You’re The Youngest In The Room

The challenge – managing a team when you are younger than all or most of them – can seem overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be.

You got to this point – and have this opportunity – because you earned it. Your performance and achievements are being recognized: you are being given additional responsibility by your supervisor/the company because of the competencies and skills you demonstrated.

There is an expectation that you can do the job. And you can, but the situation can be tricky.

The Reality

First of all, understand that you are not alone.

· In 2020, Harris Interactive conducted a study for CareerBuilder.com and determined that nearly four in 10 U.S. workers had a younger boss.

· Of those workers, 22 percent reported to someone a few years younger, while 16 percent had a boss 10 years or more their junior.

This development is continuing and the percentages are increasing. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, there currently are more millennials employed than other generations. Moreover, SHRM says, this trend is likely to continue because many older workers are deferring retirement and “chances are the former will increasingly supervise the latter.”

Manage the Challenge

There is no lack of advice available on how to manage a team older than you are. The recommendations include variations on topics such as be humble; make it clear you don’t consider this position a stepping stone; avoid self-deprecating humor; be self-aware; adopt a macro view and don’t get bogged down in details.

All of these are helpful and should be utilized. Beyond, them, however, are seven specific steps without which success is going to be extremely difficult.

· Check Imposter Syndrome at the Door

Despite your success to date, there’s a good chance you’re dealing with some degree of “impostor syndrome” … the lingering sense you somehow don’t “deserve” your own hard-earned accomplishments.

Excise that thought. Don’t believe those internalized, critical, self-doubting voices.

Instead, believe the people who recognize your worth. You earned your promotion. You wouldn’t have received it if the decision makers didn’t believe you would be successful. Take that at face value.

· Bring Your Own Style and Approach

You don’t need to emulate the person you are replacing. And you don’t need to deliberately be the polar opposite, either.

But you do need to know and embrace who you are and your management style. And then you need to be consistent and authentic.

Go into your management job with a plan as to what your priorities are and how you plan to lead your team. And stay true to the “you” part of your plan: the way you interact with team members; the way you communicate; the way you evaluate success or failure, etc.

Don’t be afraid to adjust it as you move forward; you can still be authentic and change things up as needed. Just be open and communicate why.

· Trust Goes Both Ways

You need to earn the trust of your team. It may take longer than you wish.

You can accelerate things by your approach. First, demonstrate clearly how you trust each of them.

o Avoid micromanaging. Delegate projects or initiatives, including ones that are meaningful for the department.

o Offer team members the opportunity for self-reviews and modified goal-setting. Don’t wait for the annual-review period to do this.

o Don’t make commitments you can’t keep. Not following through on commitments will significantly damage trust.

· Their Success is Your Success

You probably have a very specific idea of what will define success for you and your efforts. Yes, your list may be unique, but “their-success-is-your-success” should be near the top for every new manager.

“Investing time and energy in developing tools like career paths that encourage internal growth is one way to help support talented employees,” writes Mikaela Kiner, Chief Executive Officer CEO of Reverb.

Give them the tools they need. Their achievements will underscore your successful management tenure.

· Manage by Listening as Well as Speaking

Resist your instinct to seek approval from your team. What you really want is feedback.

You’ve got older direct reports who have something to share: experience. Actually, it is relevant experience. They have been in the department or on the team for some time, and they bring insights that can inform your go-forward thinking and decisions.

You want to hear what they have to say, and they want to be heard … and valued.

Moreover, you want the best of them to be your ambassadors – on the team and across the company.

“These are the followers that are going to be your early adopters, your cheerleaders,” says Tracey C. Jones, a career and leadership advisor. “Often they’ve been with the company for a while and are trusted by their colleagues.

“They’re going to help you. They’re going to go down to the other employees and say, ‘Hey, listen, we need to do this and here’s the reason why’.”

When you ask questions, ask real questions and real follow-up questions. And listen — really listen – to the answers.

Oh, and even if you know the answer, don’t let on. Solicit their advice.

Don’t be afraid to ask them for help.

· Earn Their Respect

You’re going into your new position with the expectation that your hard-earned reputation will accompany you.

Don’t count on it: Chances are some team members will assume you are not qualified or not quite ready.

You need to earn their respect. Just like you did with your supervisors up to this point. Continue to do what got you to this point and …

o Focus on team building and making alliances

o Continue to craft thoughtful and meaningful messaging

o Show empathy and be helpful

Most importantly, solve problems and reduce friction through feedback and listening (see above). Find out what makes their jobs hard and work to eliminate or reduce those things. Then, they will see you as adding value.

There is real power in building alliances and teams: by working together, you accomplish more. Don’t abandon that practice now.

Being “nontraditional” doesn’t have to hold you back. In fact, it can be an advantage. The hard-won lessons you learn while meeting life’s challenges? If you leverage them right, they become your secret weapon.

· Take a Risk

More often than not, success is preceded by risk — the boldness of saying what you want, the vulnerability of asking for what you need to get there, and the audacity to push in when you have a chance.

Go ahead: Make yourself vulnerable.

“Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable and relate to your team during challenge projects or conversations,” writes Jodi Glickman of Great on the Job in the Harvard Business Review. “You’re not expected to walk in day one and be an expert. You are, however, expected to be 100% honest — about the challenges your team is facing, the strategies you are contemplating, and your willingness to listen and learn from those around you.”

Don’t think about how to make yourself look good; think about how to make everyone’s job easier. Work with people by helping them. Make it so that, after 90 days, they’re wondering how they ever managed without you.