I recently read an article about footballers who continue to ply their trade in the Premiership despite being in their mid 30’s.
The key takeout was that talent might be able to get you to 17 … but it’s character and commitment that gets you to 35.
It was an interesting view, because there’s a lot of parallels with the ad industry.
Let’s be honest, this industry doesn’t like older people.
We’re expensive.
We’re not willing to work the insane hours it likes us to work.
We’re not as connected to society as our younger colleagues.
We’re all a bit cynical about the claims and promises.
Of course, there is a counter-argument, that these are exactly the sort of attributes the ad industry needs more of.
Experience.
Balance.
Understanding.
Pragmatism.
But what bothers me most is the blanket belief that if you’re not in senior management by a certain age, you have nothing to add. That your value is only in managing the business rather than adding to the creativity.
I wrote about how shortsighted this view was ages ago … reinforced by how much I loved Wieden looked for the creativity in the person rather than the age.
Which leads to my point about footballers.
One of the biggest problems when you’re older is people expect you to know it all.
Of course, some people think they do, but there’s this undercurrant that you should.
So any ‘failure’ is seen as a sign of no longer being appropriate.
Any ‘disagreement’ is viewed as a sign you are not a ‘team player’.
And ‘curiorsity’ gets labelled as trying ‘too hard’.
And yet these say far more about the person judging than the person doing it.
Because in my experience, a failure means a willingness to keep pushing boundaries.
Disagreements don’t mean you’re not a team player, you’re someone who wants the team to be better.
And curiosity is a demonstration you want to play an active role in culture rather than just let it pass you by.
Not to mention the declaration of desire.
Because anyone who chooses to keep pushing their standards and knowledge when they could be choosing an easier path is showing just how much they still want it. Especially when the odds are even greater of them ever achieving it, compared to those younger than them.
For me, these are the advertising equivilent of the footballers character and commitment.
Or said another way …
It’s someone who can keep pace with the needs of the team, while adding to the standards and success of it.
Keeping pace is not simply about speed, but relevance, ambition and creativity.
Of course age doesn’t shouldn’t have anything to do with this – I have met just as many younger people without it as much as I have older – but character and commitment does.
And while there is nothing wrong if you don’t subscribe to this, if companies only measure ‘talent’ by age … they’re not just stupid, they’re showing that they don’t actually care about creativity, just the cliche of it.