Q
I'm
55 years old and I was recently
hired to head a human resource
department. I feel like
my age may pose as a hindrance
to my effectiveness at work.
- Black
Ninja, Makati
City
R.A.H.
Elbo
is
the managing advisor of
Kairos Management Technologies
and acting president of
Kaizen Institute
of the Philippines, both
consulting and training
companies.
Need some answers
to your HR problems?
Contact us at:
consultant@trabaho.com
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Newly
Hired at 55
A
Let
me share an anecdote from Fr.
Frank Mihalic, SVD:
A
professor was discussing the dangers
of alcohol with his class. He
set two glasses on the desk, one
filled with water, and the other
with gin. He dropped an earthworm
into each glass. In the water,
the worm wriggled energetically,
while the other died in the glass
of alcohol.
"What
can you conclude from this?"
the professor asked.
A
young student answered, "If
you drink alcohol, you won't have
worms."
Obviously,
he missed the whole point of the
exercise. We can only deduce that
his youth and inexperience may
only provide an inaccurate answer
to a lot of questions in the world.
But
with old age, it's different.
With experience, an old person
can give answers beyond what young
people can imagine. Age is an
important factor linked with experience,
maturity, and wisdom. Without
this, no one can adequately run
such a complex job. This is the
Asian thinking.
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