CONGRATULATIONS on the promotion! Your hard work, long nights, daily commute, and work ethic have paid off. Evidently, the bosses recognize your potential to lead and take on bigger responsibilities in the workplace. Things seem rosy. The work terrain is familiar to you and you take on that new position like a duck to water. Everything would’ve been perfect, except…
The team members you lead are older than you and you feel awkward.
It doesn’t help that some of them were in the running for the same position. So now, your colleagues feel snubbed and slighted. They think your youth and inexperience make you unfit for the role. How do you get them to respect you as their superior? How do you reign them in, and get their egos in check so you could get productive work done?
Here are tried and tested tips:
1. Aim for work relationships, not friendships – Of course, you want to be friendly with your team. You don’t mind being called by your first name (they’re older after all) and you want to convey that you aren’t a threat. But from the get-go, building positive professional relationships is more appropriate because it keeps animosity at bay. Strategies to do this include:
* Limiting connections on social media to professional networking sites. Set boundaries between your work and personal life. Not only should your social accounts be set to private, but you must also aim to be your best “online persona”, as well. Your all-out Boracay holiday was the best weekend you’ve had in years, but you don’t need colleagues at work gawking at it for years to come.
* Aim for work-appropriate exchanges and conversations. It’s perfectly acceptable to ask your team members how their hometown fiesta went. But you must avoid sharing overly personal information.
* Be prepared to answer questions regarding your age. The age discussion is taboo in many cultures, but not so in the Philippine setting. When you’re asked about your age, expect the conversation to lead to your ability to lead the team. Keep in mind that you were placed in that position because of the leadership and management skills you possess. They have no business asking you this in the first place but should the remarks become borderline offensive, politely and cheerfully reply that you can lead a great and talented team like them.
2. Develop a distinct leadership style – And by this, we mean refining your approach to relationships and tasks. To find out what your style might be, begin by assessing what you value. Do you make decisions on your own or should it be a collective effort? What motivates your team, direction, or empowerment? Every team is different. Your industry, company culture, and even profession will influence the style that you must adapt. To refine your strategy, you may want to seek mentoring from an experienced leader in your company. You may also want to consider seeking feedback from fellow managers and colleagues. As you grow, you will find that finetuning your style becomes easier.
3. Work with your Team and recognize hard work – Older team members are often great at masking embarrassment and frustration with humor. Work alongside them and provide opportunities for them to learn and grow. If you find that some need mentoring, provide a learning atmosphere with privacy. An advantage to working alongside your team is the opportunity to see them in action. You may have known them for years but you may find strengths and skills that you wouldn’t have discovered otherwise. Last but not least, recognize them for their hard work. Acknowledgment for a job well done is valuable for all employees. There are many ways to do this – verbally, via performance evaluations, a company or team-wide announcement, or reward/incentives.
A good leader can harness the strengths of his or her team members, regardless of age. Do you see yourself as a future leader? Hone your leadership chops at NEARSOL.
Join the NEARSOL family!
NEARSOL is a US-based BPO and service company that offers clients custom-design solutions. It began operations in 2006 and has since gained a strong presence in the Latin American regions, the Caribbean, and the Asia Pacific, winning many awards for quality and service along the way. Most recent of which is its Great Place to Work-Certified™ Recognition.
The Great Place to Work-Certified™ Recognition is a global accreditation that tells stakeholders what employees think of the company culture. In brief, it says a lot about the happiness and productivity index in NEARSOL. The certification process shows that employees are satisfied with the working environment and that they trust the leaders.
Come and discover why our employees think we’re a great place to work!
Visit NEARSOL.US and apply through NIA, NEARSOL’s recruitment chatbot and personalized platform for the application process.
Visit our LinkedIn to learn more about our company and our global footprint./PN
