Recently, I encountered a situation that highlighted the importance of experienced leadership in organizations. A young executive held an impressive title; however, it soon became clear that he lacked sufficient professional knowledge and practical experience. His decisions and behaviour reflected a limited understanding of business operations. There were widespread concerns regarding why he had been appointed to such a senior position.
Have you seen organizations suffer due to poor or inexperienced leadership? We often celebrate young and disruptive leadership. But think about what happens when experience, ethics and institutional knowledge are removed from organizations.
Why Removing Senior Staff Can Damage Organizations
One of his first actions was to remove senior employees and replace them with younger staff in their twenties and thirties. While motivated and ambitious employees are valuable, organizations require balance. Younger professionals often bring energy and new ideas, whereas senior staff provide institutional knowledge, risk awareness, and strategic perspective. A workforce composed only of junior employees lacks the depth of experience necessary for sound decision-making.
Furthermore, the executive showed little respect for experienced employees and failed to engage them constructively. Effective leadership requires the ability to listen, persuade, and integrate diverse perspectives. Removing capable employees simply because they express disagreement reflects immaturity and weak management capability.
Silent risk : How Inexperienced leadership Quietly Destroys Trust
More concerning was the company’s approach to customers. The executive allowed customers to be misled regarding the continuation of services. Ethical corporate management requires transparency. Customers have the right to receive timely and accurate information so they can make informed decisions. Failure to communicate service changes damages trust, increases operational burden on frontline staff, and ultimately harms the company’s reputation and competitiveness. This is not just port management. It is an ethical failure that damages trust and undermines long-term sustainability.
Business ethics : Why Experience Still Matter in Leadership
Ethical judgment and leadership responsibility are not innate; they are learned through education, mentorship, and experience. It is therefore alarming when individuals reach positions of power without having developed a sense of responsibility toward employees, customers, and society. Leaders who lack ethical awareness can cause long-term damage not only to their organizations but also to the people affected by their decisions. Poor leader often create more inexperienced leaders. Leader is not a position someone claims; it is a responsibility someone earns. Leader is not superiority over employees. Employees are not tool for personal promotion, or job security.
Summary
This case demonstrates that power and authority must be exercised with responsibility, humility, and respect. Sustainable corporate success depends not only on innovation and efficiency, but also on experience, ethics, and human judgment — qualities most often developed over time. An organization that removes its experienced leaders is like a forest that cuts down its oldest trees to grow faster — it looks vibrant at first, but becomes fragile when the storm arrives. The old trees quietly hold the soil, store the rain, and create a safe space for life to grow. In the same way, experience holds culture, protects trust, and supports sustainable innovation. Energy does not come only from youth. Strength is built over time, through mistakes, learning, and patience. What we call “experience” is not the absence of failure — it is the accumulation of it.
