The discussion around Old Age often revolves around health and retirement, but a crucial element is the role older adults play—or are allowed to play—in society’s most visible and influential positions. We frequently see debate about the age of politicians, judges, CEOs, and university professors. This raises a provocative question: Is there an age at which wisdom and experience become a burden, and should we establish mandatory retirement or “handover” rules to ensure a flow of young blood and new ideas into leadership?
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One of my greatest annoyances when at work was the recent hires expecting rapid promotion and expecting to be given big roles when they had not proven themselves much at all. Then the other annoyance was the 30-something over-confident, without self-doubt senior executive, resplendent with their MBA, making business changing decisions without really understanding the implications. Then running off to another role while everyone else picks up the mess they left. Here lack of experience and foolishness of the young become a burden.
So apart from that, perhaps, it can be useful to move on tired, unimaginative, cynical, stuck in their ways older managers. But moving them on just because they’ve reached a certain age - no.
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Yes, there ought to be age limits but there’s no one-size-fits-all solution nor should there be a difference between normal employees and leading positions in the public service. Lately, there’s has been a lot of talk about a range of 7 to 10 years once a person has turned 60, within which retirement is possible for everyone and people in leading positions should be checked if they are still up to the job.
As to politicians, for their last mandate they should not be older than 65 on election day. Judges and professors should leave their job like normal employees, currently at 67. Since they are not paid with public money, managers should decide for themselves when to retire.
It’s not wisdom and experience which may become a burden, but convenience and self-complacency arising from the enormous power and influence they have. Let’s not forget the physical and mental constraints which make themselves felt and which are often hidden. Elder people still have a plethora of opportunities to make a contribution to society but none of them should be linked to power and decision-making.
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It’s a difficult one … there was a time when the more mature person was respected and valued for their experience, and dare I say … wisdom.
In the main I think that still holds true but there are instances where old does not equate with best and everyone has to be judged on merit.
If we’re not talking specifically age and more about freeing up jobs for the younger generation that might be different.
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Are you going to tell Donald and Putin they’re on the retirement heap? 
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If I had a say, yes, but you know that we’re just ventilating ideas and that this discussion again is purely academic.
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I happen to agree with you …
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I worked my way up the tree. And I always kept at least one hand on my profession & even volunteered One day a week. To the lowest rung during covid, as that was where hands were most needed & why should senior managers be exempt from doing their part? Yes, the NHS would collapse without it’s professionals. People like it’s nurses, doctors, etc. But it equally needs it’s cleaners, nursing assistants, porters etc.
From my experience, I would say many older senior managers have much to give. But recent practical experience of the job, is all too often, not a quality they possess. And that for me is a huge disadvantage over younger colleagues. How can you manage a work force & provide a service, if you do not fully understand what it is that your employees do & what it is that your customers / service users want & need?
It is not age that should force anyone out. Be that senior, or middle management. It is relevance.
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We removed an incompetent incapable of basic management company which is a licensed management company in the community I live in as we have an HOA it was an assembly line of grossly inept young people , perhaps just the way these companies operate .
We stopped with the management company all together and hired a retired Nurse and her assistant retired hotel manager and never looked back so not sure younger generation is guaranteed better
I think it’s important to have a mixture of talent based purely on merit but of course in the real world it’s who you know
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Virtually everything. In the Caucasian world. !!
From Polling to Opinions.
Is 50/50 + or - 10%. [ie Balanced]
Forcing Any Sector OUT Of Relevance.
Is inviting Dictatorialism.
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I hope (but your wording is so obscure it is hard to tell - learn to communicate) that you are suggesting something about white entitlement.
Too much testosterone in young blokes and probably in the women as well these days…
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I ain’t goin to retire, I like the cash 
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I see the opposite as find plenty genuinely addicted to those phones .
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Part of the problem these days is that there is no longer a “job for life” , Employees are expected to move on to different fields and employers.
When I started work it was highly likely that you would retire from the company that you started with whereas these days that is considered a fault.
Employees change firms to take up leadership roles and tend not to be promoted from within.
Whether that is good or bad I cannot say.
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I worked for the same plumbing company in Albany for decades , we would be sent all over casinos , hotels , restaurants , etc .
The owner was a true professional , honest and cared that things done correctly .
He passed on , his grandson who was none of that inherited the company and pretty much all of us retired or left , the company went under 2 years after his grandson took over .
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I think people had more respect for the company they worked for if it was a family business and they regularly had contact with old bloke who was head of the family/company.
Companies today are just faceless and probably run by some foreign consortium with no apparent boss except the supervisor/foreman in charge of you.
No loyalty from either side is the result.
We (the British public) voted in a very young Tony Blair (43) and look where that got us…Spit…Tosser!
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I am not so sure. There are plenty of jobs such as the Police & the NHS, where it can be a job for life. Even if various roles during that career involve changing location & interviewing.
The only difference now. Is that I had the opportunity for a funded degree/ training. To start my career. Where now you need to fund your own training. But once qualified, you can do an employer funded degree as part of the staff development/retention process.
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And voted him in again when he was 47 and again when he was 51 … so he must have been doing something right for quite a while.
Whereas Liz Truss was also young, 47, when she became prime minister (not by popular vote one must add). And she, wait for it, very much still 47 when she got kicked out for close to screwing the economy. So she must have been doing nothing right.
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