Is Your Boss Younger Than You?
Tricks to Make It Work
Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Dianne Durkin, founder and president of The Loyalty Factor, LLC, a training and consulting firm based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
She is author of The Loyalty Advantage: Essential Steps to Energize Your Company, Your Customers, Your Brand (Amacom).
Generations X and Y—Americans born after 1964—are moving up the management ranks, which means that many in previous generations will report to bosses who are younger than they are. It shouldn’t matter how old a boss is—there are great business leaders of all ages. But truthfully, working for a younger boss—or managing an older employee—can be extremely uncomfortable.
Cultural—and even language—differences can cause misunderstandings…taking orders from a supervisor young enough to be one’s child requires a major shift in thinking…and regularly interacting with those who have climbed further and faster up the corporate ladder can be challenging to the ego. Yet if both boss and worker are secure in their own abilities and treat one another with respect, the situation can work to everyone’s benefit.
If You Have A Young Boss
You might not enjoy working for a young boss. You might even make a snap judgment that he/she is not qualified. However, consider that the problem might be rooted in your own insecurities. Working for a young boss doesn’t have to make you feel old—the infusion of youth and energy into your workplace can reinvigorate your life and career.
Reorient your thinking. A young boss’s rapid climb up the ranks does not mean that your career hasn’t been successful. Review your accomplishments inside and outside the workplace. Have you raised a family? Had a long, happy marriage? Developed strong friendships? Served honorably in the armed services? If you have had such successes in your life, there’s no reason to feel outdone just because this fast-tracker has climbed the corporate ladder more quickly than you.
View having a young boss as a learning opportunity. A young executive often has useful skills—he might give you an opportunity to catch up on the latest technology…learn something about the next generation of customers for your company’s products or services…and pick up some techniques for working well with people from other ethnic groups, genders and cultures.
This even could be an opportunity to improve your postretirement career prospects. If you hit it off with your young boss, you’ll have a strong bond with a rising corporate star who is likely to remain active in the business long after most colleagues your own age have retired. That contact could help you get part-time or full-time employment if you get bored after you retire.
Embrace change. Older employees often are stereotyped as inflexible. Let your boss know that this doesn’t apply to you. Voice your approval for fresh strategies. When you do disagree with a change your boss suggests, preface your comments with, “You’re right—there are ways we can improve—but in this case, my concern is…”
Voice optimism about the relationship. Recently promoted young bosses often worry that older workers won’t respect them. Help your new boss feel more comfortable around you from the start by expressing your excitement about “becoming part of his team”—younger generations are more comfortable working in collaborative groups than in hierarchical structures. Just be sure to call it “his” team, to show your boss that you know who’s in charge. If there’s a particular skill you bring to the table, mention it.
Example: “I’ve worked with every client this company has had in the past 20 years, and I think by combining my valuable relationships with your new ideas, we can accomplish great things.”
Answer the “why” questions. Younger generations inevitably wonder why things are done the way they are and search for ways to do them better. If you dismiss your boss’s “whys” with some version of “because that’s the way it’s always been done,” he will write you off as a dinosaur. Provide thoughtful answers that show you’re ready to question the status quo. For example, say, “In the past, we have found these processes to be very successful in meeting customer demands, but there may be a better way.”
Learn to live with different schedules. Does your young boss have young children? Resist the urge to criticize him for leaving early to attend Little League games or parent/teacher conferences. Generation Xers often are more willing than baby boomers to leave the office for family reasons, but they put in just as many hours, often by telecommuting late into the night.
Offer to pick up the slack for your young boss on the occasional afternoon when he needs to get away for a family obligation. You’ll be that much more valuable to him.
Be diplomatic when you disagree. It’s always risky for underlings to disagree with their bosses. When you’re older than your boss, your disagreement might seem like the lecture of a parent or a challenge to his authority. Instead, express your concerns in the form of a question.
Example: Rather than say, “It would be better if we…” try the less confrontational, “What would you think about doing it this way?”
Stay fit. Your calendar age is less important than whether you seem old. Stay in shape through exercise and a healthful diet, and you’ll appear younger and feel more energetic.
Caution: Do not attempt to be “hip.” You might end up looking foolish. You will earn more respect if you are yourself.
Take computer classes if your skills are out-of-date. Younger bosses sometimes hold older workers’ lack of technological skills against them. Don’t be intimidated. You are perfectly capable of learning new technology at any age, as long as you are willing to invest the time.
Don’t mistake lack of leadership experience for lack of talent. Young bosses may not yet have learned everything about managing people. They still can have lots of great ideas. Be patient. Give your boss time to learn to lead.
If You Oversee an Older Employee
Show older employees respect, and that respect is likely to be returned. Older employees have a depth of experience that not even the sharpest young up-and-comer can match. To make the most of the relationship…
? Assign older employees as mentors to younger staffers. This sends the message that you consider them resources, not relics.
? Take advantage of your older employees’ people skills. Older employees rose up the ranks in an era before E-mail and teleconferencing, and they often are great at handling interpersonal business relationships. They might be the ideal members of your team to send to meetings or on sales calls.
? Ask for advice. You’ll gain some perspective, and they will feel more valued.
(Article originally published August 15, 2007)
Reprinted with the permission of:
Boardroom Inc. and Bottom Line Publications, Inc.
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