When you have hair this particular shade of blonde like I have…okay gray…you inherently carry a certain perception.
Most people see it and immediately think you have some experience, wisdom, and authority.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth: Time doesn’t equal growth, it only measures a scale of duration, not progress.
Here’s a prime example I experienced recently:
I’ve been playing drums for two years now.
When I recently got on stage with a group of teenagers in the music school rock band, people assumed I was the seasoned guy. By far, I wasn’t and I’m not.
I’m there because that’s my level and I’m good with that – because it’s honest.
Many times in business, we do the opposite; we let age and tenure create artificial credibility.
We promote people because they’ve been around – as I like to say “they’ve just hung onto the last rung long enough.”
We pay attention to these voices because they sound experienced and we assume longevity = leadership.
In reality some people have 20 years of growth and others have 20 years of repetition. Those are definitely not the same thing.
When leaders build a culture around the age assumption, they get stagnation disguised as stability, organizational structure that protects comfort – not performance, and young talent that learns to stay quiet instead of step up.
Real leadership requires a different view.
Not “How long have you been doing this?”; but, “Are you actually good at this right now?”
Because the market doesn’t care how long you’ve been in the game and neither do your customers. This seems to be a factor only leaders obsess about.
If you’re leading a team, here’s the important question: Are you rewarding time served or value created?
One builds momentum and the other builds mediocrity with seniority.
And sometimes the most honest place you can be – at any age – is in the “kid band,” still learning, still earning your seat.