05 May 2010, Posted by Josh Allan Dykstra in Leadership, Legacy, Life, 1 Comment. Tagged culture, gen Y, growth, ideas, shifts, strengths, talent

Age Has Nothing To Do With How Old You Are

Age really doesn’t have much to do with age.

A person’s true age is more about their mentality than anything else.

You’ve no doubt noticed that a twenty-five year old can be more mature than their forty-five year old boss. Or the other way around. Your grandfather can be more technologically adept than a high schooler. Or the other way around.

A person’s actual age doesn’t really matter as much as the individual’s background, personality, interests, and maturity.

This is a real problem for people who like to stereotype individuals based on generational definitions. Generational breakdowns become limiting very quickly.

This is also an issue in most organizations. We think age=experience=wisdom, but what about when it’s not?

Leaders need a better way to measure and assess the capabilities of individuals. Talent assessment is a step in the right direction, and the piece most often overlooked (particularly in recruiting). I believe there are two other pieces; more on this soon.

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UPDATE: Here are the other two pieces!

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