Leading People Who Are Older and More Experienced Than You

As a business owner, your goal should be to surround yourself with people who are smarter, more skilled, and more experienced than you. But what happens when those people are also older than you and you’re the one responsible for leading them?

In this episode, we share how to confidently lead a team of experienced professionals without falling into imposter syndrome or micromanagement. Leadership isn’t about knowing everything. It’s about setting vision, building trust, and enabling others to do their best work.

We cover:

• Why hiring people with more experience is essential for growth
• The difference between managing tasks and inspiring people
• How to create ownership by involving your team in decision-making
• Why listening is the skill that will earn you the most respect
• What to do if someone doesn’t acknowledge your leadership
• How to balance collaboration with standing firm as the decision-maker

Leading a team of people older or more experienced than you doesn’t have to be intimidating. With the right mindset and approach, it can be one of the most powerful ways to grow your business.

Ready to become the leader your business truly needs? Our Empower360 Leadership Coaching starts with the Energy Leadership Index Assessment, giving you a powerful lens into how you show up as a leader. Book a call today to see if it’s the right next step for you.

“You don’t hire experience to tell it what to do. You hire it to elevate your business.” – Jores Minasvand

Transcript for “How to Lead a Team That’s Older and More Experienced Than You”

The transcript below was automatically generated. Please ignore any errors or inconsistencies in the text.

Anna Angelova   0:05
Hello, hello, hello and happy Monday. This is more than just Task Management, your favorite daily podcast where we help you build a thriving business. And yes, it might be Labor Day here in Canada and USA long weekend, but we are here for you because as small mid-sized business owner.
Chances are that you might be working today, you might not be taking the day off. And even if you’re taking the day off, it’s a great opportunity for you to listen to something related to the business as you are enjoying this beautiful mundane.
My name is Anna Angelova, business coach and consultant, co-host of this podcast. And as usual, I have my fellow co-host, a business consultant with me, Joris Minas Fan. Hey, Joris. Good morning.

Jores Minasvand   0:54
Anna, good morning. Happy Monday. A very interesting topic. It’s been the question of the ages for not even just for the recent, you know, with the age of AI, age of technology, this has been always an issue with.
How do you hire people, especially if they’re older and more experienced? And not it’s not just about managing them to do what you want. How do you get the best out of them, right? I think when we talk about managing them, it means how do you enable them to become their best?
Because you hired them for a reason. You hire them for something that you don’t have or your team doesn’t have. So how do you enable them? And let’s just kick start it and talk about this a little bit more.
I think to me it’s very easy. Sounds easy, but let’s hear from you first, Anna, and then we’ll, I’ll jump in.

