Young Guns Club

No, this isn't a post about the dangers of guns in our society. I'm neither part of the NRA or PETA.  What I'd like to talk about is a comment that my boss made this morning in a meeting. He said "you young guys always accuse the old guys of having a 'good ole boys club', but I think the younger generation of leaders are way more connected than my generation ever was." He went on to talk about twitter, cell phones, facebook, coffee shops and the like where this generation builds their community.  Do you agree with him?

It could be that the "good ole boys club" has more to do with the group in power being disconnected from successive generations. The "young guns" feel left out because they aren't old, may not be male and potentially have no pass into the "club".  Sometimes I wonder if we really want into the club or is it to be a part of the decision making and leadership team?  The older crew has more to offer than shared positions of power-they have wisdom, wisdom that we need. What we need is to find ways to access the wisdom without having to be a part of the "good ole boys club". 

I don't want to begrudge my elders who have spent a lifetime building their networks of support. I just need to find ways to tap their wisdom and learn from their perspective.  However, I must learn to not become what I am sometimes frustrated with. There are always younger men and women who can benefit from my mistakes and successes. I can't get so comfortable with my personal operating network that I cease to remember those behind me.