7 Tips In Leading People Older Than You

Leading People Older Than You

In my first management position, I was a 19-year-old college sophomore working full-time.

I was leading a small staff of four people in the men’s clothing area of a major department store. Essentially, I inherited the position, because the previous manager left unexpectedly and I was already there and eager to lead. Everyone working for me was older than I was, including one man in his sixties.

Today, even though I have aged considerably since then, I continue to be in a place where people with more experience that I have must report to me. Since I work with many pastors and church planters who are starting out in their ministry, I hope this will be helpful for those who meet the same experience I did, whether with volunteers or paid staff.

7 Tips, Youngsters

Here are the lessons I learned for leading people older than me:

Recognize the difference

When a person is 10, 20, or even 30-years older than you, they likely have different needs and expectations from their leader and their organization. They may need different benefits, different work schedules, and even different leadership styles, depending on their age and stage of life. Regardless, you should maximize your leadership by adapting your style to the person you are leading. (For more about that idea read THIS POST.)

Give credit for wisdom

Most likely there will naturally be things the other person has experienced that you have not. Do not let that intimidate you. Allow it to work for you, by gleaning from that wisdom.

Stand your ground, but do it respectfully

If you are in the position, then do your job. They were probably raised in a generation where they expect you to lead, but as you should with any person, be respectful. If someone is older, most likely he or she will be more sensitive to a younger leader being disrespectful and react negatively when you are not.

Learn from them

Be honest when you don’t know how to do something, whether handling difficult issues, difficult people, or something else. If the older person knows how, let them show you. It’s okay that you have some things to learn. We all do. The older a person becomes the more in-tune he or she becomes with the fact that no one knows everything.

Don’t play games if you are intimidated

I have seen this many times. The leader is intimidated by the older team member, so he or she dances around an issue or fails to handle conflict. The leader might make excuses for not knowing something or pretend they have more experience than he or she actually has with an issue. People with life experience can usually see through that type behavior.

Shoot straight with them

The fact is that the older team member will probably have handled worse situations already in the past. Their age and maturity will make them less intimidated by you. Be honest with them (but respectful), and you will receive honest reactions.

Be patient with them

Sometimes the older team member may not be as culturally, technologically, or trend-savvy, but he or she will make up for it by adding to the team in other ways. They may need a different form of communication, or you may need to explain something in a different context.

There were many times in business where I never would have made it without someone helping me — someone who had more experience than I had. That’s still true today.

I continue to surround myself with mentors in life and church.

Today there are several people older than me who serve on our church staff. I value their input and the maturity they bring to our team. One in particular has been a friend for many years who consistently reminds me of the experience he brings to our organization.

Do you lead people older than you? If you have been in this position before, what is your guidance for younger leaders in a position to lead their elders? I would love to hear your thoughts!

——————–
Ron Edmondson
is Co-Pastor at Grace Community Church
He specializes in Communication, Strategy, Org Behavior, Mgmt and Marketing
Email LinkedInTwitterFacebookBlogWeb

Edited by Mike Weppler

Image Sources: anticsofacrazymom.typepad.com

L2L Contributing Author

1 Comment

  1. […] “7 Tips In Leading People Older Than You” – Linked 2 Leadership In my first management position, I was a 19-year-old college sophomore working full-time. I was leading a small staff of four people in the men’s clothing area of a major department store. Click here to continue reading […]



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