Anna Angelova   1:46
But.
Yeah, so the topic today, it’s definitely interesting because like, so how do you lead really? Like how do you lead a team? Like leading a-team on its own, regardless of what age and experience your team has, it’s challenging, like it’s challenging and this is one of the things that we hear from so many of the.
Customers we work with, so many business owners, other business owners we meet with that managing people, leading people is not my thing. I don’t like it. I’d rather go and do my, my, my work, right? The job, the the, the do the actual work. So how do you lead a-team of people who are older and more experienced than you?
And I did mention it yesterday when we were kick starting the week. I did mention that as a business owner, you actually want to hire people who are more experienced than you and who know more than you in all these different areas. As you are compiling your team, as you’re building your team, you want people who are more experienced than you.
And in some ways this might mean that these people are older than you, so.
How do you do this? Like how do you manage this? And I would start with.
The idea that part of the problem or like part of the issue is our own perception, right? Part of it is that our like it’s that our own voice, that imposter syndrome, thinking that who am I to lead these people? They know more than me about finance, it’s about marketing, about sales.
Whatever it is, I go these topics, who am I to be leading? Who am I to be managing? And maybe there is the now is the time to also talk a little bit about the distinction between managing and leading. So like.
Managing is more about operational. It’s more about making sure that things get done. Leadership is the inspirational, the aspirational. It’s about the strategy and as the business owner.
You are the leader. You are the leader of the business, especially while you’re still involved in the business. You are the leader of the business. And in some ways, when you are the leader, like you don’t have to be the both the manager and the leader, right? Like you might.
Actually have someone who manages your team and you can be just the leader setting the vision, the aspiration, the strategy, the the goals, and it doesn’t matter in that. In that case, it doesn’t matter whether you are, if your team is older than you, younger than you, more experience, less experience, it doesn’t really matter.
Because ultimately you set the the path. You say this is where we are going, this is our vision, this is our strategy. Let’s go, let’s go. This is like you create that the fire in in them like you you’re there to again inspire.
Them, motivate them to to. I love what you said, Joris, get the best out of them. And this is something that I know it’s easier said than done and one way to start the whole process of leading.
People and even managing people. One way and one important step is actually getting to know your people and getting to know your people and what drives them and how they communicate, how they prefer to do things.
Because like there are, yes, there are definitely generational things, like especially when it comes to certain generations. The thing is that.
The world around us impacts us, and we all know about the different generations, like the the builders that came, like that they actually rebuilt the world after the world wars, the boomers.
Gen. X, Millennials, Gen. Z, now Gen. Alpha. We all know about these different generations and they were impacted by different things that happened in the world, and there are some commonalities around these people.
The way that the world worked 100 years ago is completely different from what we see right now. It was so much more hierarchical where like you you have the manager and you listen and like they they give instructions and you follow.
So some of the other generations might prefer this kind of a clear structure where you tell them what to do and they do it, and they might prefer communication that is clearly written.
And then the younger generations, they might prefer communication that’s a little bit, you know, shorter, snappier, things like this. So yeah, while there are generational things going on, definitely getting to know your team, getting to know the people you you have.
And understanding how they work, understanding what motivates them, understanding. This is one thing that I think it was from Zig Ziglar who said that the way for you to succeed is to help other people succeed. So as the business owner.
This applies, so getting to know your team and understanding their motivation, how they work, but also what they want. Like if if your team, someone in your team wants to buy a house for example.
Helping this person buy a house.
Imagine. Imagine if you are able through through the work this person does for you and the business. Imagine if you’re able to compensate them in ways that enables them to buy a house. What this person will do for you? What this person would do for the business?
How they’ll follow you in battle. They’ll follow you to hell if they need to. So I know I talk quite a bit. And Joris, I actually want to hear your thoughts. I see you nodding your head a little bit, but I want to see if you hear your thoughts as well.

Jores Minasvand   8:20
No, I’m agreeing a lot of with a lot of things that you’re you’re saying almost everything and and so one way is to look at it from a generational gap, right the way the new generation was to do things the way the old generation did.
Same things. I don’t think there is the wrong or right, but when dealing with the with more experienced team members, I would recommend when it comes to the business, when you’re at work, forget about age.
Do not treat them that that they’re older or younger. What you need to do is you mentioned this, Anna and I love it. Show them your mission vision.
And set them free. Let them apply their experience to your achieving your mission and vision and that would that would be the the combination that that will work out. Don’t hire these people to tell them what to do if you are hiring someone to follow instructions as a yes person, yes ma’am, yes man.
Yes, Sir. Kind of a deal. Don’t hire experienced people. Don’t hire older people because they already know if they are at the level that you’re hiring them, they have been successful in something and that’s what you want to bring into your operations. Bring their success into your operations. Yes, they may need.
To adjust a little bit to your culture. But when when they’re doing their work, let them be, let them apply their experience to their work. Yes, when you’re going for team building, they may not like paintball or you know, they may like a different type of dinner place for team building, but that you can deal with.
The core idea is how do you get the best out of them and I would say don’t micromanage them because a lot of people, especially after certain if you’re after your second year and and everyone that’s in in the business deal, you’ll get to that age and you’ll realize after the second decade of your experience, your career, your business.
You really, uh.
Don’t need to be told. If you’re good, you’re not really need to be told what to do. And it’s you want people to trust you for you to be able to take over a task, take over responsibility.
Know when to ask for help and go get it done. Get it done the right way. All you have to do to make sure is make sure that these people that you’re hiring, they’re doing it done the right way for your mission and vision.

