Debunking Ageist Myths

“The sooner growing older is stripped of reflexive dread, the better equipped we are to benefit from the countless ways in which it can enrich us.” Ashton Applewhite

This quote guided me in a conversation about revising our views of aging with members of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Diversity & Inclusion community not long ago. But the real myth busters? A panel of Michigan Senior Olympians, Howard Booth, Brenda Perkins-Murphy, and Wendell Dilling, who openly shared about the challenges—and elation—of overcoming age stereotypes in their 70s and 80s. Proof positive that age defies stereotypes. 

How would I lead? By using the Gentelligence® toolkit, of course. Gentelligence enables us to harness the untapped potential in a multigenerational workforce. Here’s how.

Gentelligence Practice #1: Resist Assumptions

We must name and challenge the stereotypes we have about older people, specifically older workers. Megan Gerhardt, Ph.D. Gerhardt, founder of the Gentelligence movement, says stereotypes are shortcuts to decision making, and they are lazy.

In her book This Chair Rocks, Ashton Applewhite names these assumptions about older workers and counters them.

Have you ever heard that older workers:

Can’t master new skills? Believe it or not, Applewhite says just the opposite: “Older workers score high in leadership, detail-oriented tasks, organization, listening, writing, and problem solving – even in cutting field like computer science – especially if the new task relates to a preexisting skill or knowledge base” (Applewhite 143-44).

Aren’t creative? Mixed-age teams have been shown to highly productive in areas that require creative thinking, like research and development and marketing.

Can’t handle stress? Who better to help guide us through a crisis than someone who has lived through a few? Age confers coping skills and patience.

Slow things down? Here’s the thing: younger workers perform faster with more mistakes; older workers go slower with fewer mistakes. It’s a wash.

Miss work because of illness? False. Data supports high reliability of older workers.

Can’t handle physically demanding tasks? Health and experience are far better indicators of workplace than age.

Are burned out? According to Peter Cappelli coauthor of Managing the Older Worker, “Every aspect of job performance gets better as we age. I thought the picture might be more mixed, but it isn’t. The juxtaposition between the superior performance of older workers and the discrimination against them in workplace really makes no sense.” (AARP Aug/Sept 2013)*

The best and most effective way to bust ageism is to challenge—and reject—assumptions like these ones. Know the facts. Don’t let one interaction with someone who is older than you determine how you think about an entire generation. 

Once you’ve mastered the art—and it is an art—of rejecting assumptions, then you can begin to adjust the lens. More on that next time. Stay tuned! 

Special thanks to Chari Davis-Moseberry, Bridget Hurd, Elise Duff, Dell Dexter for hosting this event.

* Reade, Nathanial. “The Surprising Truth About Older Workers.” AARP  magazine. August/September 2013 On-line under job-hunting info.