這些要訣在手，年長下屬不難管

These days, it』s entirely possible for someone in their 30』s to oversee people 10 or 20 years older. And although that scenario is increasingly common, it』s often met with tension. The older crew doesn』t want to be bossed around by someone younger, while the young go-getters grapple with how to establish authority without shaking things up too much.

There』s good news if you』re a young manager: You can be successful in your role even when you』re managing people decades older than you. We spoke with a number of career experts about how to be the boss—no matter how big of an age gap you』ve got with your team.

Be humble

Don』t let ambition come across as arrogance You might feel like you need to validate how you ended up in your advanced position. But rattling off your impressive resume could come off as bragging. 「Sometimes a leader is better off saying less,」 says Sara Canaday, a leadership development expert based in Austin, Texas.

Aim to be graceful and humble instead. 「You almost need to overcompensate here,」 Canaday says. 「People who have been there longer are going to be hypersensitive to any signs of power and privilege, so you need to embrace that your role is to be supportive and—corny as it sounds—an inspirational leader.」

Understand how they like to communicate

You might have a direct, to-the-point communication style, whereas older employees might be used to spending the first few minutes of every meeting chit-chatting about the weather. Pay attention to the pace they』re used to and cater your style when appropriate, suggests Chip Espinoza, Ph.D., a California-based expert on generational diversity in the workplace.

Since the older generation tends to divide work and life more than young people do, you should reconsider sending 11 p.m. emails, lest your team thinks they』re expected to be on the job 24/7. To get on everyone』s good side, avoid communicating between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. unless absolutely necessary, Espinoza suggests.

Learn from your older employees

Take the time to recognize the team that』s in place and how things are done. 「They have the corporate culture knowledge that you need to be successful,」 says Tracey C. Jones, M.B.A., a Pennsylvania-based career and leadership advisor and author of A Message To Millennials: What Your Parents Didn』t Tell You and Your Employer Needs You to Know.

Their years of experience can help you navigate your new responsibilities and avoid tenuous situations, says Jones.

But don』t let them push you around

When you』re younger than your coworkers, even if you』re their manager, it』s sometimes easy for them to take advantage of you—especially if you』re new to management.

「Sometimes older workers will kind of play younger managers and say things like, 『Oh well you』re better at technology,』」 Espinoza says. Be supportive while also holding the person accountable. Resist the urge to do their work for them.

If you find that happening to you, instead of piling more on your plate, shoot the project back to the older person and offer to teach him or her how to use the necessary programs.

Find co-leaders

Jones says it』s important to look for and befriend the exemplary members on your team. "These are the followers that are going to be your early adopters, your cheerleaders,」 she says. Often they』ve been with the company for a while and are trusted by their colleagues.

「They're going to help you,」 Jones says. 「They're going to go down to the other employees and say, 『Hey, listen, we need to do this and here's the reason why.』」

Be open about your way of doing things

Proactively share your leadership style and what you expect from your team so they』re not left to fill in the blanks, Canaday says. 「Instead of instructing or directing, embrace the idea that you』re a coach and a sound board and you』re there to remove obstacles,」 Canaday says.

But don』t just swoop in on day one and change everything. Instead, Espinoza recommends asking everyone: What is the one thing you don』t want to see change and what』s the one thing you think needs to change? Someone with institutional knowledge can advise you on previous attempts at making changes that didn』t work out, and save you the hassle and embarrassment of making the same mistake.

「Bring them into that discussion because you can set it up where they』re going to be helping you, or you can set it up to where they』re going to resist you,」 Espinoza says.

Make it clear that you』re in it for the long haul

Let them know you』re invested in the position and not just using the role as a stepping-stone. 「The Achilles' heel for many millennials is a lack of patience,」 Espinoza says. 「A lot of people can be frustrated with young managers because they feel the managers are already focused on their next promotion.」 Your team will respect you more if they feel you』re committed.

