As we grow older, it’s natural to become more conservative in our choices and there is a really good reason for it. Younger people, with less experience to draw on, often learn best through experimentation. For leaders, this can be maddening to watch, especially if you’re guiding teenagers at home or early-career professionals at work. It’s part of the growth process as trial and error builds the wisdom they don’t yet have.
With age, leaders accumulate experience to guide decision-making, and at the same time, we have less time ahead to reap the rewards of risky experiments. The result? A natural pull toward caution. I think great leadership lies in recognising this tension: protecting against reckless risk while still creating space for others to explore, learn, and grow.
