By Lauren McGrath and Ella Tobias Patti Temple Rocks has held a variety of titles throughout her 40 years in the communications field before ageism activist became a part of the list. But whatever title she’s holding – whether it’s writer, speaker, manager or mentor – what’s most important is that she’s still not done, and is fighting for people to have the power in making that decision. ![]() Temple Rocks has worked in public relations, advertising and marketing throughout her career, holding senior leadership positions in all three areas of communications. Describing herself a “pin ball” in the industry, her career began at Dow Chemical Company in the communicator development program where’d she come back more than two decades later as Chief Communications Officer. In between, she worked for PR agencies Golin and Lesnik (now KemperLesnik) running major accounts such as Burger King and Bacardi. She then ran her own business for 10 years before returning to Golin to run the McDonald’s account. After her return to Dow for almost four years, she then moved to Leo Burnett Worldwide to serve as Chief Reputation Officer before returning to Golin for the final time to manage the Chicago office. Patti’s involvement with ageism started with a simple observation. After witnessing her boss, an executive woman with a long history at the company, be treated differently (and not in a good way) due to age bias, Temple Rocks said, “I had every intention of making sure that what happened to my friend and my boss never happened to me.” Despite the fact she was only in her mid-fifties at the time, Temple Rocks ended up experiencing what it felt like to be treated differently due to an incorrect (and ageist) assumption that she might be ready to stop working. As she told us, that couldn’t have been farther from the truth and the job she was offered did not feel like a substantive or needed role. In response to her initially turning down the job her boss asked, “How much longer do you want to work anyway?” and she knew it was time to move on. This common assumption that employees over 50 are looking to retire when they haven’t expressed it themselves is what Patti is working to eliminate.
|
||||
Statistics show that ageism is the most widely felt form of discrimination by far but is the least reported. A major step in fighting this discrimination is creating awareness about it. When asked what young professionals can do to help fight this stigma, Patti had straightforward yet effective advice:
When asked what she believes to be the most important skills for success in the communications industry, she said empathy – which is beneficial in the field, as well as in DEI efforts. Empathy is essential in the work of communications, as success lies in getting people to feel something – which can only effectively be done if you can truly understand your audience. In the same way, Patti believes that empathy is a major factor in fighting discrimination of any kind, ageism included. DEI efforts aim to increase understanding and empathy, thereby reducing workplace discrimination. Patti is an advocate for fighting ageism in the workplace because every age brings value to an organization – and who is it for someone else to tell a professional when they are done? There is value in all. Each generation brings its own unique perspective to the mix – as Patti said, “working together is where the magic happens.”
|