One Big Leadership Fail of My Generation

Almost everywhere I go, I see evidence of older leaders (from Generation X and the baby boomer cohorts) who are hesitant to turn over leadership positions to younger generations (from the millennial and Generation Z cohorts). When I ask why the veterans are slow on the draw to turn things over to younger colleagues, the seasoned vets reply: 

• They’re not ready. 
• They don’t understand leadership.  
• They will do things differently.  
• They’ll make mistakes.  

When I pause to reflect on these reasons, I draw one conclusion. It’s still our fault that we are not transferring power to the emerging population of leaders. If they’re not ready, we should be getting them ready. If they don’t understand leadership, we must model better leadership. If we fear they’ll do things differently, stop to reflect on where things stand now, and you’ll see how much we need a change. (In almost every industry, we’ve clung to antiquated methods and failed to reinvent ourselves to be relevant.) Finally, if we worry they’ll make mistakes, we need to remember, we made our own back in the day. Often, it’s the only way people will learn.  

Consider the “old guard” that’s been in power in Washington over the last several years:  

• Anthony Fauci is 84  
• Klaus Schwab is 84  
• George Soros is 94  
• Nancy Pelosi is 82  
• Mitch McConnell is 80  
• Joe Biden is 80  
• Bernie Sanders is 82 
• Hilary Clinton is 75 
• Donald Trump is 76. 

Not one person from Generation X has ever been elected president. Baby boomer leaders or Builder generation leaders have controlled the White House for decades. It’s time we equip the next generation and then trust the next generation to take the reins. The primary job of leaders is to create more and better leaders. Especially in times of disruption and change, we must prepare, not just protect. If they seem fragile it’s because we raised them to be fragile. History is made by young entrepreneurs who lead the way. Want proof? Look at our founding fathers: 

• James Monroe was 18  
• Aaron Burr was 20  
• Alexander Hamilton was 21  
• James Madison was 25  
• Thomas Jefferson was 33  
• John Adams was 40  
• George Washington was 44 

The time to turn over power to the young is not when we’re ready to give it, but when they’re ready to take it. It’s time we step up to equip young leaders, then step aside to cheer them on.