Anna Angelova   11:03
And to further add to what you were saying, because here we’re talking about leading people who are more experienced, leading people who are older and more experienced than you. Another thing that is really, really important, like you get people, you hire people, like you said, for a reason.
Then they are there because they’re better than you for your finance department, for your marketing, for your sales.
One of the best, best ways you can again win. So ultimately you want to win with your team. You want to win their hearts, their minds, their hands, the whole, the whole Trinity, the Holy Trinity. Like you want to, you want to.
Win all these things, and one way to do this is by creating a sense of ownership and allowing them to be next to you at the table.
When it’s time to make decisions, like you said, Joris, no one loves, especially after you have been in in a certain field for a couple of decades. No one likes being told what to do. Instead, you actually want to listen to them, and this is one of the key, key, key skills as a leader.
That you want to develop is listening. You want to actually get them to to help you figure out the path ahead. Yes, as the leader, as the owner of the business, you do set the vision, you do set the mission and and and that big hairy audacious goal, but.
Or not. But let’s say N At the same time, you want your team to be involved in the decision-making. You want your team to be involved in the process. You want to hear their opinions. You want to hear their point of views.
You want to engage them when it comes to deciding how to get where you want to go go to. You want to help have them have that sense of ownership, and especially because your business is small.
Or or even if it’s a medium-sized business, even if you have like 10 or 20 people or or or 50 people, it’s still a very like a very cosy or or I’m trying to figure out what’s the right word, but like intimate in a way, it’s still a very intimate environment.
You probably know the names of all your people, and again, being able to help them feel that sense of ownership, that they’re contributing, that their voice is heard, that they actually are.
Part of the solution. This is invaluable. This is something that can allow you to. They would probably even be happy to work for you for a lower salary just because of how involved that they can be in in your in your business and with.
Building something up together with you.

Jores Minasvand   14:16
Absolutely. A lot of people, different people work for different reasons. Some people work for money, some people work for the title, some people work the personal achievements. So I think in the beginning you said something very interesting.
Very valid that get to know them, get to know these people. You hire them for a reason. Get to know them, understand what. And then that’s one of the traits of a good leader, getting to know and understand each and everyone of the people that they’re hiring.
And be able to enable them. This is this is not a simple thing, but this is something that you can practice and there are certain we we we can coach you as well. There are certain books I’ve read before, but I think one of them was called.
Empowering by enablement, growth by enablement. It’s how you grow people by enabling them. Let them grow, right? So and then you grow. If you have five people that grow, you’ll grow five times. So absolutely find what people want, and especially people who get to the 3rd or 4th.
Decade of their careers. Sometimes I think they’ve achieved a lot and they’re just working for the fun of it. And money may not be 100% the reason they’re they’re there. So understand what they want and if money is not it, then the other the next.
Best thing that that motivates people gives you adrenaline is achievement, right? Let them achieve what they want. And and again, if you’re we talked about this, you’re hiring different people, for example, one person for operation, one person for finance, because you’re not expert in all of them, let them.
Don’t lose control, but.
Sort of show them that this is their company as well like.
Make sure that they treat it as their own company, because if they treat it as a job, nine to five job, they’ll never grow. They’ll become one of your redundant people who AI will soon replace.
But if you want someone creative who’s someone that that actually contributes to your company’s growth and and and customer growth, it’s you have to make sure that they feel like this is their company.
Yes, hierarchy works, but top down, I don’t think it works anymore. I think one of the old top down, I’m the boss, you’re the man, you’re the doers. Go do what I tell you. Here are your marching orders. I think that has died. I think that died in the late 90s.
Early 2000s, especially if you’re in a tech company or in a services company, I think it’s more of a the org charts have flattened. Yes, you may report to me in an org chart because we need this hierarchy if it’s a public company or whatever, but in reality you go.
Do what you do best. Come ask for help. We will not bother you. We will not stand in your way. That’s the right way of managing, enabling.

