Too old to learn?

Abstract

C.J. Albert, the head of family-owned Armor Coat Insurance, is just settling in on a Sunday evening when the receives an unsettling phone call from his star salesman. Fifty-two-year-old Ed McGlynn has just returned from a business dinner with his younger technology mentor, and he's none too happy with the way he's being treated. If C.J. doesn't take this attack dog off him, Ed warns, he's gone. C.J. had indeed assigned 28-year-old Roger Sterling--the company's monomaniacal, slightly antisocial director of e-commerce--to teach Ed about digital strategy and the Web. Reverse mentoring seemed like a good way to create synergy between the sales and technology groups. The goal was to create a digital insurance product that would allow Armor Coat to keep up with its competitors. But there'd been tension between Ed and Roger right from the start--stemming from their personalities and their two departments. So when the two reluctantly agreed to meet for dinner to talk, the conversation didn't go well. Ed insisted that great sales reps, not the Internet, are crucial to selling insurance. Roger insisted that the Web will revolutionize the way insurance is sold and distributed--that Ed either give in or move on. Ed took off in a huff and subsequently phoned C.J. Roger followed Ed's irate call with his own weary ultimatum: "Either Ed goes or I go." C.J. faces some difficult Monday-morning discussions with both disgruntled parties. What should he do? Six commentators, including a mentor-protégé pair, offer their advice in this fictional case study.