Regain Your Power and Define Your Own Identity
Employees ages 65 and older are one of the fastest growing slices of the U.S. workforce. Smart companies are paying attention (HR Quarterly, 2025).
Branding debates aside, one’s personal identity shouldn’t be defined by others’ perceptions. Despite my experience coaching CEOs and leading major global initiatives—, leadership forums, inclusion strategies, and enterprise software rollouts, I once let colleagues reduce me to limiting labels. This led to a loss of self-recognition, reminding me of an exercise where an outsider struggles to join an unwelcoming group.
Older workers, often unfairly labeled as technophobic or ineffective, face challenging cultures today. A Dropbox survey of more than 4,000 IT workers around the world found that workers aged 55 and older and those ages 18 to 34 used nearly the same number of forms of technology a week (HR Quarterly 2005).
Declining performance. Studies show that there is no relationship between age and loss of innovation or overall job performance. In fact, older workers appear to be more comfortable with change than their Millennial counterparts.
I admit I’ve faced undervaluation, and struggled to combat it, but it’s up to you not to let others diminish your worth. I’ve stayed relevant by working with organizations that appreciate expertise. Reject labels, assert yourself, and remember your value: older workers are not a niche. They represent a growing, influential force.
Remember the grit and life experiences that got you here!
