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How To Boss Around People Older Than You

 

More and more young entrepreneurs are employing people older than them. While this is a great phenomenon, many young entrepreneurs have a hard time handling the situation properly.

 

 

When I created my first company at the age of 17, my team at one point had over 15 employees. Can you imagine a 17 year old bossing around 15 others, all of whom were older than me?

 

 

While it did help that most of my developers and designers were virtually being bossed around, I saw a lot of employees come and go. Even though the employees said they found a better job or were looking for something else, my insiders told me they couldn’t handle being bossed around by a 17 year old kid.

 

 

Many of the same things happened when I put together my first sales team for JB Media Force. People were shocked, confused, and really didn’t know how to handle the situation well. Instead of expecting others to adapt, I decided to adapt.

 

 

Here are a few things I did to significantly drop the attrition rate, build long-term relationships with my employees, and make the workplace better.

 

 

Have Fun

 

I hear from a lot of my friends that their bosses (who are older) are always yelling and are no fun. I didn’t want to be the 17 year old kid constantly raging at my employees, so I decided to have more fun.

 

 

Whether it was going out with my team for lunch or cracking jokes, I did whatever possible to make them feel comfortable. Humor is the best tool to bring people closer together and that’s exactly what it did. I made the workplace more fun.

 

 

Just Talk

 

I would be all about work when I first started working with my employees. Instead, I decided to spend some time everyday talking about stuff that would build a friendship.

 

 

Whether it was the sports, the weather, current events, or what they were doing that night……people really opened up to me. Best of all, they realized that I was very similar to them and relationships began to develop.

 

 

I learned very early on that a strong relationship is the most important part of a strong team. You cannot expect efficient and pro-active employees from day one. Teams are about finding the right pieces that gel together.

 

 

Stop Enforcing “I’m The Boss” Mentality

 

Many bosses love to constantly stress their dominance and authority in the workplace. I was 17 and I really didn’t care too much about that. As long as we were able to get things done right, I was a happy boss.

 

 

Instead of going around with a ‘boss’ mentality, I asked everyone to treat me like a colleague. No more calling me ‘Sir’ or ‘Boss’ or ‘Mr. Banerjee’. I asked them to simply call me Jeet and that made a big difference.

 

 

People knew I was their boss, but it just didn’t feel like it. Now employees were comfortable cracking jokes, working the way they like too, and best of all…..we were more productive than ever.

 

 

Know What You’re Doing

 

Many employees become very nervous when they enter a workplace run by individuals younger than them. They worry about job security, the maturity of the owners, and what the companies goals are.

 

 

Being young, many people indirectly questioned my ‘know-how’. Instead of answering them, I showed them I knew what I was doing. Anytime an employee had given me the opportunity to work with them for a few months, they immediately began to realize I knew what I was doing.

 

 

As an employer, you need to make your employees feel comfortable. Bringing peoples comfort levels to sync took time, but it was well-worth it. When people began to trust me and the organization, things went very smoothly.

 

 

You Can’t Please Everyone

 

I quickly learned that it was impossible to please everyone. Instead of trying to please others, I chose to please the company. Decisions were based around what would benefit the company instead of what John wanted.

 

 

As a business owner, sometimes you have to make the right decision for your company. You can try to please everyone, but it’s not always possible. If an employer didn’t believe in the same vision as me, I wasn’t going to change my vision just for him/her.

 

 

If you know what you want out of your company, stick to it and make the employer adapt or move on. You cannot please everyone and sometimes it’s better to let go of those who do not comply with the vision to find someone who will.

 

 

Value Their Opinions

 

I never pretended to know everything about business, the internet, or even managing others. I let others have a voice in the company, which was very important.

 

 

Every week, I would ask employers to give me feedback on what we can do to become a better business and if they had any general suggestions or comments. Many bosses believe that nobody is right besides them.

 

 

That’s a horrible mentality to have. It will just leave your employees resenting you and your business stuck in a rut. By keeping an open mind and letting others voice their opinions, I got some great advice that really propelled the success of my business.

 

 

Conclusion

 

Managing a team of employees who are all older than you can definitely be a challenge. It’s not about enforcing your dominance or showing others how smart you are.

