Wise. Then Irrelevant?

I'm concerned about becoming wise. After that often comes irrelevance.

I have a client who's two decades senior to me. He's right almost all of the time. Not just about concerns in his specific industry, but on myriad complex social and organizational issues. Thats my goal, too.

By my own design, today we have partners who are 10 to 20 years younger than me both in advisory and ops. When we first opened the firm we sought out those a decade or more senior, and they made their good mark on me, our clients and our culture. Last year or two I recognized that it was time to replace them in terms of the daily work. That was tough. But younger people are hungry and the pie only splits well so many times. Some decisions make themselves.

A few I've learned from, like my client above, remain relevant and wise decades from my soon coming half century mark. Others, like some I've moved on from, were still wise but became less relevant as early as their mid-50's. Yet others never became wise no matter their age, which eventually made their high relevance alone irrelevant. You have to regularly engage to remain valuable.

So then, on to the fear and the antidote. Acknowledging the fear of remaining truly relevant is what gives strong players longevity in the game well in to their second half. The recognition that new experiences and ongoing learnings expose both the gap and the bridge to being an asset to team and clients alike. Ultimately, you can't ride your own coat tails.

When you try and fail to find relevance or wisdom in one setting, thats simply an indication that it's time for your next act.