Leading Older Workers: What Younger Managers Must Do

Back in 1912, George Bernard Shaw made an observation that stands the test of time, "It's all that the young can do for the old, to shock them and keep them up to date." Those words have special meaning for the young person supervising older colleagues. Not only will the appointment of youth over experience be a shock to the more senior associates, it may be a move that they covertly or overtly resist. A younger person put in a position to supervise older co-workers faces a delicate challenge, that can be managed successfully with a little interpersonal finesse.