Old leaders who ignore or belittle young leaders close the door on the future.
To young leaders:
Prepare:
Old foolish leaders are inconsistent.
- They despise your sense of entitlement, but they feel entitled.
- They speak bluntly, but expect you to speak kindly.
- They expect you to listen, but they don’t.
- They want respect, but look down on youth.
Avoid:
- Making the achievements of others look easy.
- Acting like you have something to prove. Defensiveness disguises fear and weakness.
- Needing to look smarter and trying to outdo.
- Looking down on the older generation.
7 ways to deal with old leaders:
- Honor what old leaders have built, even if you want to change it. They worked hard to build what you’re complaining about.
- Practice curiosity. Ask three questions before making one statement.
- Show gratitude, lots of it. Gratitude answers tendencies toward arrogance.
- Display humility, lots of it. People who’ve been around a long time expect respect.
- Work hard calmly. Frantic doesn’t earn respect. Calm your spirit.
- Act respectfully to everyone, especially people who irritate you.
- Honor others even as you disagree.
To old leaders:
Successful old leaders leverage the strength and develop the talent of young leaders.
- Expect them to do something about their complaints. Ask, “What are you going to do about that?”
- Ask them to ask questions. You believe they talk too much. Ask, “What question would you like to ask?”
- Send them to discuss their plans with others. You believe they don’t see the impact of disruption. Send them to other departments to discuss their plan.
- Throw gas on their frustrations. Don’t tell them to calm down. Fire them up and expect them to serve others.
Bonus: Let them fail and learn. Lift them when they fall. A good word from you goes a long way.
How might old leaders develop young leaders?
How might young leaders succeed with old leaders?
***The twitter counter on the sharing tool is broken. However, I’m told the tool still works.