I’ve been thinking about this idea of authority and age, in terms of business, lately. The thoughts have been spurred by some interesting feedback I’ve gotten recently (and not so recently). I’ve heard a lot of people, in my industry (online business) and back when I worked at a job, tell me directly (or indirectly, as the case may be): Shut up. I’m older and wiser than you are. I can’t listen to what you’re saying or acknowledge what you’re doing because of your age. And because of your age, I’m convinced that you couldn’t possibly add any value to this topic.
Perhaps they’re right, considering my initial response is to want to smack around anyone who hints at such a thing. Which is probably not the most mature way to think. 
But, just for clarification here, and not because I feel like I need to justify myself to anyone (because I don’t), I’m not your average 23 year old. And that’s all you need to know.
So I’ve been pondering these questions. Do authority and age go hand-in-hand? Do people listen to and take seriously someone younger than they are who has more experience than they do? Are we subconsciously paying attention to this “older = wiser” stereotype, even if we say we aren’t? Do you have to prove yourself twice as much when you’re young? Do wisdom and age go hand-in-hand?
Here’s what I think.
Unfortunately, authority and age, and wisdom and age, both go hand-in-hand.
And I say that’s unfortunate because I feel like a lot of young people in the business world get dismissed as being near worthless because they’re not a little bit older, and thereby a little bit wiser.
A good example is my friend Erica Douglass, who recently did a post on a great blog called Get Rich Slowly. Just read the comments. Erica has done some great things in her life, and has some great wisdom to share because of it. But it seems like some people want to focus on her age and use that as a reason to discredit her. If she were 45, I don’t think her credibility, and authority on the topic in which she wrote, would have been under such attack.
Sometimes if you’re young, and you want to be taken seriously, you’re going to have to put in double the work, have double the success to show for it, and strongly make your presence known.
In the business world, if you’re older, you command a level of respect right off the bat. If you’re young, suddenly you need to try really hard to earn that respect – even if you’re running circles around others. I know that’s the game I had to play at my last job. And I’m not into playing games and wasting time – so I quit. I guess I made my presence known then.
And I don’t even think we’re aware that we’re prejudging people.
I know I’m not aware of it most of the time. But I’m becoming aware of it. I’ve made a conscious decision to judge the authority and merit of people based on their accomplishments – not their age. And I’ve been exposed to a whole host of new authorities in the online business world.
So here’s a situation for you. Let’s say two people have the same amount of experience, in blogging and social media (since we’re all probably familiar with those realms). Are you more likely to know, like, and trust the older person, or the younger person? And why?
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