Due to economic changes managers seem to be getting younger and younger. Experience and training are valuable assets in a company so I am sure you will agree that a lack of experience and training can sometimes be detrimental.

I earned my first managerial position at the tender age of 17. As you can imagine I was really bad at it!
I had no clue of how to manage people and I had a team underneath me, not necessarily looking at me for leadership, but definitely in need of leadership. Management is a skill that can be developed but is also intrinsic. The bonus that I had is that the team above me really believed in me. Tapping into that higher management for mentorship was probably the best thing I have done in my entire career.With that I am going to give you my first tip…

Ask for Help

Don’t be a young manager who thinks they are older then they are. You were hired for a reason, so someone, somewhere believes in you! So trust me, they already know that you’re young and they aren’t expecting you to have all the answers. If you have a problem you do not know how to solve, voice it. Speak to someone above you, find out how they have dealt with it in the past and learn from their stories. If you do not have a good enough relationship with the seniors within your company speak to your family and friends, not just managers but, people who have been managed. The more examples you have the better equipped you will be. Experience is something that you can only gain by ‘doing’ so even when you are not 100% sure what to do, be confident enough to do something. That brings me to my 2nd ‘Tip’…

Be Confident

The is a clear difference between a leader and a manager. However sometimes is isn’t easy to know whether or not you are a leader or a manager. However within a company whether you are leading or managing the goal should be the same. Once you know the goal, you need to believe in it! That belief shows clearer then you can imagine. If you believe in the goal you need to be confident enough to instill that vision in your team. There is nothing worst then a manager who lacks confidence. If you do not believe in yourself why should anyone else believe in you.

As a 17 year old manager one thing I did not lack was confidence. I did not always know how I was going to execute a task, but I definitely knew that the task would be executed and it would be executed well. I had to own my confidence and own my position. That is where my next ‘Tip’ comes in…

Own your Position

When you are managing people twice your age with twice your experience it is easy to let yourself be walked over. Often when you meet people who have done a job for a very long time, they do not like to be told how to do there job… especially by someone with less experience then they have. However, innovation is a gem. You need to own your position and respect yourself enough to command the respect from your team. Do not allow yourself to be side-tracked, if you implement a new change, put your foot down (without being rude or condescending) and ensure it runs its course. Otherwise you will fail to execute my next ‘Tip’…

Be Stable and Decisive

Your vision needs to be clear! This is usually where managers and leaders differ in my point of view. Leaders have vision. They are able to inspire and motivate people to change and follow them easily. However, it takes management to organise and execute that vision. Some gifted individuals possess both qualities but we can leave that discussion for a different day. The vision needs t o be followed through, whether it is your vision or the vision of the company, if you do not show stability and the vision keeps changing you will lose the trust and direction of those around you. Sometimes visions are wrong and plans do not work out the way we intend them to. But mistakes are human. Here is my final ‘Tip’ for today…

Don’t be Afraid to Make Mistakes

As long as you are honourable enough to accept your part of the blame you will be able to recover and still be a great manager. That is one of the major benefits of being a young manager. There is lots of time for you to make things right.