Longevity Is The Leadership Blind Spot You Can No Longer Ignore

Longevity Is The Leadership Blind Spot You Can No Longer Ignore

Businesses are facing a significant demographic shift that will shape the future of work, yet many leaders are still unaware of it.

Longevity and age diversity are reshaping workplaces, markets, and societies. As the founder and CEO of Adapt with Intent, Simon Chan explained, “Yes, there are risks associated with longevity and demographics, but there’s a lot of opportunity as well for innovation around societal structures.”

The question is: Why aren’t more leaders paying attention?

A Tipping Point for Age Diversity

“We’re now approaching a bit of a tipping point,” Chan said. “In Canada, in particular, we are right below what they call a super-aged country, so one in five people will be over the age of 65. Globally, the fastest-growing demographic is 50-plus, and most of our systems—education, work systems, and social narratives—are built for a 65- to 70-year life expectancy, not 90 to 100 years.”

This failure to adapt has enormous implications for leaders and organizations.

“We’re not just an aging population,” said Chan. “We’re an age-diverse one.” Chan believes all organizations will need to rethink their various people and culture structures to accommodate five or even six generations in the workforce.

Outdated Narratives Are Holding Leaders Back

I often wonder why, if age diversity is so critical, more leaders aren’t addressing it.

When working with leaders, Chan observed, “I see longevity and demographics on the list, but there is never really anyone responsible for it.”

Chan also pointed to the way outdated social narratives influence leadership perspectives. “We have some very dated social narratives around what it means to age,” he said.

He explained an interesting situation. When he shows executives he is working with a PowerPoint slide comparing the Golden Girls from the 1980s to the 2010 cast of Sex and the City, he finds that they’re shocked by how much our image of aging has changed even in the last 20 years.

“When I highlight to them that the people in both pictures are identically the same age in their late 40s and early 50s,” he laughed, “they’re floored.” Chan said it forces the leaders to immediately rethink their assumptions about aging entirely.

According to Chan, the economic opportunity of older people is significant and not to be overlooked.

“People over 55 account for 35% of global GDP,” he noted. This cohort is a vital economic force, not a marginal one. Leaders must shift their perspective to see longevity as a driver of innovation in workforce design and market strategy.

Rethinking Work for Longer Lives

The challenge is not solely about changing perceptions; it’s redesigning systems to support longer careers.

“Our workplaces are built for linear, 40-year careers,” Chan explained. “But as life expectancy increases, many people want to continue working into their 70s or beyond—just not in the same roles or with the same intensity.”

Flexibility will also be key for leaders and organizations looking to reshape their culture.

“Flexibility is crucial to retaining top talent,” Chan said. “Imagine a subject matter expert who has been with your organization for 30 years. They could stay on as a coach or advisor, working 10 to 12 hours a week. They might join in person occasionally to mentor new employees. Still, they could just as easily provide their expertise remotely from Florida, contributing to project huddles or morning stand-ups via Zoom.”

According to Chan, the challenge lies in the design process. Organizations need to create solutions that work for both younger and older talent, ensuring the needs of each group are met while leveraging their strengths.

Chan highlighted the role of higher education as a model for rethinking new directions. “Progressive universities like Stanford, Harvard, and the University of Chicago offer midlife transition programs targeting midlife people to learn new skills or explore new directions,” he explained. “Why are we not doing the same in our organizations when it comes to age diversity?”

It’s a very good question.

Shifting from Risk to Opportunity

Ultimately, leaders need to view longevity as an opportunity, not a problem. Chan noted, “When you open up the aperture and help senior leaders understand the implications of longevity, they realize it’s not just about risk.” Chan sees enormous opportunities for organizations to innovate—whether in customer strategies or workforce design.

He emphasized, “We need to shift the social narrative to help people understand that work can take many forms and doesn’t have to be onerous.” This mindset shift—to embrace aging as a transition rather than an ending—is critical. Organizations that design flexible programs and roles will retain invaluable institutional knowledge and build stronger intergenerational connections.

Chan’s insights give us a clear directive: if leaders want to embrace longevity, they had better do so with some vigor.

Those organizations that rethink their structures and programs, however, will position themselves for a far rosier and economically beneficial future.

Watch the full interview with Simon Chan and Dan Pontefract on the Leadership Now program below, or listen to it on your favorite podcast.

link

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *