Leading the Revolution of Older Workers: Someone Has to Do It
Updated: Oct 24
I have been around for a long time. I plan on being active in business for a hell of a lot more time, too. It is my belief that you can perform at a high level for as long as you want. You will have to maintain your health, if that is what you want to do.
Just do it!
I plan on working in some capacity for as long as I am here. You don’t lose your intelligence over time unless there are health issues. I know maintaining your health is easier said than done, but with medical advances, a man in his 50s today can work well into his 80s. And a woman in her 20s may approach the ripe old age of 100 and still be working. Working forever brings up an interesting question.
Do we get smarter over time?
We do, and I know I have. Here's why. I know we are smart people. Let’s cast off the outliers that are more than three standard deviations to the left or right of the mean. That rarefied air is reserved for those who don’t believe the events of 9/11 happened or who have a Kardashian on their side.
On the other side, are Einstein and anyone who can explain Quantum Physics. There is a pretty narrow band between the smartest and dumbest of all us who make up most of the distribution. I know what makes the difference are the experiences we have along the way. If you are open to accepting them and using them to create further experiences, you, by definition, become smarter. Kind of a pyramid of experiences for all to draw on as we scale it.
The good thing about business is that there is no real retirement age. We are not like an aging ballplayer whose physical skills deteriorate over time. To the contrary, we, like wine, get better with time. The fermentation of the culmination of our experiences makes the difference. If you are not advancing now, it may be that you have chosen not to. Or you have selected the wrong experience to consume. If you choose poorly, the experiences you create for others will not be effective.
Yeah, man, it is on us. On you. On me.
I am not trying to be Tony Robbins here. The best thing I ever learned over time is that the experiences you choose to be part of in turn affect the ones you create. I once had a job that is a great example of making a bad choice. I accepted an almost impossible role reinventing marketing and sales at a company. Five others had tried and failed to do this in a short period. I didn’t research this enough. I was confident the team I brought in could do the impossible - change a culture as well as market and sell a struggling product. That’s tough, especially when you have no money to spend and a lack of support from management.
It was so difficult that the experience I created for my team did not allow them to perform at their best. As a result, the company didn’t maximize its investment in us. So several of us left to seek a new experience. I did leave the company better than I had found it and felt reassured in that.
They don’t all work out.
If you are open to understanding that it is ok to move on, then you should do just that. In fact, I should have done that earlier. That’s a real lesson from a real experience.
I am certain about one thing - it will turn out great, and I will be performing at a higher level in the future. I know we can all be effective in business for many more decades. In fact, I know I am at my absolute best right now. I also know that we all are, regardless of age. And most importantly, we will be improving and performing at a high level for a very long time.
My best, Chris
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