Old Enough to Lead? Don’t Let Anyone Look Down on You Because You Are Young

Many wish they could turn back the clock to their younger years. Some spend vast resources making themselves look younger. I’ve always wanted to be older. Always. For me, youth was something I needed to defy. I’ve always wished I was a little bit older than I currently was. Youth was something that held me back from the experiences and respect I wanted.

When I was in junior high school, I wanted to be in high school. When I was in high school, I wanted to be in college. As soon as I got to college, I wanted to get out and start my career, so I did. I started my full-time IT profession only 18 months out of high school at the age of 20. I spent no time in my 20’s acting like a prototypical 20-something.

How to lead while young

When I was teenager, I remember my favorite Bible verse was 1 Timothy 4:12: “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”

While I’ve always been a leader in various forms outside of work, I became a manager for the first time at 27. As with many first-time manager experiences, I was given the responsibility to lead people that were previously my peers. Oh, and by the way, they were all older than me. Every one of them.

If you are 27ish and think that you are too young to be a manager, you aren’t.

At 33, I had the opportunity to rise to the director level. Being a leader of leaders is an entirely different kind of experience. I brought what I had to offer to the role and I went to grad school to help me gain confidence. If any of you are 33ish and think you are too young to be a director, you aren’t. It can be done.

Last week, I wrote an article about how I was elected to the elder board of my church. At 39, that made me the least-eldest elder by far.

The disadvantage of being young

Ageism is typically associated with discrimination of older people. We all need to careful of our unconscious biases toward our older colleagues in the workplace. If you’ve ever thought “old dogs can’t learn new tricks” you are dead wrong.

I’ve never experienced that kind of ageism, but I’ve often felt the condescending gaze and tone of someone that looks at my youth and equates that to inexperience and folly. It’s infuriating. I’m fortunate that by far, most of my colleagues over the years have always treated me with respect. However, it’s happened to me enough times that keeps me on-guard. It makes me wonder: When will I be old enough for that not to happen to me anymore? When will that day come?

Getting personal

Because of the challenges I’ve experienced, I’ve always been slow to reveal my age at work. If people guess that I’m older than I am, I’ll let them. Nothing good has happened to me from revealing my age at work. It’s only a reason or an excuse for why I can’t do something. It makes me buck every time.

I just turned 40 yesterday. Most dread the big 4-0, but I’m relieved by it. Somehow, 40 feels more legitimate than 30-something.

My youth makes me feel vulnerable. I’m aware of another possibility: It could be all in my head. Perhaps the world isn’t out to get me because I’m young. Perhaps my insecurity is just that and nothing more. Perhaps those that try to intimidate me with their arrogance do so to everyone around them, regardless of their age.

Perhaps I’m not alone

This article was difficult to write. I chose to write it anyway because I figured there are others out there that feel threatened by their youth. They feel like they are judged by their years on the planet instead of the quality of their character and the maturity of their skills. That’s why I wrote this article. You aren’t alone. You aren’t too young to lead. Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young.

I’m 40 now. That means that I’ve officially missed my opportunity to make the Fortune 40 under 40 list. Oh well. Please don’t reply to this post with an obligatory “happy birthday.” Instead, please share your thoughts and feelings on the matter. Have you felt this way? Do you feel this way? Tell your stories in the comments below.

Read this article on my blog site: https://zachonleadership.com/old-enough-to-lead-dont-let-anyone-look-down-on-you-because-you-are-young/

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