[6cxs2hd6]

Top managers are traditionally drawn from the ranks of 50-somethings. Sure, that's partly due to a retirement age of 65, and partly a function of institutional ladder-climbing. But not just that. Someone in their 50s has a few decades of experience. Almost every situation or problem reminds them of something they've already seen or solved before. Intuition or gut instinct draws on experience, therefore it improves with experience.

Now, I wouldn't argue that someone in their 50s (or older) is prima facie better than someone younger. Just that they're not automatically worse.

p.s. You could argue that "too much experience" can be a bad thing, and blind someone to innovation. Although that's a good point I'd argue that the issue isn't too much experience, instead it's usually too narrow experience and/or too little ability to process it effectively.

[hakkasan]

Yes, my grandpa actually said that when you are young you are freer creatively and take greater risks. This doesn't always lead to better outcomes but it gives you access to opportunities you wouldn't get later in life. Likewise, as you've pointed out, when you are older, your experience opens a different set of doors.

[pjmorris]

This echoes one of my favorite lines from Lawrence of Arabia, at the end, in Damascus: Lawrence of Arabia: Prince Feisal: "There's nothing further here for a warrior. We drive bargains. Old men's work. Young men make wars, and the virtues of war are the virtues of young men. Courage and hope for the future. Then old men make the peace. And the vices of peace are the vices of old men. Mistrust and caution. It must be so."