Forever Young

Age in business

I process information and ideas through writing, so I’m excited to get this thought down on “paper”. I’ve been heads down working the last 8 weeks, but one topic keeps coming up in various ways. Age in business.

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Misconception #1

In order to have continued success, we need to ensure the seats at the decision table are all held by people that have done this before. We’ll fail if we let younger, more inexperienced colleagues have too much influence.

Misconception #2

Older employees don’t know what they’re talking about and we should phase them out when we can.

Correct Perspective #1

We should include young minds in decisions both big and small. We may not follow exactly what they suggest, but it’s important that both short-term and long-term strategy is informed by and infused with a fresh, youthful perspective.

Correct Perspective #2

Most cultures around the world have immense respect for elders - why wouldn’t we in business? This is not just for looks or because they necessarily “deserve” it…I’m advocating for a perspective that the men and women who have walked the walk still have highly relevant insights as it pertains to the future of a business, even if they don’t know what Tik-Tok is.

They are an invaluable resource and should not be discounted or disregarded.

Last Thought

As you grow your company, you will do yourself a disservice if you don’t value input and ideas from the entire age spectrum. Is your entire company made up of 20-something rockstars? It’s time to, at a minimum, get 1-2 older advisors / board members.

Are things starting to look a little crusty around the conference room table? You need to push for injecting some youth into important roles within the company.

We need balance - it’s good for us.