly all business books are written to capture more business for the author, secure speaking gigs, or raise the author’s hourly rates. I write about that in my book, and there’s little doubt that writing a business book is a terrific lead generation strategy. However, it makes the book less authentic, somewhat suspect in it’s purpose and mission, and more about an alternative motive than the true motive of a book, which is to educate, create curiosity, and drive increased thoughtfulness.
Second, I was the only person in the country teaching thought leadership as part of the disciplines of market leaders all through the lens of the great Greek scholars. It just wasn’t right for me to take this information to my grave. That would have been overtly selfish, and that wasn’t the thinking behind Socrates, his ace student, Plato, and Plato’s top student, Aristotle. Those three philosophers had a great love and respect for education. It was my time to share the doctrines as well.
And finally, we need to begin to align the positive factors that businesses who are thought leaders can have outside the business world. Businesses get a bad rap on their impact on society, and in many cases it’s well-deserved. But thought leaders really do have a worldview beyond the business construct. I think it’s important to show how thought leadership can make people better humans.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
By far and away it’s the notion of Eudaimonia. In part, it’s the Greek notion of happiness, but it doesn’t translate exactly to our happiness because being happy is fleeting. Thought leaders possess Eudaimonia, more aptly defined as a total and constant spirit of well-being. In addition to that, it was important for me to teach how to conduct Voice-of-Customer research (VOC), and how to sell your thought leadership and wisdom through my proprietary Critical Insight Selling technique.
What is one piece of advice you wish someone had given you when you were younger?
Well, for starters, it would have been to stop giving me so much advice. But in the end, I wish someone would have told me to keep a keen eye on the dirty ways of the world. I went into business blinded by so many half-truths. Frankly, around every corner there’s always going to be someone who is trying to game the system, who is more attentive to a money-grab than a grab for goodness, and those pursue shortcuts rather than cutting through the nonsense and doing it right.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your book?
We need more thought leaders in business as well as businesses who embrace the discipline of thought leadership. It’s an actionable business practice that is available to any size company in any industry. So, it’s my sincere hope that people who read this book see the benefits and advantages of pursuing thought leadership. If that happens, we’ll have better business, better business people, and a better world.
Author Links: Facebook | Website
Honesty, in its purest form, is a key characteristic of all thought leaders, so I’m going to hit you with the truth. Many business books today are written for the purpose of winning more business for an author, or acquiring new speaking gigs, and anyone who fits into that camp is A-OK with me. It’s a smart move. But after more than four decades in sales and marketing, I’m beyond those goals. Frankly, it feels great that I’m not anchored to those intentions anymore. I have only one intent in The Second-Best Business Book Ever Written, and that’s to teach the ins and outs of thought leadership to as many people as possible because that’s how corporations, and the individuals who run them, succeed.
There’s a process to becoming a thought leader; it’s methodical, detailed, and rewarding. After all, where’s the amusement in being a price-chopper? Or even a technology leader where the tenure is as short as my nephew’s attention span? The greatest thought leaders started sharing their thinking 2,500 years ago through the teachings of my four favorites: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and Aspasia.
I’m going to travel with you down the thought leadership road, known as the Via Egnatia, from the foothills that rise above Athens to the skyscrapers that tower above Madison Avenue. And along the way, I’m going to show you how I did it for Fortune 500 companies, and for small and midsize businesses, with a few wild detours along the way.
By all accounts, the Green Bay Packers future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers was born with a rock-solid throwing arm and an annoying chip on his shoulder. I’m no Rodgers fan; after all, I was born and raised in inner-city Chicago and have been a Bears fan since birth, but I recognize greatness, and Aaron Rodgers is a great football player. Some of his other qualities? Not so much.
But these aren’t lessons about tackle football. They’re insights about leadership; about what happens off the football field, and on a more important playing field; about greatness in sales, marketing, and business; and about thought leadership, the single most important differentiator in the business playbook.
Or, as Plato not so recently said, obviously unaware of Aaron Rodgers’s famous retreat into darkness, “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.”
I’d like to shed some light on what’s required in business, but frequently misunderstood. What every salesperson needs to know, but doesn’t always know how to achieve it. And what every marketing expert wishes they had in their bag of tricks. To simply say that thought leadership is an essential part of the disciplines of market leaders is like saying a stick is an essential part of a Popsicle. Well, it is, assuming you’re not interested in taste, color, packaging, name, price, quality, and the beat goes on.
Tom Marks survived forty-seven years in the advertising business and has lived to write about it. He’s the founder of TMA+Peritus, one of the leading marketing, thought leadership, and corporate ethics firms in North America and has won more than sixty-five American Advertising Awards for his writing. He spent many years on the professional speakers circuit and survived that, too. His thought leadership workshops for Fortune 500 companies have brought him national acclaim and has made him a favorite among the nation’s CEOs.
The Second-Best Business Book Ever Written: The Pursuit of Thought Leadership in Sales, Marketing, and Life
The Second-Best Business Book Ever Written: The Pursuit of Thought Leadership in Sales, Marketing, and Life presents a refreshing and incisive critique of modern business theories and practices, boldly challenging the conventional wisdom that often dominates the corporate world. Author Tom Marks encourages readers to rethink the principles of thought leadership, a concept he argues has endured since the days of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and Aspasia. According to the author, thought leadership remains timeless, yet many contemporary experts fail to keep pace with the ever-evolving economic landscape, leaving readers without the guidance they need to navigate current challenges.
The author’s perspective on thought leadership is particularly compelling, as he argues that it is not about the size or resources of a company but rather about the adaptability and relevance of its ideas. This approach feels especially pertinent in today’s dynamic business environment. Marks’ book is both insightful and comprehensive, capturing business leadership as an organic, fluid entity that grows and evolves over time. His detailed exploration of his perspective is balanced and open-minded, acknowledging differing opinions while making a strong case for his own views. Marks emphasizes the importance of recognizing and learning from these smaller organizations, which frequently implement innovative practices and philosophies that, while not always in the spotlight, have a significant impact. This point is especially relevant for small business owners, who may find validation and inspiration in Marks’ focus on the value of their experiences. In a commendable display of impartiality and courage, Marks also critiques the pitfalls of modern business strategies, such as the fleeting nature of trends and the hollow promises of so-called thought leaders more interested in self-promotion than genuine innovation. His ability to tie these critiques into the broader theme of the book is a testament to his writing skills and deep passion for the subject. His use of relatable and realistic scenarios helps readers grasp why this is a crucial conversation to have in today’s business world. The book is rich with real-world examples drawn from Marks’ extensive experience working with both large corporations and smaller enterprises. His writing is enlivened by these examples and peppered with sharp quips, making for an engaging and memorable read.
From the moment you encounter the title, it’s clear that The Second-Best Business Book Ever Written is something special. Marks maintains a simplicity and relatability throughout the book that ensures it resonates with a wide audience. This is a thought-provoking read that challenges readers to look beyond the noise of current business trends and focus on what truly matters: knowledge, authenticity, and the pursuit of a better world. Marks’ insights are sure to inspire and resonate with readers, regardless of their background or reasons for picking up the book. This is the kind of book that not only inspires but also drives meaningful impact.
Pages: 296 | ASIN : B0D96MXPY4
LITERARY TITAN 