So it's really important that you focus on how you can help everyone be their
best and bring their best so that they do their best work by means of motivating
them and by means of finding out what motivates them and using their strengths.
Hey there,
welcome to Mak TV where we believe that the transformation from manager to
leader is such a crucial one. And that's because true leaders change lives.
So the other day I was actually talking to one of my clients and we were doing a
coaching call and during the coaching call she mentioned to me that she was
feeling a little bit uneasy or just nervous about having to manage someone on
her team that was older and far more experienced at the job than she was.
And so of course we worked through a little bit of those mindset blocks that she
was experiencing. But after I talked to her, I realized, you know,
if this is something that she's brought up and if I've struggled with this in
the past as well.
It is definitely something that I should probably talk about on the channel.
So that's what we're going to dive into today. So yeah,
I'm not going to lie to you, right?
It can be a little bit uneasy or nerve wracking having to manage someone that is
either older than you and more experienced or maybe just more experienced than
you,
but it is something that you're just going to have to get used to because in our
day and age. That's what I want to say. Yeah. In our day and age,
that's the right term.
There are more generations or varying generations than there had been before in
the workforce.
So you really have to learn how to manage people that might be older than you.
But here's the good news. You can totally do this.
You can definitely lead somebody that is older than you because at the end of
the day, you are a humble leader.
And that humility is a great foundation to help you approach your role,
especially when it comes to managing somebody that you're feeling a little bit
uneasy to manage. So starting with that good foundation of humility is great,
but tip number one is to not assume. So don't assume.
And this tip is coming straight from my mistake.
So a while ago when we were in a hiring phase in our department,
our recruiter actually brought me a resume of somebody who was clearly,
you could tell from her resume itself.
That she was maybe about like 20 years older than me.
And not only was she much older than me,
but she had a whole lot of experience in the call center world.
So I remember right away when I got that email with the resume and I looked
through it and everything, I shot back an email to the recruiter and I was like,
yeah, that's not going to work. And then by the end of the day,
the guilt right to take over because I was thinking to myself, man,
I probably turned down somebody that could have been amazing for our team.
So I really had to think about why I did that.
Like why that was the instant reaction that I had. And honestly speaking,
it was just a matter of ego and fear.
It was fear of conflict and maybe the unknown.
So I remember I got on the phone and I called one of my mentors and I explained
to him the situation and he was, he basically told me I was being ridiculous.
But then he said to me, you know,
why are you even assuming that there's going to be conflict?
Like why are you putting that on her?
Because you haven't really given her the opportunity, um,
at all yet. So you don't really know her.
So where is this the assumption that she's going to be an issue coming from?
And he was 100% right. I had run off of assumption.
And so that's why my first tip to you is to not run off of assumption because at
the end of the day, you don't really know, right?
So you don't want to put that on that person assuming that they're gonna come in
and undermine you or that they are currently undermining you or trying to take
over because you don't actually know.
Tip number two is to use this as an opportunity for you to learn.
The great thing about older,
more experienced employees is that they bring with them a wealth of knowledge.
Older employees have a perspective on things that perhaps you cannot see and
more experienced employees because of the fact that they've been there before.
They already know what works and what doesn't work.
There is so much that you can learn from leveraging their knowledge,
their experience, their expertise. They are basically a gift to your team.
I mean if I had someone like that on my team,
I would be ever so thankful and grateful because they've already been there.
And so I would be asking them questions all the time,
obviously in a respectful manner. Because here's the thing about your role,
which is great. Yes, you are ever so awesome,
but your role is to surround yourself by super smart people and then lead them
towards the mission, the vision, the purpose.
And so what a gift that is to have someone that is so experienced on your team
to help you do that with your team.
Tip number three is to treat this older or more experienced employee like you
would anybody else. After all at the end of the day,
you are as a manager being measured on the contributions of everybody else and
not necessarily on your own performance.
And so it's really important that you are able to identify what motivates every
single team member and then set clear expectations,
and you want to do that with everybody. Tip number four is to ask for feedback.
I think that in general,
all leaders should get into this habit of asking for feedback from their team
members.
But especially when you have somebody that is maybe older or more experienced
than you on the team because again, like we talked about earlier,
their perspective is so valuable.
So you know when you're in a one-on-one conversation or whatnot with them,
you could pop, you could actually ask them, you know, what should I start doing?
What should I stop doing? What should I continue doing?
What do I need to improve on?
And they might be able to give you some really valuable feedback.
Tip number five is to not be afraid to take the lead.
Even if you feel like they have more experience than you or they know more than
you, that's okay. Remember at the end of the day,
your job is to simply lead the team to achieve results,
not to be the expert at every single component of the business or whatnot.
You just need to be able to lead that team.
And so don't be afraid to do exactly that which is lead the team.
And if it is the case that maybe you are having troubles with this older and
more experienced employee,
then don't be afraid to take a lead in that either and have that difficult
conversation. And let them know what the expectations are,
how you expect them to act, and how you expect them to support the entire team,
including you. I mean,
you're going to have to drink that courage juice because if you don't,
then it will end up affecting the entire team as well as you.
So if you want some further insight as to how you can have a difficult
conversation, then I do suggest that you check out the video right here.
But don't forget you can do this. And do not be afraid to take the lead.
You've got this. Alright,
so let's wrap this lesson up with one of the key points that I want you to take
away from this mini lesson. Remember,
approaching your role with humility is a great foundation for you when managing
an employee that is older and more experienced than you. If you like this video,
do hit on this subscribe and notification bell.
And if you're looking for further insights on team culture and team development
and leadership development,
then head on over to makedaandrews.com and while you're there,
feel free to get subscribed and receive your new manager starter kit.
Thank you so much for watching. It was great to be with you here today.
I hope you have a fantastic rest of the week and don't forget to keep smiling.
I'll see you in the next one.