Harsh Truth About Age & Performance
Friends –
Age discrimination is a serious problem. It’s unfair, illegal, and often robs organizations of wisdom, experience, and insight that only seasoned professionals can provide. But here’s the uncomfortable truth no one wants to talk about: as people age, their performance isn’t always what it used to be.
This reality isn’t about dismissing the value of experience—it’s about acknowledging human limitations. To drive the point home, let’s look at last Friday’s fight between Mike Tyson, one of the greatest boxers of all time, and Jake Paul, a brash upstart with more hype than credentials. The fight wasn’t just a spectacle; it was a metaphor for the workplace.
When Age Meets Reality
Mike Tyson in his prime? An unstoppable force. Fast forward to his late 50s, and he’s still a powerful fighter, but the cracks are visible. His punches lack the devastating speed of his youth. His stamina wanes faster. By contrast, Paul—less skilled and vastly less experienced—relied on his youth and energy to close the gap. This is the cold reality of aging: what once came effortlessly starts to take more effort—or becomes impossible altogether.
In the workplace, it’s no different:
Staying Sharp Takes More Work: Seasoned professionals often struggle to keep up with rapid technological advancements or adapt to new paradigms. Is it discrimination to prefer someone who’s naturally faster at picking up the latest tools? Or is it pragmatism?
Energy Levels Matter: Younger employees can work insane hours, recover quickly, and tackle high-stress environments with a vigor that declines with age. Tyson in his 20s was a relentless fighter. Tyson in his 50s knows when to slow down.
Experience Is a Double-Edged Sword: Experience brings wisdom, but it can also mean rigidity—fighting battles with old strategies when the game has changed.
The Workplace Fight: Youth vs. Experience
The Tyson-Paul fight wasn’t a fair match, but it mirrors hiring dynamics today. Employers find themselves choosing between:
Youthful Hustlers: They’re hungry, adaptable, and willing to grind. Think of Paul’s relentless energy, even if his skills aren’t yet at their peak.
Seasoned Veterans: They bring strategy, foresight, and the ability to stay calm under pressure. Tyson didn’t win, but he didn’t embarrass himself either—he showed flashes of his greatness.
Here’s the twist: employers are often judged for choosing youth, but in many cases, youth delivers more bang for the buck.
Is This Fair? Maybe Not, But It’s Reality
If Tyson’s exhibition match teaches us anything, it’s that past glory doesn’t guarantee present dominance. This isn’t ageism—it’s biology. Similarly, in the corporate world, companies are under pressure to deliver results. If younger professionals offer faster ROI, who can blame employers for making that choice?
That said, here’s where the metaphor breaks down: Tyson didn’t have to fight Paul. He could have stepped into the ring as a coach, mentor, or commentator—roles where his legacy could shine without being directly compared to a younger, hungrier opponent.
The workplace offers the same opportunity:
Seasoned professionals can pivot to roles that maximize their experience while minimizing their exposure to areas where they may lag.
Employers can design multigenerational teams to combine youthful energy with veteran insight.
The Bigger Picture
For employers: Don’t write off experienced professionals. Instead, leverage their strengths in ways that complement younger talent.
For seasoned professionals: Adapt. Stay sharp. And if you’re feeling like Tyson in the later rounds, remember that the best fighters know when to switch from throwing punches to calling the shots.
The Tyson-Paul fight wasn’t about declaring a definitive winner but rather celebrating the value each fighter brought to the ring. Similarly, workplaces need to embrace a mindset that values contributions from all age groups. Age should neither be a barrier nor an excuse—it’s a reality to be managed with nuance and respect.
Our next blog post will be a follow-up to this, How Aging Professional Can Stay Relevant and Dominant in the Workplace.
Thanks for reading.
Best,
Steve
Steve Ziegler
Founder & Managing Partner
Z3Talent