How to manage someone older than you

How to manage someone older than youMost of us are used to a certain dynamic at workthose above us in the pecking order have typically been in the workforce longer and are older, and those below us are relatively newer to the world of work and are likely younger. However, this dynamic has effectively been thrown overboard in a wide array of industries. Today, were seeing younger and younger individuals in lages of power and influence in the workforce, and these days its not uncommon for the power hierarchy to be reversed, with older individuals reporting to younger bosses. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) According to a recent article in Harvard Business Review, Younger bossesalready prevalent in industries like IT, professional services, and accountingwill likely become more so as companies promote young Millennials into leadership positions and organizations make more of an effort to retain top talent, says Jeanne C. Meister, a founding partner of Future Workplace, the human resources consultancy, and coauthor ofThe 2020 Workplace. Its a potentially uncomfortable, potentially conflict-ridden situation, she says, but it doesnt have to be.The truth is, managing someone older than youor vice versacan be a challenge, but so is any power dynamic between two individuals with distinct personalities and backgrounds. Sometimes this reverse dynamic works well, and older individuals take advantage of the opportunity to acquire a fresh and gammeln knowhow and skill set from their younger supervisors, while other times theres a bit more friction. While there are no hard and fast rules that are guaranteed to work in every situation, there are some things that can be done to help ease this possibly delicate situation.If youve found yourself in the position of managing someone whos older than you, use the following strategies to maximize the chances that this working dynamic will be a smooth and efficient relationship.Lose the eg o.Okay, you may be the young hotshot at your office, but if you have an older employee reporting to you it wont do you any favors to keep reminding them of this. They already know youre younger and in a position of power, so mentioning this over and over again will only make things worse. Try being a bit more humbleit often works well on younger and older employees alike.Be ready to listen.People appreciate it when they feel that their voices are being heard, and they have respect for those who are willing to hear their point of view. Listening puts others at ease and empowers and motivates them to do their best work. Isnt that what you want from someone who reports to you?Motivate respectfully.Skip the platitudes and demeaning clichs chances are, theyve heard them all before. Also, having them come from someone younger could really backfire. Be respectful when trying to motivate an older employee and youll increase the chances of getting positive results.Be open to learning.Just as youd like to be respected in the workplace, older employees would like to be respected for the wealth of experience and skills that they bring to the table. The most effective supervisor-subordinate relationships are those that demonstrate mutual respect and a willingness from both sides to learn and benefit from each other. If youre managing someone older than you, be open to the learning experience going both ways.Demonstrate value.In any good supervisor-subordinate relationship, the supervisor makes it clear that they have valuable knowledge and skills to pass along. Older employees can typically benefit from learning modern technology and skill sets for example, and if youre the schriftart of supervisor whos willing to demonstrate this sort of value, youre more than likely to earn the respect and dedication of an older employee.The world of work is changing rapidly in many exciting ways, and all the old career rules are rapidly flying out the window. In order to keep up, new ru les need to be written, including how to handle the younger boss/older employee dynamic. If you find yourself in this position, fear notuse the strategies mentioned here and youll be umgebung yourself up for lasting success.