In the workforce, there may come a time where you wind up managing employees that are older and potentially more experienced than you. And while you might be confident in your ability to be a good leader and direct your team as you need, having authority over people of an older generation may make you or them uncomfortable at times. Luckily, there are things that you can do to help make this easier on both sides.
To help you in doing this, here are three tips for managing older employees.
Learn To Understand Their Reasoning
While everyone’s brains work differently than other people, those of a similar generation often have a similar way of thinking about certain things. So if you’re not part of their generation, their way of thinking might be unfamiliar to you. But as you seek to understand their motivations and the way they think about things, you might find it easier to work with them.
Once you’re able to get your mind around the way that other people on your team think, you can best utilize their strengths and weaknesses to meet your team’s goals. Additionally, you can use this knowledge to better understand people of this generation that aren’t working with you, too, like if they’re your target demographic for work or you’re visiting a family member in a senior living community.
Communicate In Ways They’re Comfortable With
People of different generations have different preferred forms of communication. So if you have employees or team members who span a variety of generations, you’ll want to educate yourself on how to best communicate with each demographic so that you can comfortably speak with one another.
On your team, you might find that your older employees like having in-person meetings as opposed to handling all communication over chat. Additionally, you may also want to remind your other team members to avoid things like slang or terms that your older team members might be unfamiliar with, as this disruption in communication can be alienating.
Balance Confidence With Vulnerability
For many leaders who are younger than their team members, there might be a fear that they’re either not good enough and experienced enough to lead them or that they need to project control and authority that they don’t actually feel they have. However, it’s best to balance both of these sides by being confident yet vulnerable with your staff.
As you seek to lead your team, regardless of the demographic makeup of your staff, with confidence in your ability to be a good leader and with the vulnerability to defer to team members when necessary, you’ll have a much easier time in this position.
If you have older employees that you’re managing at work, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you do so effectively.
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