The 2012 winners of "the Encore Prize," the purpose of which is to "invest in people over 60 who are changing the world." A good idea, but the foreseeable consequence of the aging of the Baby Boomers, who always think that whatever they are doing just now is world-beatingly awesome.
Baby Boomers, who always think that whatever they are doing just now is world-beatingly awesome.
ReplyDeleteBut in my case, it's not just what I'm doing now, but what I've always been doing, that's world-beatingly awesome.
[g]
Eric Hines
Reminds me of a relevant story.
ReplyDeleteA good friend of mine from high school, fluent in all things Chinese who used to teach business English in China and is now involved in international business, went on an epic rant last week about the legion of baby boomers he has to work with. His main points were that 1) they think they know everything and are the best at everything, even though their collective stupidity is sinking their business, and 2) they are holding back *our* generation.
Essentially, their combination of arrogance and longevity stifles the infusion of fresh blood. Not only are there fewer absolute positions available when the boomers stay in the workforce forever, they are obstinately resistant to new ideas that they didn't come up with themselves (and the people who think them).
Case in point: he's finally convinced his boomer boss to pursue an operational strategy vis-a-vis China that my friend told him he needed to pursue literally before he ever worked for the guy (which Chinese custom demands and Chinese law almost, but not quite, requires). But boss wanted to do his own thing. Company hemorrhaged money. Now, boss wants to change tacks to do what my friend always said, and thinks it's his own idea and it's a great strike of inspiration. After blowing hundreds of thousands of precious startup dollars chasing ghosts. And my friend, overworked and frustrated out of his mind, is stuck there because other opportunities for guys our age don't exist.
And if these guys' arrogance [i]does[/i] sink the business, then my friend (the only one keeping it afloat, since he's the only one who can speak Chinese) is the one who gets screwed; the boomer bosses are already rich. He will be rendered penniless, indebted, and unemployed because his arrogant, idiot boomer bosses ignored his expertise for which they supposedly hired him.
You don't buy a dog and then wag the tail yourself. That's one of the most basic rules of good management.
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