How to manage employees older than you?
6 July 2010
Read by 1911 persons
Text: "Young vs. old." "Twenty-year-olds managing forty-year-olds..." These are the kinds of headlines that business publications love to run, highlighting the age-related compatibility issues currently facing companies. A US magazine recently featured a cover photo of a manager in his prime with the cruel caption: "Finished at 40." And it's a fact that, in many companies, young employees now hold senior positions that require them to manage employees often much older than themselves. If you find yourself in this situation, you may encounter some difficulties. Here are a few tips to help you prove you're a good manager without causing offense.
Set aside your ego
You may be the company's new wonder kid, the future CEO, but your company and its employees aren't newcomers. Remember that your company has been in the market for years and didn't wait for your arrival to navigate the ups and downs of the economy. It's always enriching to consider the past of your company and respect the people who were there before you. You may change the company's future, but don't expect to do it overnight.
Accept that not everyone will like you
You need to accept this from the start: some people won't like you. They will test your authority, qualifications and skills. This has nothing to do with your personality, but seeing someone as young as you in such a high position is quite unsettling. Even if you feel you deserve your subordinates' obedience, you'll represent a threat in the eyes of some employees who will think you stole their place, those who no longer have the energy or skills to compete with you, or those who think they've already reached the peak of their careers. I don't want to shatter your dreams, but know that while many people get great jobs early in their careers thanks to their talent, others get the same positions simply because they ask for less money, are more versatile or more available than other employees who have family responsibilities. Your mere presence can be intolerable for a forty-year-old manager with two children who knows that they can be replaced at any time by a novice.
To reassure older employees, highlight their experience by consulting them regularly. Tell them that you respect their expertise and would like to rely on them. This is not a sign of weakness, it's a way of showing solidarity.
Respect others' projects and values
This rule may seem tricky, but it's arguably one of the most important qualities a manager can have. If you love what you do, take care to negotiate the evolution of your career well. You may be used to spending 12 to 15 hours a day in the office or even coming back to work on weekends, especially if you are single and your only domestic responsibility is to check that the dog's bowl is full. Young managers often forget to draw inspiration from the way older managers with family responsibilities operate, preventing them from dedicating themselves exclusively to work.
Respect the fact that other employees may have domestic responsibilities and family commitments that you may not experience for years. Claude, a forty-year-old employee, says: "When I'm at work, I feel guilty for not being with my daughter. When I attend my daughter's dance class, I feel guilty for not being at work. It's a never-ending story!" Even if you're still far from the day when you'll attend your daughter's dance class, have to keep your sick child, etc., remember that these are concerns shared daily by many employees.
Published March 26, 2010
Posted online July 6, 2010
monster
Set aside your ego
You may be the company's new wonder kid, the future CEO, but your company and its employees aren't newcomers. Remember that your company has been in the market for years and didn't wait for your arrival to navigate the ups and downs of the economy. It's always enriching to consider the past of your company and respect the people who were there before you. You may change the company's future, but don't expect to do it overnight.
Accept that not everyone will like you
You need to accept this from the start: some people won't like you. They will test your authority, qualifications and skills. This has nothing to do with your personality, but seeing someone as young as you in such a high position is quite unsettling. Even if you feel you deserve your subordinates' obedience, you'll represent a threat in the eyes of some employees who will think you stole their place, those who no longer have the energy or skills to compete with you, or those who think they've already reached the peak of their careers. I don't want to shatter your dreams, but know that while many people get great jobs early in their careers thanks to their talent, others get the same positions simply because they ask for less money, are more versatile or more available than other employees who have family responsibilities. Your mere presence can be intolerable for a forty-year-old manager with two children who knows that they can be replaced at any time by a novice.
To reassure older employees, highlight their experience by consulting them regularly. Tell them that you respect their expertise and would like to rely on them. This is not a sign of weakness, it's a way of showing solidarity.
Respect others' projects and values
This rule may seem tricky, but it's arguably one of the most important qualities a manager can have. If you love what you do, take care to negotiate the evolution of your career well. You may be used to spending 12 to 15 hours a day in the office or even coming back to work on weekends, especially if you are single and your only domestic responsibility is to check that the dog's bowl is full. Young managers often forget to draw inspiration from the way older managers with family responsibilities operate, preventing them from dedicating themselves exclusively to work.
Respect the fact that other employees may have domestic responsibilities and family commitments that you may not experience for years. Claude, a forty-year-old employee, says: "When I'm at work, I feel guilty for not being with my daughter. When I attend my daughter's dance class, I feel guilty for not being at work. It's a never-ending story!" Even if you're still far from the day when you'll attend your daughter's dance class, have to keep your sick child, etc., remember that these are concerns shared daily by many employees.
Published March 26, 2010
Posted online July 6, 2010
monster
