It is not uncommon for large organizations to have elderly people as senior management team. However, there is a belief that young people should also be given opportunities to exercise leadership. Personally I agree with this view
Admittedly, having elderly people as leaders or directors in organizations bring various benefits. First, there is no denying that the old have rich experience in management and tend to have big-picture thinking and long-term vision. They are more considerate when it comes to making important decisions and therefore can drive things in the right direction. Besides, compared to young people, the old generation is generally more persevere and strong-willed when facing adversity. This is particularly vital for emerging companies, since competition is increasingly fierce in today’s commercial society. By contrast, the young generation is immature and many are often spoilt and less responsible. If they are granted senior positions, they may make impulsive decisions due to lack of experience and the future of a company is likely to be at risk.
However, admitting the defects of young people does not mean they have no advantages and are not eligible for leadership. To begin with, young people are more creative and receptive to new ideas. For a company or an organization, fresh blood is always in need in order to keep the management team more innovative and productive. In addition, young people who have great passion in leadership should be encouraged to take important positions. Some new graduates, for example, have developed leadership skills through various extra-curriculum activities or social practices and showed their potential in certain fields before they left campus. After several years' service and experience accumulation in workplace,
they deserve more challenging tasks and holding top positions is an effective way to tap into their leadership potential.
My view is that despite lack of experience, young people should be encouraged to be leaders and take more responsibilities. In order to make up for their shortcomings and fulfill their missions, related training before they exercise leadership and mentoring programs by the old generation at workplace are essential.
