Embracing Irrelevance

Embracing Irrelevance

The Harsh Reality

There I was again, sitting in yet another meeting, trying to share perspectives honed over decades of leading software teams and driving development efforts. I knew the challenges they were facing, and had wrestled with similar issues countless times before. I metaphorically raised my hand and began outlining a potential path forward, drawing upon hard-won knowledge and experience.

But I could see the glazed looks from the fresh-faced engineers before me. The furtive glances at phones and laptops. I was bombarded by the deafening silence of irrelevance.

It’s a harsh reality that many experienced technology professionals eventually need to confront. The industry moves at a blistering pace, with new languages, frameworks, and methodologies materialising every few years. Management fads come and go in eerily predictable cycles. The young zealots who embrace each new trend inevitably become the cranky stick-in-the-muds insisting, “We’ve always done it this way, and it works just fine.”

A Joyful Choice

It can be incredibly disheartening to find your deep institutional knowledge rapidly becoming irrelevant, proverbially screaming wisdom into an unheeding void. You watch in dismay as the same mistakes you learned from get repeated over and over. You furiously take notes during meetings, composing verbose emails that seemingly disappear into purgatory.

At some point, you’re left with two choices – endlessly rage against the machine of disruption and alienate those around you, or embrace your newfound irrelevance. I’ve joyfully chosen the latter.

The Therapeutic Stance

Trying to force your experiences on those unwilling or unable to receive them is incredibly unfulfilling, not to mention pointless. It simply results in frustration for all involved. Instead, I’ve learned to share my perspectives selectively with those who actively seek my counsel. I’ve let go of the need to be heard. And it’s a major reason for my current “therapeutic” stance – eschewing advice in favour of empathetic listening, non-judgement, and facilitating others’ self-discovery.

A Tremendous Liberation

In many ways, it’s a tremendous and joyful liberation. Any pressure to have all the answers dissipates. You’re free to sit back, listen, and learn from those with fresh ideas and energy. You can empathise and support when asked without putting your entire self-worth on the line.

Most importantly, you gain the ability to focus on what truly matters – making life more wonderful rather than feeding your own ego. Finding relevance in being helpful to others, not in forcing them to accept your specific brand of help. Semper mirabilis!

Unshackling Yourself

So I embrace irrelevance. I recognise that skills atrophy over time. I accept that the march of technology will inevitably leave us behind in some areas.

Might I suggest using the precious time you have left to unshackle yourself from the burden of universal relevance. Pour your efforts into making an impact where you still can. You may find more fulfilment in your later years than you ever did being the irreplaceable expert.