It's Not 1968: Why You Should Trust Everyone Over 30

Published by Ryan Healy on June 19th, 2008 in Career Development, Generation Y | 11 Comments

In the 1960s Baby Boomers famously popularized the phrase, "don't trust anyone over 30." In general, the Boomers were anti-establishment, and did not want to conform to society's norms. Trusting anyone over 30 was seen as conforming.

I was recently asked, "If the boomers motto was don't trust anyone over 30, then what is Generation Y's motto?"

Without much thought I blurted out, "Get as many people over 30 in your corner as you can. Learn from them. And do it better."

Gen Y may not be driving around with bumper stickers or wearing pins with this slogan, but if you take a quick tour of the blogosphere you'll find thousands of Gen Yers discussing things like how to negotiate a salary, how to be productive, how to find a mentor, and how to make work better in general.

We give each other advice and we learn from our peers, but everyone in their twenties is well aware that with age and experience comes wisdom. And if you want that wisdom now, you better embrace the "old folks."

I genuinely trust people over 30. I trust that they've already been through the things that I'm going through. I trust that they've hated entry level jobs, they've backpacked across Europe, they've started companies, and they've dealt with the confusion of dating in your twenties. They've learned from their failures and successes. I trust that they have all that experience to share and I'm open to learning from them.

This does not mean they did everything the right way. Everyone makes mistakes. But it's a lot easier to make mistakes if you refuse to listen to anyone who's been in your shoes. My plan is to listen to everyone and to trust everyone over 30, until they show why they shouldn't be trusted.

Over the past year I've learned valuable life and career lessons from mentors and experienced co-workers, friends and acquaintances. In the past few weeks I've learned things like:

1. Patience is a virtue

2. A good manager never stops managing

3. Be yourself 24 hours a day

4. It's OK if everyone doesn't like you

5. Business to Business sales can all boil down to 2 things – solving a problem or creating an opportunity

I couldn't have learned any of these things if my motto was don't trust anyone over 30. Experience is invaluable. It's something you just can't get overnight. But you can learn from those who have it.

Don't close the door before it's open. Talk to older people with open ears. After you spend a few minutes talking, you'll quickly know who to trust and who not to trust. If you start with the thought that you can trust everyone over 30, you can learn some pretty cool stuff in your 20's.