When I was young, my view of people in power was simple: politicians, executives, and senior managers were too old. They seemed to block progress, acting as brakes in a world hungry for change. I thought they clung to authority and outdated ideas while we, the younger generation, held the energy and vision.
Today, I see it completely differently.
Time as the Greatest Teacher
What I once misread as slowness is really years of experience—experience you can’t rush or acquire in a crash course.
Leadership demands something only time can give: the humility of failure, the patience of hard-won success, and the wisdom earned from seeing ideas die and be reborn.
Seasoned leaders don’t just possess knowledge; they carry a unique ability to recognize patterns. They’ve lived through crises, seen bubbles burst, and watched how “brand-new” problems are often old challenges in disguise. That creates a calm decision-making style: they don’t panic over every new buzzword or “disruptive” startup. They analyze.
The Power of Failure
Many believe success is the best teacher. I’d argue that failure teaches the most. Anyone who has watched a project collapse, negotiated a deal that fell apart, or had to lay off staff during a downturn knows something no classroom can provide: how to take responsibility when everything unravels.
Senior leaders usually carry a portfolio of such experiences. They know the feeling of a dwindling cash flow or a technology shift that renders an entire product obsolete. That knowledge breeds inner strength—a capacity to make tough calls without panic. It’s why experienced CEOs are often the ones able to steer companies through storm after storm while inexperienced leaders burn out or react rashly.
People Skills at the Core
Technology, markets, and business models change at breakneck speed. But people change more slowly.
Senior leaders have learned to read people: to notice body language, listen between the lines, and see potential in someone who hasn’t yet proven themselves. They know that culture eats strategy for breakfast and that trust is built through everyday actions, not slides in a presentation.
This deep understanding of human nature is invaluable in a data-obsessed era. AI can count, but it can’t care. A senior leader knows when the numbers don’t align with intuition—and dares to trust that intuition when not everything can be measured.
Separating Trend from Substance
We live in a world of hype. Each week brings new buzzwords: metaverse, blockchain, AI agents, quantum computing.
A younger leader may get swept up in excitement. A senior leader has seen similar waves come and go. They are not cynical, but they ask the critical questions:
What problem does this really solve? How does it serve our customers? Is this an investment or a distraction?
That ability can save a company from burning millions on ideas that will never be profitable.
Generational Balance
This doesn’t mean young voices lack value. Far from it—youth brings energy, fresh perspectives, and digital fluency. But innovation without experience can be like fireworks: dazzling, brief, and gone without lasting impact.
The best organizations are therefore multi-generational. Younger colleagues contribute drive and bold ideas; senior leaders provide the big-picture thinking and risk awareness to help those ideas survive past the first wave of hype.
It’s not about silencing the young or letting only the senior decide. It’s about experience guiding while curiosity fuels progress. When those forces unite, true innovation happens.
CEO—and Beyond
Today leadership comes in many forms: the classic CEO, the managing director, even roles like head of SEO (search engine optimization) that shape a company’s digital presence. No matter the title, the core responsibility remains: setting direction and taking responsibility.
A seasoned leader isn’t just a caretaker. They’re a strategist who can see several moves ahead, balancing the next quarter’s results with the company’s health decades from now.
Even in digital arenas, where algorithms dominate, experience matters. Behind every metric are humans—customers, employees, partners—and relationships with them require timing, judgment, and empathy.
Resilience in Uncertain Times
We live in an age of uncertainty: pandemics, geopolitical conflicts, climate change, and rapid technological shifts.
In such a world, resilience is among the most vital leadership traits. Senior leaders often lived through previous crises—oil shocks, the dot-com bubble, the 2008 financial collapse—and carry a mental map for surviving storms. They know that panic can be more dangerous than the crisis itself.
Their calm steadiness reassures teams. Employees who feel safe dare to think creatively and take smart risks instead of acting out of fear.
Leadership as Mentorship
One of the greatest gifts a senior leader can offer is mentorship. By sharing lessons, failures, and victories, they can lift the next generation of leaders. This builds continuity that outlasts any single person.
Mentorship isn’t dictating what to do. It’s asking questions, listening, and offering perspectives only decades of experience can provide. That’s where real magic happens: when wisdom is passed on as lived knowledge, not rigid rules.
Experience Is Not Stagnation
Some argue that senior leaders risk becoming too comfortable, losing curiosity. It can happen—but that’s about attitude, not age.
A leader who keeps their curiosity alive, who continues learning and challenging themselves, only grows stronger with the years. Consider innovators like Warren Buffett or creators who launched new ventures well past retirement age. They prove that experience and evolution can coexist.
Why Society Needs Senior Leaders
We are living longer, healthier lives. Meanwhile, the world faces complex challenges—sustainability, AI ethics, widening inequality—that demand leaders who combine technical understanding with life experience to see long-term consequences.
Systematically excluding people from leadership because they’re over 55 or 60 is not just unfair—it’s irresponsible.
Organizations that invest in senior leaders gain not just expertise but stability and perspective. They get role models who can bridge generations and demonstrate what sustainable work really looks like.
My Own Shift in Perspective
Looking back at my own career, I can clearly see how my view changed. As a young professional, I wanted everything to happen fast. I thought speed equaled progress.
Today I understand that the most valuable decisions are those allowed to mature. The people who inspire me now are not those who moved fastest but those who endured—remaining curious, generous, and brave through every stage of life.
Conclusion: Let Experience Lead
So I say this: A senior should not only be allowed to lead—a senior should lead.
Not because age alone grants authority, but because it provides something no university, app, or quick course ever can: the knowledge of time.
Let’s build organizations where youthful ideas meet seasoned wisdom, where speed and reflection complement each other, where innovation and experience walk hand in hand. That’s how we create companies, communities, and futures that outlast the next trend.
By Chris...