 

 

You hired employees because you need help. Value their skills, talents, and work. Creating a strong relationship with your team will not happen overnight. It takes months to build a positive rapport with your team.

 

More and more young entrepreneurs are employing people older than them. While this is a great phenomenon, many young entrepreneurs have a hard time handling the situation properly.

When I created my first company at the age of 17, my team at one point had over 15 employees. Can you imagine a 17 year old bossing around 15 others, all of whom were older than me?

While it did help that most of my developers and designers were virtually being bossed around, I saw a lot of employees come and go. Even though the employees said they found a better job or were looking for something else, my insiders told me they couldn’t handle being bossed around by a 17 year old kid.

Many of the same things happened when I put together my first sales team for JB Media Force. People were shocked, confused, and really didn’t know how to handle the situation well. Instead of expecting others to adapt, I decided to adapt.

Here are a few things I did to significantly drop the attrition rate, build long-term relationships with my employees, and make the workplace better.

Have Fun

I hear from a lot of my friends that their bosses (who are older) are always yelling and are no fun. I didn’t want to be the 17 year old kid constantly raging at my employees, so I decided to have more fun.

Whether it was going out with my team for lunch or cracking jokes, I did whatever possible to make them feel comfortable. Humor is the best tool to bring people closer together and that’s exactly what it did. I made the workplace more fun.

Just Talk

I would be all about work when I first started working with my employees. Instead, I decided to spend some time everyday talking about stuff that would build a friendship.

Whether it was the sports, the weather, current events, or what they were doing that night……people really opened up to me. Best of all, they realized that I was very similar to them and relationships began to develop.

I learned very early on that a strong relationship is the most important part of a strong team. You cannot expect efficient and pro-active employees from day one. Teams are about finding the right pieces that gel together.

Stop Enforcing “I’m The Boss” Mentality

Many bosses love to constantly stress their dominance and authority in the workplace. I was 17 and I really didn’t care too much about that. As long as we were able to get things done right, I was a happy boss.

Instead of going around with a ‘boss’ mentality, I asked everyone to treat me like a colleague. No more calling me ‘Sir’ or ‘Boss’ or ‘Mr. Banerjee’. I asked them to simply call me Jeet and that made a big difference.

People knew I was their boss, but it just didn’t feel like it. Now employees were comfortable cracking jokes, working the way they like too, and best of all…..we were more productive than ever.

Know What You’re Doing

Many employees become very nervous when they enter a workplace run by individuals younger than them. They worry about job security, the maturity of the owners, and what the companies goals are.

Being young, many people indirectly questioned my ‘know-how’. Instead of answering them, I showed them I knew what I was doing. Anytime an employee had given me the opportunity to work with them for a few months, they immediately began to realize I knew what I was doing.

As an employer, you need to make your employees feel comfortable. Bringing peoples comfort levels to sync took time, but it was well-worth it. When people began to trust me and the organization, things went very smoothly.

You Can’t Please Everyone

I quickly learned that it was impossible to please everyone. Instead of trying to please others, I chose to please the company. Decisions were based around what would benefit the company instead of what John wanted.

As a business owner, sometimes you have to make the right decision for your company. You can try to please everyone, but it’s not always possible. If an employer didn’t believe in the same vision as me, I wasn’t going to change my vision just for him/her.

If you know what you want out of your company, stick to it and make the employer adapt or move on. You cannot please everyone and sometimes it’s better to let go of those who do not comply with the vision to find someone who will.

Value Their Opinions

I never pretended to know everything about business, the internet, or even managing others. I let others have a voice in the company, which was very important.

Every week, I would ask employers to give me feedback on what we can do to become a better business and if they had any general suggestions or comments. Many bosses believe that nobody is right besides them.

That’s a horrible mentality to have. It will just leave your employees resenting you and your business stuck in a rut. By keeping an open mind and letting others voice their opinions, I got some great advice that really propelled the success of my business.

Conclusion

Managing a team of employees who are all older than you can definitely be a challenge. It’s not about enforcing your dominance or showing others how smart you are.

You hired employees because you need help. Value their skills, talents, and work. Creating a strong relationship with your team will not happen overnight. It takes months to build a positive rapport with your team.

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photo credit: plewicki via photopin cc

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