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This is how it should be to be honest, and in tech everything gets compressed because of how fast it moves.

- Energy of the young -- doers

- Leadership of the middle aged -- management

- Wisdom of the elderly -- advisors

It feels like so often we put the elderly in this executive roles, when really they should have a seat at the table, but not be the preeminent decision makers.

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Sounds like an exercise in futility -- why would the young "doers" listen to the elder "advisors"? History shows they'll roll their eyes at the (supposed) outdated advice from the advisors and ignore their wisdom.

Wisdom of the elders usually comes in the form of reasons not to do X. If the young doers heeded all of our elders' advice all of the time, we would be cautioned and red-taped into not accomplishing anything in a meaningful timeframe. As a young doer, I politely listen to the advice of my elders, accept about half of it as truth, and privately roll my eyes at the other half. As an elder, the best you can do is try to deliver your advice effectively so it lands in the first half.

Oversimplification but often I think it's:

Elderly wisdom <=> Middle-aged evaluation <=> Youthful application

The problem occurs when this doesn't line up with management structures and you get

Elderly dictation => Middle-aged helplessness => Youthful disillusionment

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