I Don't Really Care What You Think

And Get Off My Lawn

In the last two months the Wall Street Journal ran three articles that elicited a visceral revulsion and actual snarl.

First, I was told that Gen Z thinks everyone is doing the heart sign wrong. Then I read that, according to Gen Z, how people wear their socks can cause them to look old. Then, I was informed that there is a generational divide on what the word “brat” means.

Now as a father of three amazing Gen Z children, and someone who teaches ~350+ wonderful Gen Z students per year, what went through my head when reading these articles was,

“Who gives a crap what these rookies think?”

I mean, really? These people are in their mid-twenties. Why does the Wall Street Journal think that someone my age would seek their approval? For anything.

I didn’t know diddly squat when I was in my twenties, and now, as someone who teaches hundreds of people a year in that age group, I can assure you that nothing has changed. They are still young and foolish like we all were at that age.

Then Clint Eastwood flashed into my mind, and I imagined his words coming out of my mouth…

I began to wonder why I was having such a primal reaction to these articles. Was it my not liking getting old?

Sure, maybe I’m becoming a grumpy old man. But I don’t think that’s the important part of the story here.

(Humor me. Please keep reading.)

I’ll be honest — I’m proud of where I am at this phase in my life. My wife, Debbie, and I launched three amazing children who are kind, thoughtful and good people. They each have a college degree and are finding their ways in the world.

We busted our asses, and for the first time in three decades, we have a modicum of financial stability.

I feel like I’m helpful to others in my career.

Throughout history younger generations have always conflicted with older generations (e.g. “Don’t trust anyone over 30.”). But something different is happening now when it comes to age.

I remember when one of my venture fund’s limited partners told me,

“Venture capital is a young person’s game. History shows that almost all great investments by VCs were made when they were in their 30s or early 40s.”

According to this person, I was too old for my job before I had even reached middle age.

During the span of my professional life, I have noticed subtle signs of a changing dynamic in business — acutely so in Silicon Valley. I grew up where companies were started by young people, but these leaders were engaged and respected as they aged: Grove, Moore, Hewlett, Noyce, Packard, Gates, and even Jobs at the end. One’s CV (or LinkedIn profile) used to be a measure of how much one had accomplished.

But in the last decade, I noticed how the messaging changed — one’s bio has become much more about, “Are you still current? Are you involved in the latest hot area?”

Ok, boomer.

Perhaps Michael Lewis saw this first when he published, “The New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story” in 1999. In a world that celebrates a Schumpeterian creative destruction enabled by technology, perhaps newness is valued more than wisdom.

The desire not to age garners headlines and even elicits discussions about “warring factions” on how to beat what is inevitable.

(By the way — does anyone else notice the irony of using the phrase “warring factions” in the context of immortality? Just sayin…)

At its worst, you see “mature leaders” trying to look cool on TikTok, and before that, Snapchat. Or politicians trying not to look old by doing young people’s dance moves.

When I shared these observations with my wife, she wondered if this is really any different than our cultural obsession with youth in the movies, with how beauty is defined, and the amount of money that women are encouraged to spend on anti-aging products.

(It is worth noting that Amy Schumer’s hilariously inappropriate and frighteningly on-point video about a woman’s last f**kable day came to mind while Debbie and I were chatting…)

What I really wondered is why the Wall Street Journal feels compelled to play on people’s insecurities. Getting old is hard enough. Staying current is difficult. And one of the world’s leading business publications thinks that writing repeated articles about aging and making people feel bad about it is a good idea? I guess even the Wall Street Journal succumbs to clickbait.

And they can get off of my lawn, too.

In the end I circle back to an idea that was raised about five years ago — the value of blending “fresh eyes” and “wise eyes.” In our course on Systems Leadership we discuss the many dualities needed for today’s leaders — understanding both the internal and external of an organization, excelling at execution and innovation, personifying ambition and stewardship, etc. Today’s leaders need to be able to have both types of competencies as individuals — not just in their organizations.

In the context of these articles, leaders at all levels need to embrace the best of discovering what is new in the world, while at the same time learning from our experiences. They must simultaneously run towards disruption given that change is inevitable and happening with increasing speed, but also realize that George Santayana was right when he said that those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

So, the Wall Street Journal and Gen Z think I am old and want to tell me repeatedly about it? And that I’m doing things wrong because I’m old?

Guess what? I am old. I’m 56. I’m Dad.

And I’m totally fine with that.

Gen Z is judging how I make the heart sign, the way I wear my socks, and whether I interpret the word “Brat” the way Charli XCX does?

I don’t really care.