Accepting young leaders

Leadership styles / 19 December 2011

Young aspiring managers often feel they face a glass ceiling when it comes to reaching and maintaining leadership roles. Sharon Green looks at the challenges young leaders face on their path to management roles and asks how do they cope with the misconceptions of their leaderships skills while gaining the respect of older employees?

Recent research from youth leadership charity Changemakers has discovered that 64% of young people believe they are prevented from becoming leaders in their organisation.

Only 46% of over 30s said it would be completely acceptable for their boss to be under the age of 31, only 41% their local councillor, and only 37% their MP.

So how can young leaders gain the respect of their older work colleagues?

Yvette Vignando from Emotional Intelligence Development Australia says being smart with your feelings and emotions could be the key.

"Companies are often looking for leaders to inspire their teams, resolve conflicts, interact well with colleagues, and manage the emotional responses of themselves and others."

However, leaders who are elevated to management positions are not always equipped with the people skills required in that role, says Vignando.

Emotional intelligence can help young leaders with their thinking process, identify their strengths and overcome challenges where they may lack emotional maturity and experience – something their older counterparts tend not to struggle with.

"As we age, we’re often a lot better at controlling our emotions and we become less reactive. As you age, there is some wisdom about relationships that comes with it.

"Understanding how people work emotionally is a really important aspect to being a leader today."

Fresh ideas

Christian Arno, founder and managing director of Lingo24, the UK’s fastest growing translation service, has experienced first-hand what it’s like to be a young leader.

At 22, he set up his business from the bedroom of his parents’ house in Aberdeen, Scotland. Ten years later, it has become a global company, with hubs in Edinburgh, London, Romania, Panama and the Philippines and employs about 160 staff, as well as a network of around 5,000 freelance translators.

Communication via email, phone and online eliminates face-to-face meetings where people often judge you and react to how young you look.

Christian Arno, founder and managing director of Lingo24

But achieving success for the young entrepreneur hasn’t been easy. In the early days of setting up his business Arno worked hard to gain respect in an industry largely dominated by businessmen twice his age.

"There definitely was a stigma in the air about ‘who is this guy and what can he possibly know about the world?’" he says.

Since Lingo24 started doing deals with other firms and looked to merge with other companies,

Arno has struggled to gain respect. "They have these images of being bought by large companies run by someone older," he says.

But Arno has managed to overcome some of these hurdles through conducting business via online tools which have helped to prevent prejudice and age discrimination. "Communication via email, phone and online eliminates face-to-face meetings where people often judge you and react to how young you look."

Even though he still struggles with finding acceptance as a young leader at 33, Arno has proved himself, time and again, by running a successful business and was awarded the Shell LiveWIRE ‘Young Entrepreneur of the Year’ award in 2003. Last year, Lingo24 also won HSBC’s prestigious Business Thinking Award for the Scotland and Northern Ireland region.

Arno says there are positives to being young, as young leaders can offer fresh ideas, an innovative approach, the ability to understand new technology and the early adoption of online platforms such as social media – all of which have helped to drive his business.

As a young leader, Arno says he’s been able to create an organic workplace culture without the office politics. "It’s about keeping the atmosphere light but at the end of the day getting the job done."

Business coaching consultant Marilyn P. Fried says young leaders can gain respect from their colleagues by asking intelligent questions, listening to answers and appreciating the experiences of the people who have been at the organisation longer – even if they were hired to make big changes.

"Be available as a leader or manager to those you are leading. Let them in on the plan and get their input. Work harder to earn respect rather than be liked. Look for a mentor in the organisation who can guide you through the organisation's politics, culture and show you how to be a leader."