Five Ways To Lead a Team of Older Colleagues

YOUNG MANAGERS have to walk the tightrope of getting a team of older colleagues to perform without sounding aggressive and offensive. With proper communication, they can leverage the skills of older employees without burning bridges. Anumeha Chaturvedi gets experts talking on this.

1 Keep an Open Mind It is important for young bosses to keep an open mind, feels Protiviti Consulting MD Pankaj Arora. “A workplace becomes diverse because of multiple factors like gender and social strata, and age is just one of them. Managers should focus on the skills and knowledge of employees and not age,” he says. 

2 Communicate Directly It is important to communicate directly to get your point across. “One should have more face-to-face meetings with older teammates as this will help them open up,” says N Narsimha Rao, VP, HR, Agro Tech Foods. 

3 Seek Feedback “Young managers should gain the trust of older employees by seeking their feedback when required,” says Rao. “There is no substitute for experience and young managers should seek opinions of older colleagues in relevant matters,” adds Arora. 

4 Leverage their Skills Rao feels managers can leverage their own competence to enhance productivity. “Young managers are well versed with technology while older employees have strong observation skills, which should be leveraged in assignments,” he says. 

5 Lead by Example It’s important to build one’s credibility by leading by example instead of harping on fancy titles. “Young bosses should build their credibility by enhancing their own skills and knowledge,” feels Arora.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 31-08-2012)