You’re ambitious and you’re talented and suddenly find yourself having to lead a team of people who are not only older than you, but far more experienced.
How to take charge in a way that doesn’t come across as apologetic, uncertain or worse – arrogant?
The first thing to realise is that your age is probably a bigger deal to you than to anyone else on your team. My best advice is to try to ignore it and just get on with the job.
But secondly, it’s important to begin with a clear understanding of the difference between management and leadership. A manager is responsible for delegating tasks and responsibilities. It’s the technical part of the role. A leader is responsible for bringing out the best in people, inspiring them to do and be better. This is the part that I’ve seen many technically proficient young leaders get stuck.
So, how can you be a better leader when your team is older and wiser?
- Communication
- Communicate your vision and your goals for the team, inviting feedback and ideas about how you can collectively achieve those things.
- It can be difficult to strike a balance between doing the ‘stuff’ and leading your people, but taking the time to listen to and be there for your team needs to be a priority.
- Allow for both formal and informal communication. Set up regular one-on-ones, but ensure your door is always open, have social chats at the water cooler, take the time to say good morning.
- Take the time to get to know your team members personally. It’s not about being best friends. This is about getting to know their motivations, their passions and the things that inspire them.
- Earn their respect
- Never feel you need to pretend you know it all. Ask for advice and take it. Good leaders will routinely do this, no matter what their age or experience level.
- Admit when you are wrong. We all are from time to time and admitting so is a great way to show humility and emotional intelligence.
- Be patient. Not everybody is working to your personal timetable and not everybody will feel the same ambition or urgency that you do.
- Acknowledge their experience publicly. People love to be seen and appreciated.
- Avoid micromanagement. It’s a common rookie error, often rooted in a desire for perfection. Instead, give your team members the space to perform.
- Use values – personal and professional – as ‘handrails’ for expected behaviour. Decide as a team how your organisation’s values might look in action and hold one another to account for those behaviours.
- Be a great leader of self
- Reflect often on your performance as a leader of others. How can you improve and grow?
- Be a constant learner. Professional development is not just for beginners! There is always something new to learn and think about.
- Be a great role model. Have a life outside of work and take care of your physical and mental health.
- Communicate your personal standards and encourage others to articulate theirs.
- Hire a coach or a mentor to help you navigate your journey as a leader.
A final thought: Remember that you were hired to be the leader. You deserve to be there.
