What should we do with all these gray-haired baby boomers? Do the brilliant and bold youngsters who seem to dominate the world of creativity and innovation still have a place for us? Texting is the new phone call, Venmo has replaced cash, and email messages suffice for letters. While these tools may be intuitive for some generations, they seem alien for some of us.
It may be easy to spot us baby boomers (BB), born between 1946-1964, who are now between 55-73 years old. We are cajoled for our outdated 40-hour work week, flip-phones, or the folded backup checks in our wallet. Even worse, a landmark paper from 1984 stated that when the average age of BB reaches 50 years, the burden of this old population will drag the U.S. down, and our country will no longer be a “locus of outstanding achievement.” (Simonton, Genius, Creativity and Leadership). By 2030, the average age in the U.S. will rise from 37 to 39. Even worse, we refuse to retire. If this BB population of risk-adverse entrepreneurs with calcified habits and outdated skills has created a population lacking in creative potential, how will we continue to grow and create wealth?