THE LEADING AGE, I MEAN LEADING EDGE

The leading age comes after long years of experience, and putting it into practice for the benefit of others.

The best blacksmith in town learns to pound steel into the correct form and he teaches others the same skill before his elbow sidelines him.

The best woodworker shapes stock into useful pieces and helps others see how it’s done.

They are on the leading edge of their life’s work which will continue through their students when they step aside.

How old are they in their prime, and how old when they retire?

Prime age is different based on profession.

In sports it runs from 20 -30 years old, with lots of sweat between 24 – 28.

After 30 you’re a coach? Maybe 40?

That’s when construction workers are hitting their stride. From Google AI:

As of late 2025, the median age of the construction labor force in the U.S. is 42, remaining consistent with previous years and slightly older than the national median of 41. While the industry faces an aging workforce with over 22% of workers aged 55 or older, it has seen an increase in younger, Gen Z workers entering the field.

If I see a blacksmith or woodworker in their forties they are most likely twenty years in and know what they’re doing.

They are masters of their craft, which is who you want to learn from and who you want working for you.

What about other jobs?

 

Other Jobs 

More from Google AI:

 

The average age of CEOs in the U.S. is approximately 61, marking a significant increase from an average age of 51 in 2000. While top executives at large S&P 500 firms tend to be slightly younger, averaging around 58.5 years old, the general trend indicates that corporate leaders are getting older and holding their positions longer.

 

Instead of working through the ranks, I compared one extreme to another, from calloused hands and a tool belt, to manicured fingernails and a pen.

We’ll just skip the middle, the essential workers, the backbone of America, the blue collar working class, and focus on the important people, the money guys, the decision makers.

So, based on Google AI, the people building and rebuilding America are twenty years younger than the people in control of money, in control of dispersing assets, making the big money calls for their company and doing the job they were hired to do.

Failure to make big money, to hit the growth goals, and the big guys pop their golden parachutes, celebrate at their going away party, and go away.

It’s different for the construction guys and tradesmen.

 

Governing Jobs

Google AI:

At the start of the 119th Congress in January 2025, the median age of U.S. senators was approximately 64 to 65 years old. The Senate is significantly older than the House of Representatives (median age 57) and is among the oldest in U.S. history, with roughly 50 senators aged 65 or older.

 

Quick review: Workers are younger than business leaders, who are younger than elected officials. Agree? Good.

Can a worker become a business leader then an elected official? Yes they can. And do.

How often do CEOs and Senators return to the working people?

It’s good to remember how we come into contact with each group.

A home builder, from framer to finish carpenter, isn’t elected. They are licensed and bonded and come with references.

They are aware of local building codes.

According to Google AI, the CEO get there by,

 

Becoming a CEO requires a combination of high-level education, extensive leadership experience, strategic networking, and relentless career advancement. Key steps include earning relevant degrees (like business, finance, or computer science), pursuing an MBA, gaining top-level management experience, and building strong relationships with stakeholders

 

Senators run campaigns and win elections to their job.

 

The Senator Job According To Google AI

Key Responsibilities and Duties:

• Legislation: Senators introduce, deliberate, and vote on legislation that becomes federal law. They work heavily within specialized committees (e.g., Foreign Relations, Finance) to shape policy.

• Constituent Representation: They serve the needs of their state’s residents by meeting with constituents, addressing problems with federal agencies, and representing local views in Washington.

 

Here’s where the senator job gets tricky. From Google AI:

 

US federal revenue for fiscal year 2024 was approximately $4.9 trillion. Individual income taxes are the largest source, accounting for nearly 50% of total revenue, followed by payroll taxes (roughly 35%) and corporate income taxes (around 11%). Total revenue for 2023 was slightly lower at $4.47 trillion.

 

I’ll do the math:

1000 x 1000 = 1,000,000 (million)

1000 x 1,000,000 = 1,000,000,000 (billion)

1000 x 1,000,000,000 = 1×10¹² (trillion)

 

Who is going to have a better handle on such huge numbers, 80 year olds, or 60 year olds?

Thirty-three senators are 70 and over, five over 80, one in their 90’s.

Business leaders in their 60’s sitting at the top of their multi-national companies know how to deal with adversity and success or they wouldn’t have a job.

Their bottom line is their future.

The future of construction guys is their ability to show up and do work that doesn’t have to be torn down from incompetence.

Elected folks seem to have a future based on how well they read their voters and bring home the bacon for their constituents? Noooo.

How well they join with others to do what’s best for the largest number of Americans? Noooo.

Then what?

 

This Is The ‘Then What?’

I remember learning more about JFK the older I got.

A young senator from a wealthy family whose dad was the Ambassador to the Court of St. James, who married a young attractive woman, who became President after a hotly contested election in 1960.

What I’ve read about him since hasn’t made me more of a fan.

Still, there was something about him after serving in the Navy during WWII that set him apart.

He mingled with regular people, which is the big draw when joining the service. You meet people you’d ordinarily never meet.

I think it’s the same when you become a senator, you meet people you’d ordinarily never meet.

You meet people who will help keep you in office as long as you want if you do a few things for them.

You meet people running for office and introduce them to those who could keep them in office as long as they did what was asked of them.

Joe-Bob back home wants an affordable life with a job, enough gas in the car to get to work, and enough money in the bank to keep his housing.

His wife Wilma wants affordable healthcare, affordable childcare, and help with her aging parents.

But the senator needs to toe the line for his money men, toe the line for his political party, and somewhere down the line help the community who elected him to work for them, to represent them.

Today there’s a part missing in the middle. What’s it called?

 

 

PS:

When the little people get so small we disappear from most considerations between our elected representatives, we may need different people, different voices, to make an impact on the common needs we all face.

PSS:

When a wealthy man tells their plan for a new senator, and rolls out senators in their 70’s and 80’s for proof it works, do you make a career decision, or do what’s right for the people who voted for you with their heart in their hands?

How much do you want to stay in office?