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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 History shows they'll roll their eyes at the (supposed) outdated advice from the advisors and ignore their wisdom.


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


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.




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