What impact will abolishing the compulsory retirement age have?

"What you have to know about this session is that I am me and I am not going to change". That was the opening line of a coaching session I recently undertook. I was sitting in front of a Swiss-German senior vice president with whom I had spent the previous two and a half days (and his team) and I could see by the look in his eyes that he meant it.

"I mean, it's a bit late to try and change who I am isn't it?  I’m 59 - considering how much time I've really got left here, I just want to do the best job I can and go home to my wife and see the grandchildren as often as I can without annoying my son-in-law too much."

What he wanted me to realise was that this session wasn’t going to be like talking to one of his younger colleagues who would be racking their brains and worrying about what they are doing wrong and what they can improve.