Anna Angelova   17:40
It’s more about collaboration in a way. As you were saying, they said the word that came to my mind is collaboration. It’s more about like we’re doing this together and this is one of the like the best of the best companies they they have this.
Way of encouraging both autonomy and teamwork and making people feel like they they are owners and making people feel valued. And I just wanted to mention one last thing for for today’s conversation is that like sometimes.
And and Joris, you you you actually touched upon this thing that not losing control. So you are the leader of the business, you’re the business owner, you’re the leader. Most likely you also manage people. So it’s finding finding that that fine line.
Of the collaboration, but also standing up as you are the leader like you are, you are the owner and sometimes when you have people who are older and more experienced than you.
Like the limiting beliefs might be on their side that they might be thinking or like who is this 30 year old? I’m I’m in my 50s. Who is this 30 year old to do or or to tell me to tell me things and decide make decisions.
Now if this happens, I highly recommend you take a look at your hiring process and fix it because you should not have hired someone who has this kind of mindset. You shouldn’t shouldn’t have hired this person. So go listen to our hiring episode and and fix fix your hiring process.
But if you are facing this situation where you’re leading someone who’s older and more experienced than you, and this person doesn’t acknowledge you as the leader or or or respect you as a leader, then of course you have a problem on your own in front of you and you want to fix it as soon as.
As possible, and one of the best, best, best things I would recommend in any situation when it comes to leading people, when it comes to managing people, whether it’s in your business, whether it’s outside of the business, it’s conversation. It’s conversation.
And it’s a dialogue, like one-on-one conversation, a dialogue where you sit down and you talk and you talk about the elephant in the room. And again, this is where that’s why we have all these different conversations and and we have all episodes every single day.
But ultimately, when you have a proper org chart, when you have proper responsibilities and this person is in a certain role where these are your responsibilities, these are your vital functions and priorities and things like this.
You can really easily have this kind of conversations to acknowledge what’s going on and and to figure out a way to work together, to move forward working together or.
Partways. So this is just one thing I wanted to mention that as you are leading A-Team with people who are more experienced than you, people who are older than you.
It’s collaboration, it’s doing things together, but it’s also and it’s also making sure that you stay as the leader. They see you as the leader, they see you as.
The people, the person who ultimately makes the final decision, and sometimes it might be a decision that people don’t agree with. But this is one of the things as a leader. Sometimes you need to make these kind of decisions and you should if this decision is.
Rooted in the core principles and values of your company, in where your company stands, where you stand as the business owner. Even if people don’t agree with you, sometimes you might need to make a decision like this and.
The thing is that even in the moment they don’t agree with you and and they blame you or whatever it is, over time this will actually increase their respect for you because you stood your ground. You didn’t listen to the masses in a way. You stood your ground, you followed the vision and and this will increase.
Their respect for you. So anyway, this was the last thing I wanted to mention.
You want to surround yourself with people who are more experienced than you. And the key, key, key thing from today’s conversation is that it’s all about leadership. You you need to lead them, lead them by example, lead them with collaboration.
And as Joris mentioned, we are here for you. We do have the Empower 360 coaching. It’s a six month coaching engagement where we can help you become the best leader you you can be and it starts with actually.
One of the most powerful assessments out there, the Energy Leadership Index assessment. So if you are working towards becoming a better leader, if this is an area that you want to improve.
I highly, highly recommend you check the Empower 360 coaching program and book a call with us to see if this is your next step when it comes to becoming the leader you’re meant to be to leading your company to greatness.

Jores Minasvand   23:30
Absolutely. We are here to help. Very engaging session and I thank you.

Anna Angelova   23:36
Oh, thanks Joris. Absolutely. So yeah, this is it for today. I would say. I know sometimes I forget to mention action items, but it’s just listening to these conversations. Yes, it’s good that things get into your mind and it’s there’s things, but it’s also good to take.
So action item for today, I would say what’s your biggest take away? Think about like what’s your biggest take away? What’s the biggest thing? Like the idea? One thing that is like, this is interesting, this is something I can do.
And so after you did identify your biggest take away, what action will you take? What’s 11 action you will take to implement this to to to become a better leader? And this is how we grow day by day with one action at a time. This is how we grow so.
Biggest take away and what action we would take and.
If you are interested in staying productive and sane, join us tomorrow when we talk about planning your week. So thanks again, Joris. Wonderful start of the week and I’ll see you tomorrow.

Jores Minasvand   24:55
Thank you, Anna. See you.

Anna Angelova   24:57
Bye.