Steve and Ronald at a pub. A call from Ronald’s daughter interrupts their conversation.
Ronald: (finally puts down the phone) Steve, do you ever wonder if we all eventually become like our parents?
Steve: (smiles with a deep understanding)You mean, after all the rebellion in our youth, we turn into the very thing we fought against?
Ronald: Exactly. When we’re teenagers, we push against their norms and ideas, calling them too conservative and resistant to change. But then, as the years go by, we start to see the same behaviours we once rejected showing up in ourselves.
Steve: Yeah, it’s ironic. And it doesn’t just happen in personal life either. The same thing happens at work. You start out as this ambitious, energetic “Young Turk” with all these new ideas, ready to shake up the system. And before you know it, you’re the “Fuddy Duddy” — the cautious one, protecting the status quo. How does that happen?
Ronald: It’s like this cycle of conservatism gets passed down, not just in families but also in organisations. I think it’s part of an intergenerational inheritance. Still, with some awareness, we may stop that cycle from repeating. We must understand how that transformation happens, or it will keep creeping back into our lives and work.
Steve: So, what do you think drives that transformation? Is it inevitable?
Ronald: Well, think about it. When we’re young adults, we see our parents as being overly protective and risk-averse. They caution us against making the same mistakes they made. Sure, they mean well, but it feels like they’re holding us back, right?
Steve: Yeah, it feels like a barrier to exploring life on your own terms. You want to break free and create your own path.
Ronald: Exactly! And that carries over to the workplace. As a young manager, you’re full of ideas. You want to speed things up, improve processes, shake things up. You challenge why things are done a certain way, pushing against the conservatism you see in the older generation. But then… something shifts.
Steve: Right. I remember being that guy — questioning everything. But over time, you start to see why things are how they are. You stop pushing so hard for change and start compromising.
Ronald: We’ve all been there, Steve. Yeah, you realise there’s a balance to be struck. Those inefficiencies you saw as a young upstart? It turns out they exist for reasons that weren’t obvious before. That rebellious energy starts to soften. You move into middle management, and your idealism hits the wall of organisational complexity.
Steve: You stop being the revolutionary and start thinking about what’s actually feasible. Instead of overhauling the entire system, you make small improvements where possible.
Ronald: Right. By that point, it is ironic that you’re part of the system you once wanted to change. You’re not that Young Turk anymore. You’re more pragmatic. Change is incremental, not transformational.
Steve: And then it’s a slippery slope from there. As the years pass, that transformation becomes even more pronounced. When you hit senior management, you’ve got a family, a mortgage, and responsibilities. The risks are higher. The need to preserve what you’ve built outweighs the desire to rock the boat.
Ronald: Quite so. The fear of loss kicks in. No just losing your position at work but also your personal security. You’ve got more at stake, so you stop taking risks. That vibrant energy you once had for big changes starts to fade. You start protecting what you have instead.
Steve: Exactly. It’s like the more you gain, the more you’ve got to lose. And then you find yourself resisting the very changes you used to champion.
Ronald: It’s the fear of failure. The more we accumulate — possessions, relationships, responsibilities — the scarier risks become. What once seemed worth the risk now feels way too dangerous.
Steve: A failed venture could mean losing everything you’ve worked for. So, you become more cautious and more defensive. And before you know it, you’ve stopped learning, stopped evolving. You’ve closed yourself off to new opportunities.
Ronald: You’re right. Over time, you stop taking big risks and eventually resist even the smallest departures from the norm. Conservatism isn’t just a mindset anymore — it becomes a lifestyle. You turn into the Fuddy Duddy you once promised you’d never be.
Steve: So, is this transformation inevitable? Will we all eventually become like our parents or the conservative leaders we once fought against?
Ronald: I don’t think it has to be that way. The first step is recognising the patterns that lead to this conservatism. If we stay aware of those patterns, we can resist them. It’s all about balancing the need for security with the willingness to take risks.
Steve:
It’s easier said than done, but you’re right. We have to keep stoking that fire of curiosity, even when the pressures of seniority weigh us down. It’s about staying open to new ideas and keeping the learning process alive.
Ronald: Exactly. And instead of seeing younger voices as threats to the order, we should welcome them. Encourage innovation, even if it means embracing some discomfort. That’s how organisations — and individuals — keep evolving.
Steve: You know what’s funny? In trying to protect what we have, we might lose what made us passionate in the first place.
Ronald: You’re right. Freedom doesn’t come from holding on tightly. It comes from letting go, trusting the change process, and understanding that failure isn’t always bad. Sometimes, it’s just part of the learning.
Steve: If we stay open to failure, keep learning, and stay curious, we might actually break the cycle of conservatism. Maybe we don’t have to become our parents after all.
Ronald: Exactly. We can create a new path for ourselves and future generations, one where the balance between security and innovation is constantly renegotiated, and work and life stay exciting and fulfilling.
Ronald and Steve clink their glasses. Cheers to that!
https://medium.com/@stevecorrea.com/ruminations-on-conservatism-from-young-turk-to-fuddy-duddy-4965ded28eff ( originally published on Medium on 28th October)
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