Sage Innovators Matter
Having experienced professionals is crucial for an innovative ecosystem. Their roles are like the backbone that, if not filled properly, can seriously slow down progress and overall performance.
We often hear that breakthrough innovation is a young person's game. Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and their cohorts were tinkering with ideas before they even had a professional title. The same goes for renowned scientists like Einstein and Heisenberg - they made their breakthroughs well before hitting 30.
While Gates and Zuckerberg are outliers in every sense, there's evidence suggesting that, on average, our innovative mojo might take a slight dip with age. Some of this decline could be chalked up to changes in the brain and much research is going on right now about our aging brain. But, there's also the pesky issue of social norms. It seems the more seasoned innovators might be holding back, not because their brains are rusty, but perhaps due to societal expectations that stifle the same boldness and disregard for the status quo displayed by the early-career trailblazers.
This piece explores how experienced innovators, dubbed "Sages" for brevity, continue to have a major impact on innovation past the age of 50. Despite losing the vigor of youth, they wield five crucial powers, essential for success in the ecosystem.
Sages have the power of innovation, still! Yes, many sages still have amazing ideas worthy of tackling. Gutenberg invented the printing press in his early fifties and Benjamin Franklin created bifocal glasses at the age of 78. The median age for inventors in many countries is north of 40 and the age distribution is broad. There are still some amazing ideas to be had, talk about them!
Sages have the power of encouragement! Their unique role lies in supporting younger innovators. A simple "tell me more" can be more valuable than detailed feedback. When sages share positive endorsements ("You should meet her, she has an interesting idea"), it amplifies the power of encouragement. Support of an experienced community member carries a lot of weight. I still remember a visit to the University of Dr. Parker, a famous astrophysicist, and the only human ever to have named a space mission after him while alive. He did his seminar – lots of people came, and one of them was a young post-doc with new ideas but whom I found very hard to understand. After his talk, Parker listened to him with undivided attention and said “this is interesting”, and then he started asking guiding questions to help the young researcher, with major positive impact.
Sages possess the power to connect! With lengthy careers come extensive networks. Sages can bridge the gap for younger innovators, opening doors that might be otherwise closed. This not only accelerates progress but also fosters goodwill throughout the ecosystem. In the award-winning entrepreneurship program I built at the University of Michigan, a former car executive Ray would listen to company pitches and provide feedback based on his decades of experience. And, in time, he picked up his phone and got them meetings within the industry they never would have gotten. If needed, he would join the company and sit in the back, mostly silently supporting the startup team.
Sages have the power of feedback and support! In innovative startups where sages contribute as supporters and peers, the magic happens. They aren't just dispensing lessons from the past but packaging them to guide forward progress. It's a collaborative process where both sides need to be attuned to each other. One of the space startups were pitching to me while at NASA. I listened to them and gave them feedback, and on the way out the CEO told me that someone would be following up. Sure enough, a famed congressional aide and a good friend of mine called me and asked me about the meeting and what I said and why and he frankly made me feel very confident about the sincerity of the team to build this (now successful) company, but also the sincerity with which the feedback would be taken and implemented.
Sages have the power to fund innovators. Many experienced sages I know allocate "play money" to invest in promising ideas. Their actions, backing innovators financially, can be the game-changer between a successful idea and one that fades away. And it can build friendships that otherwise just cannot happen. My favorite example of this is a sage business professor Tom who lived what he preached. He would find startups in the community and fund them early when they were very risky. Not only did the startup team get funds, they also the sage advice. Over time, Tom made quite some money, as founders kept him in the company as it grew, and he was a mentor to some of the most exciting entrepreneurs in the community.
To conclude, the influence of sages in innovation is not just a testament to their rich experience but a catalyst that propels entire ecosystems forward. From generating groundbreaking ideas to providing crucial encouragement, connecting networks, offering insightful feedback, and even fueling innovation with financial backing, sages play a pivotal role.
Personally, as I get older, I too see my role shifting and taking on some of these other roles that I so benefited from when I was the young kid on the block with all the good ideas - or so I thought. Over time, I have learned that so often, kind advice and insights by a sage member of our team were as important to overall success than my initial thought. That is why I am excited to learn how to be great at this role now - sage innovator! And yes, I too have some new ideas as well…
