06.10.2023

SUCCESS TECHNIQUES

THE OTHER SKILLSET - 4 WAYS TO SUCCEED WHEN YOUR BOSS KNOWS LESS THAN YOU

What to do if the new manager has less experience than his subordinates? Take advantage of this excellent development opportunity!

Let's say you have been working for a long time in the same place. You have extensive experience, excellent relationships with colleagues, advanced skills and qualifications. One fine day a new manager comes in who has a lot of ideas but significantly less experience than you. Sounds familiar? At first glance, this is not the best situation, but a boss with skills and knowledge turns out to be useful and exciting.

There are three reasons why we may find ourselves working under someone with less experience more often than ever.

First, we work longer hours today, which is why several generations find themselves side by side in the workplace in most large companies. Flexible work schedules, greater age diversity, and changing career goals and aspirations make it more likely that more experienced workers will work alongside less experienced managers.

Second, telecommuting has become commonplace, which means you and your manager are likely to spend much less time working together on the same issues. Therefore, the manager has almost no involvement in what you are working on.

Third, middle managers are increasingly moving from one job to another. This means that there is a high probability that one day you will find that the new manager does not have enough experience in his field. As Steve Jobs said, “There's no point in hiring smart people and telling them what to do; we hire smart people to tell us what to do." Managers are hired for different reasons and with different skills.

With the right approach, having a manager with less experience can boost creativity and out-of-the-box thinking and help achieve goals. Here are four tips to help you succeed.

Use the differences

Having a leader with a diverse set of skills and experience is an asset to innovation and productivity in your business. Differences provide an opportunity to share information and consider opportunities from alternative perspectives, which can foster creativity and productivity. The age difference between you and your manager can further amplify this effect. By using the differences, you will be ready for new challenges. Small disagreements with a leader who has different skills and experience stimulate creativity.

Seek advice

To achieve your goals, you need to look into the future and get meaningful feedback on how your performance is measured today. However, the longer we work in the same company or position, the less proactive we become when it comes to seeking feedback from others. In other words, our experience can be a barrier to seeking new perspectives, especially from those with less knowledge. If your boss has less experience or understanding in a particular area of expertise, try asking them for advice. Such a request builds trust and encourages conversation about future goals and new, valuable perspectives. This is because the best advice is not always given by those with the most relevant skills and experience.

Be curious

There are significant benefits to curiosity at work. Curiosity increases creativity, reduces errors, improves communication and productivity. Individual curiosity is important for adapting to career changes and challenges, and it is also important for persistent pursuit of goals. Curiosity is believed to be a key trait in the extraordinary success of entrepreneurs like Elon Musk, Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos. When working with a leader who has different experiences and knowledge, being curious about their personality and way of thinking builds trust and rapport. Curiosity helps build stronger relationships and creates a common ground on which collaboration and innovation can flourish.

Collaboration

Small changes in the workplace can make a big difference in how we feel about and perform our role. The arrival of a new leader is an ideal opportunity to work together to redefine your personal contribution to what you find most important, exciting and meaningful. These changes can expand relationships, allow you to become a leader, or focus more attention on specific important projects. To ensure that your responsibilities serve common goals and support motivation and creative thinking, working with the new manager will help you be more effective. Working together can also shape the direction of your career and give you more autonomy, especially in areas where you may be exceptionally skilled.

Today, more than ever, there are often situations where we are better qualified, experienced and specialized than our managers. Remember that a manager requires different skills than specialists who work in a team. In most cases, having a supervisor who knows less than you opens up opportunities for new perspectives, innovations, and steps toward more meaningful experience.