A discussion of physical age in Leadership…when are you too old to run a company…or a country?
Let’s assume corporate America knows something about the age/ability of Chief Executive officers (CEOs) and ensures that they retire when their performance dims. The current average age of CEOs in the US is around 57-59 years old.
The presidency is very similar - the average age of all US presidents in history is 55 years old (the median or the halfway point is also 55).
The current president was 78 years old when he was inaugurated, beating out the second most senior by eight years (Trump). This is over twenty years older than the average US Presidents age! I understand that lifespan was shorter years ago, so I included the current CEO data.
I looked at 400 random CEOs and found that nine were 70 years old or older, and only one was 80 years old or older.
Where was this discussion with all of the pertinent facts during the election? It certainly was there in the Trump(70 yrs old) and Reagan(70) elections. Democrats were in a bind and needed Biden to run against Trump, so this age factor was overlooked primarily because he ran his campaign from the basement - his age-related issues were still there but harder to see. Suddenly, Democrats are seeing the problem and opining that he can’t run for re-election.
Some want cognitive tests, but that is a partial test - what about stamina, eyesight, hearing, etc.? A reminder here that Trump was goaded into taking a cognitive test which he proudly passed (and demanded that Biden take).
As I am now 70 years old - so, this hits home…but all of my friends I am informally interviewing say that they are not ready to take on the helm of a significant company…or the Presidency of the US. Just for the record, I will also never ride a bike again, or get on the roof, or...I generally know my limits.
An age limit is not part of the constitution … it is limited in most corporations. Can we trust voters to fix this or…?
edit 06.23.2022
Friend Joe got me thinking about Congress so here are the stats:
When are you too Old?
When are you too Old?
When are you too Old?
A discussion of physical age in Leadership…when are you too old to run a company…or a country?
Let’s assume corporate America knows something about the age/ability of Chief Executive officers (CEOs) and ensures that they retire when their performance dims. The current average age of CEOs in the US is around 57-59 years old.
The presidency is very similar - the average age of all US presidents in history is 55 years old (the median or the halfway point is also 55).
The current president was 78 years old when he was inaugurated, beating out the second most senior by eight years (Trump). This is over twenty years older than the average US Presidents age! I understand that lifespan was shorter years ago, so I included the current CEO data.
I looked at 400 random CEOs and found that nine were 70 years old or older, and only one was 80 years old or older.
Where was this discussion with all of the pertinent facts during the election? It certainly was there in the Trump(70 yrs old) and Reagan(70) elections. Democrats were in a bind and needed Biden to run against Trump, so this age factor was overlooked primarily because he ran his campaign from the basement - his age-related issues were still there but harder to see. Suddenly, Democrats are seeing the problem and opining that he can’t run for re-election.
Some want cognitive tests, but that is a partial test - what about stamina, eyesight, hearing, etc.? A reminder here that Trump was goaded into taking a cognitive test which he proudly passed (and demanded that Biden take).
As I am now 70 years old - so, this hits home…but all of my friends I am informally interviewing say that they are not ready to take on the helm of a significant company…or the Presidency of the US. Just for the record, I will also never ride a bike again, or get on the roof, or...I generally know my limits.
An age limit is not part of the constitution … it is limited in most corporations. Can we trust voters to fix this or…?
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