Mindset Does Not Trump Experience and Expertise.

I’m sorry, but the focus on mindset as the critical determinant of our personal and professional value, while super-critical to anyone’s career success, doesn’t trump experience and expertise. There’s been a number of posts on LinkedIn, though, claiming exactly that, and it plays into big corporate exploitation of professionals – both young and old.

I fear that companies are looking to replace highly competent, expert performers who are more expensive than younger less-experienced employees, with the less costly alternative. Hiring and exploiting entry-level talent to save money is bad for those hires who are often unrealistically expected to hit the ground running and bad for business and a drain on other team members who have to pick up the slack. (And don’t get me started on how corporations try to cynically combine roles and responsibilities into one position to save on headcount.)

The loss of expertise that occurs when companies timeout older professionals for the sake of reducing overhead burdens those shortsighted companies with increased time in the execution of tasks, poor quality of deliverables, and the loss of coaching and mentorship for less experienced employees who need and desire that type of support. Not to mention the human toll on those pros who are given the boot because of their salaries.

So yes, mindset is important and should be encouraged and celebrated. Just keep its value proportionate to other critical qualities that make for a valuable and valued professional.