Hollis,
I agree that there is a trap of people working in SILOS, and this is the biggest enemy of Participative Leadership. SILOS make leaders feel they are the greatest and also close themselves to receive from what other have to offer. They would like to get all the attention and recognition and will be more trying to close themselves from sharing their thoughts and ideas with others.  This is dangerous, even when they need HELP, they will tend to struggle within themselves, rather than ask for HELP. This way they place their aspirations more than the organizational aspirations, which in other ways is determintal to the success of an organization.
But what I meant when I meant blend of older and newer generations, is that they learn from each other, they adapt to each other, they accept each other, they move in perfect synergy rather than with divisive energy. Both the generations feel valued for their contributions, both the generations bask in their successes, both the generations create a legacy and both the generations create value to the community. This way, it is not only the organization but also the surrounding community which gets enriched.
I would like to hear from you and others on what you feel about my thought process.

Thanks
Dennis