When Your New Boss is Younger
At any age, we choose whether to see the unfamiliar as threat or opportunity. For example: you are a baby-boomer, and discover yourself with a new boss, age 30. You can either go deeper into a midlife crisis, questioning what you failed to accomplish in life. Or, you can look forward to building bridges within your organization between generations and work force cultures.
Gail Shih, director of human resources at a microchip company in Sunnyvale, California, reports to a younger vice president. She says, "Respecting your boss, irrespective of his/her age, is key. Start by giving the boss a chance, establishing common ground and being open with him/her."
In many respects, cultivating a successful working relationship with a every new boss involves paying attention to the person. Be a discreet but keen observer of what makes your new boss "tick." The first weeks will tell you a lot about their work habits, values and communication styles.
You also want to observe your own patterns in order to understand ways to help make this new working relationship most productive. Notice your preferences in communication frequency and style (emails or face-to-face? Daily or weekly?); your desire for direction or independence, and other work issues.
In this assessment, what age-related attitudes surface? If older workers see the passion and assertiveness of youth as immaturity or naïveté, behaviors that criticize, challenge or undermine a younger boss take place. Viewed positively as energy that can drive organizational results, you can offer a younger manager valuable institutional history and genuine support for fresh ideas.
Young managers do bring new behaviors and challenges to the status quo. Many older workers operate from traditional work ethics and patterns: arrive on time, work until lunch, take a lunch break, work until quitting time, and go home. This is not the case for their 20 and 30 -something coworkers and bosses. "Gen X' and Y'ers were raised in the Internet era, where it doesn't necessarily matter where the work gets done, as long as it does," says Linda Gravett and Robin Throckmorton, co-authors of Bridging the Generation Gap: How to Get Radio Babies, Boomers, Gen Xers and Gen Yers to Work Together and Achieve More.
The most common difference may be in communication technology and styles. Conference calls, webinars, text messages, and instant messaging come naturally to workers who have come of age in the 21st century. Many baby-boomers may prefer face meetings, voice messages, and email."
In the end, giving support to a younger boss benefits everyone. Young managers may stimulate company cultures to loosen up a bit, bringing more casual dress codes, new work options, more efficient technology.
Work results are what truly count. Your performance will be judged on tangible outcomes and your ability to work well with others, no matter their age.