34

What comes to mind when you think of the number 34?

If you are an Auburn fan, you might think of Charles Barkley (who also played for the Philadelphia 76ers and the Phoenix Suns), or Shaquille O’Neal with the Lakers or Walter Payton who played for the Chicago Bears. Then, of course, there’s Bo Jackson who wore number 34 for Auburn and is the only athlete in history to be named an All-Star in both baseball and football.

If you are into numerology, the number 34 is associated with introspection an inner wisdom and intuitive creativity.

Those of you who are musically minded, might think of the song #34 by the Dave Matthews Band.

There are, of course, many more noteworthy connections to the number 34, but for our purposes, we offer a different take because 34 is an important age professionally.

All at Age 34

For instance, Evan Williams co-founded Twitter at age 34 and now has a net worth of more than $2 billion. At 34, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry, wrote The Star-Spangled Banner. We can go way, way back and acknowledge that Augustus—at age 34—became the master of the Roman world after defeating Antony and Cleopatra’s forces in a naval battle.

What we have seen, historically, in our coaching programs is that 34 is the age when a lot of businesspeople reach a kind of tipping point regarding influence and success. It’s the age when they want to be—and often expect to be—in leadership roles. It’s the age when they focus most intently on making a difference professionally.

We see this a lot in our work with family businesses, too. This is the age when a son, daughter or son- or daughter-in-law who might have been in the business for three, five or maybe even 10 years, now wants to be a person of influence in the company and assume more of a leadership role. They no longer want to be told what to do; they want to be part of the decision-making process deciding exactly what should be done.

Also, I’ve seen in my coaching experience that this is the age when young partners tend to break away from their current company and start their own, new firms. Whatever it is they are doing, they think they can do it better.

As a matter of fact, I was 34 when I started my consulting practice.

Let’s, for a moment, consider this from a trade or craftsman’s guild standpoint—an educational system that has been in place for centuries. When someone first starts their career, they are considered to be an apprentice. With enough experience and practice, they become a journeyman. Then, with even more experience and knowledge, they can become a master of their trade. With a certain level of mastery comes the desire and the capability for influence and leadership. In Medieval times, the term master meant “one who controls or has authority.”

It’s a Critical Age for Your Business

So, here’s today’s takeaway: Spend time considering the future of those people in your company who are in their early- to mid-thirties. Put some effort into their professional development. Are they your company’s next leaders? If so, invest in them. Help them embrace the idea of having greater influence. Guide them so that they, in turn, can foster the next successful generation in your workplace.

If you don’t do this before (but certainly around) the critical age of 34, you could be encouraging discontent. And that discontent might lead to unwanted competition.

Think about it.