現如今，三十多歲的人完全可能有比自己年長一二十歲的下屬。雖然這種情況越來越常見，但往往也伴隨著上下級關係緊張。一方面，年長的員工不喜歡年輕人指手畫腳，另一方面積極上進的年輕人努力想樹立威信，但又不想大動干戈。

如果你年紀輕輕當上經理，好消息來了：即便下屬年長几十歲，你一樣可以當個成功的領導。諮詢多位職場專家后我們發現，無論和團隊成員年紀相差多大，只要掌握以下要訣，你都能當好上級。

為人謙虛

有雄心固然好，但不要表現得高人一等。你可能覺得需要證明自己是憑真才實學坐上高位。但是，總強調過去多麼優秀可能會顯得愛吹噓。美國德克薩斯州奧斯汀的領導力發展專家沙拉·卡納迪指出：「有時，領導最好少說話。」

要樹立優雅謙遜的形象。卡納迪說：「在這方面哪怕做得過分點都不要緊。有資歷的員工對權力和特權的跡象異常敏感，你要充分接受一點，即你主要任務是提供支持，給大家鼓勁，儘管這話聽起來像老生常談。」

了解年長的下屬喜歡用什麼方式溝通

或許你的溝通風格是直截了當，直奔主題，可年長的員工也許習慣開會剛開始花幾分鐘時間聊聊天氣。美國加利福尼亞州的職場代際差異專家奇普·埃斯賓諾莎博士建議，不妨留意年長員工習慣的節奏，調整自己的風格稍作迎合。

對於工作和生活，年長者通常比年輕人分得更清楚。因此你如果打算晚上11點還發電郵就該三思了，否則下屬會覺得，你想要他們一周七天每天24小時隨時待命。埃斯賓諾莎建議，如果沒有特殊情況，晚8點到早6點之間最好別談工作，這樣對大家都有好處。

向年長的員工學習

花時間了解你的團隊成員，以及工作方式。「因為下屬們比你了解企業文化，你如果想成功就需要他們幫助。」美國賓夕法尼亞州職場與領導力顧問、著有《敬告千禧一代：這是父母沒有告訴你的事》和《老闆需要你知道這些事》的工商管理碩士翠西.C.瓊斯如是說。

瓊斯認為，年長員工多年的經驗可以幫助你更好地完成工作，避免陷入窘境。

不要讓年長員工反客為主

假如你比同事年輕，即使你是領導也容易遭到利用，尤其是新官上任時。

埃斯賓諾莎指出：「有時年長的員工喜歡捉弄比自己年輕的領導，說一些諸如『你更懂技術，這個工作不如你去……』這樣的話。」你是應該支持員工，但也得堅持個人權責，剋制越俎代庖的衝動。

如果你發現碰上了這種事，不要把活都攬到自己身上，把項目交還給年長的員工，然後主動提出教他們使用必要的程序完成工作。

尋找共同領導的搭檔

瓊斯說，在團隊里找一些模範成員並且交上朋友，這很重要。「這些成員會迅速接受你，為你打氣。」而且這些人在公司往往有些年頭了，同事們都比較信任。

「他們會幫你，」瓊斯說，「他們找其他員工說話比較方便，可以幫著解釋『嘿，我們是應該這麼做，理由是這樣的。』」

接受對個人行事方式的任何建議

卡納迪建議，你應該主動讓團隊成員了解自己的領導風格，以及你對他們的期待。這樣他們才不會按自己的想法走。她說：「不要生硬地下命令也不要亂指揮，要記住你是教練，是同事們堅實的後盾，你最大的作用就是掃清前進的障礙。」

不過，別剛剛上任就大改特改。埃斯賓諾莎建議，你向所有人徵詢：你覺得哪些需要改變，哪些不想改變？了解公司的人可以提供建議，讓你知道之前有過哪些改變的嘗試沒能奏效，省得你犯同樣的錯誤，最後惹麻煩又尷尬。

「讓同事們參與討論，因為結果不外乎兩個，要麼他們幫你，要麼就是抵制你。」埃斯賓諾莎說。

表明你打算長期做這份工作

讓員工知道，你對這個職位傾注了心血，而不是當作升職的跳板。埃斯賓諾莎指出：「缺少耐心是很多千禧一代的致命弱點。不少員工之所以對年輕的管理者感到失望，正是因為覺得管理者總想著下一次升職。」如果能感受到你的投入，團隊會更尊重你。（財富中文網）

譯者：Pessy

審校：夏林