Old dogs and old tricks

IS ADVANCED AGE a barrier to providing value to an organization?

CEOs appointed in their mid-forties to take over a company under an orderly succession plan may not bother to challenge the enigma — Can you teach an old dog new tricks? Is it easier to just retire them? Aren’t they likely to be resistant to change? A recruited leader from outside the company wants to justify his signing bonus and disrupt the status quo on Day One.

Even when the selection committee of the board does not specify an age limit for new leadership positions, it has in mind a person south of 50 years of age. Attributes like dynamic, energetic, even disruptive attach more naturally to a youthful person, not someone who routinely gets a senior discount even when he doesn’t present any proof of age. (Do you want warm water?)

Business organizations have a mandatory retirement age as part of their corporate governance practice. After an executive blows out the one fat candle on his cake to represent 65, he may already be out of breath by the time he leaves the party. The much younger ones who stay on to eat the cake don’t have to worry about blood sugar levels.

There can be exceptions to this exit tradition, usually reserved for those in charge of the rules. Unlike the academic tradition, those past the retirement age don’t need to use the suffix of “emeritus.”

Bias against age (sometimes called “ageism”) is pernicious when used to dismiss somebody in a discussion simply by describing him as old without bothering to refute the points he is making. (Can you wait for your turn?) Age can sometimes be enough reason for being ignored — let’s hear what the others have to say.

Certain occupations revere old age.

High priests in the Aztec culture in charge of human sacrifice were old, but the tribe paid careful attention to what they were saying — is he asking me to come forward? Most religions too respect age in their leader.

In ancient Rome, the senate (Senatus) was intentionally composed of “senex” or old people. They were presumed to lack ambition and could therefore be impartial in their deliberation. Of course, they could still promote conspiracies including assassination, as in the case of Julius Caesar. (Note, we are referring here to the Roman senate.) Budget insertions are a relatively modern development of a different group of senators.

In listed companies, wise old men and women are relegated to the board level to provide oversight and corporate governance to the organization. They nod and ask occasional clarificatory questions — Is that for this year or last?

Billionaires, among the top 20 wealthiest in the world, can have hair growing out of their nostrils and still be accorded respect punctuated by genuflections. Warren Buffet at 95 years old is still taken seriously, even quoted by business media. Just for laughs, Buffet can post online a duet with Paul Anka singing “My Way” with different lyrics.

Is there still the compulsion to brag in one’s old age? There’s no need to post foreign outings with much younger colleagues in front of the Eiffel Tower. What about expensive watches on a display rack being rotated for winding, or a lavish home in a foreign country? And an umbrella is just an umbrella. It doesn’t come with a car.

Still, ageism can infect even its own targets.

Old people don’t like to look too old. The need to look even just a bit younger has spawned a whole industry promoting the fountain of youth. Anti-aging pills, organic diets, body massages (not necessarily with soap and water), hair dyes, and surgical enhancements are available. Stem cell regeneration is also becoming an option for those who can afford it.

John Cleese roots for a higher number of years in the battle between the ages when he says, “Age and treachery will always overcome youth and skill.” This can be quite comforting for old dogs and their old tricks. Unfortunately, age doesn’t always trump youth, when the rules of engagement have already changed… as well as those who declare winners and losers.