When are you old enough to be a manager?
In my last review in November at the age of 30, I was told by my boss that I was "too young to be considered a manager". This seems to be the prevailing view in Germany at least.
I was wondering if the situation is any different in the UK? At the age of 31 I am returning to the UK in just 4 weeks and am still seeking that next challenge. Am I too young to be considered for management roles? Or is it dependant on the industry?
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I'm not sure why age should stop someone being a good manager. Knowledge and experience are far more important. I mean is Mark Zuckerburg a bad manager?
Well shame on your boss for using age as a reason. I agree with Matt, knowledge and experience is more important and also whenever those you are managing can trust and respect you enough to believe in you.
It's a load of baloney. Age is largely irrelevant. I think I had my first experience of management at 26 and many are managers much earlier. Of course you need proper training as well as on-the-job but given the right skills, experiences and qualities there is no reason why you can't make it before 30. I think there are countries that might not feel you are ready then (Germany and several others by the sounds of it) but this sounds more historical/cultural and possibly also linked to a somewhat more inflexible career/pay structure.
Isn't age discrimination outlawed (in the UK at least) and that sounds very much like age discrimination!
I became a manager at the age of 26, with responsibility for a staff of 13, most of them older than me. I married at 23 and became a father 14 months later at the age of 24. Started walking when I was 8 months old; learned to swim twice because of a childhood disability which resulted in hospitalisation and immobilisation.......
Did I do all these things at the right age? I'm not really sure.
What I can say is that it was right for me, it shaped who I am today.
I think the person making that comment to you is insecure in their own position and is projecting that on to you.
A manager is one who can effectively manage a group of people or business to produce an effecive and positive results, so i dont see why age could hinder that from happening. Age to me should not be a barrier.
A lot of very interesting comments ont he issue.
I guess that is true, if this comment had been made in a review in the UK it probably would be classed as age discrimination.
In Germany in general there is the whole issue of people studying for much longer and traditionally young men for their part had to complete a year's military service or social year before commencing studies. This in itself to graduates being considerably older once they finished their first degree. Also there is the issue that if you desire to reach the higher levels of many industries, you are expected to have a doctorate also. There have been several recent examples of politicians having their doctor titles removed by universities due to plagiarism in their thesis.
I agree wholly that so long as you possess the necessary management and interpersonal skills and are given the right training to equip you to manage your particular team then age should not be an issue.
I would never consider age on either a positive or negative level when recruiting, I was already a company director at 19, married with a mortgage and nobody told me I was too young.
The age issue is usually used by weak management who fear that you will take thier job soon.
Good luck
Just to look at this from another angle, is it legal to do that? I'm no expert but surely there are ageist laws and all that in place now so you can't discriminate against someone for being too old. Surely the same would apply if you discriminate against someone for being too young?
That's the thing though. The wording in the review was very careful.
I certainly am against age discrimination - it's ability and reliability that matter.
Dear,
Chris Lovell,
I would like to share some view with you that in pakistan there is service rule in Govt: department and all the promotins are being made on seniority not acquiring,any kind of Higher Education or professional qualification, I did MBA in (HRM),and now CMI Associate and till date I am striving for the attainment of better skills, knowledge for my oersonal development and I receive offer for MSc in management from Said Business School University of Oxford and Harvard Business School for Advance Executive Management programe,
But unfortunately due to lack of financial resource I would be not able to join the these, world leading edge Institutions in, this regard what CMI do for me and you for accomplishment of my higher study.
Saleem Raza Bhatti ACMI
Asstt;Executive Engineer(E/M)
Karachi Water & Sewerage Board.
Govt: of Sindh Pakistan.
Hi, I beleive that you do need a certain amount of experiecne behind you before becoming a manager. However, this is not determined by a particular age.
I became a manager at the age of 28, and although daunting as there were people who were a lot more mature in the team - eventually they came to respect me because of my knowledge and ability.
I recently supported 2 of my own team members to complete the Team Leader course, one of whom was 26 - the other in her early thirties. Again, this dedcision was based on their natural leading ability rather than their age!
I hope this helps - you will know when you feel ready to take the next step and your manager should respect this and encourage/support you to take it further.
Sometimes a manager's own insecurities prevent them from allowing others to shine...
If there is one thing i have learnt its that having all the certificates and pieces of paper under the sun do not necessarily make you a good manager, regardless of age!
I agree with the comments others have made that age should not be a factor in these sorts of decisions. I had my first leadership role at the age of 21 and have since recruited people in to leadership roles that were a variety of ages as I was looking for them to demonstrate their skills/experience rather than just when they happen to be born.
Some people have natural leadership abilities and may not have the qualification or experience to back it up but good recruiting managers should recognise this and then help people to develop within the role. Everybody has to start somewhere!
Hi All,
I find this post quite interesting and I think it has been long over due that I now write my first post on this site. Essentially, the whole reason I started the CMI level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership was due to being unsuccessful for an internal promotion. I scored evenly with an external candidate but my manager said that they had more management experience and keeping me where I am creates a strong team having two people the same! Cutting a long short I feel that at the age of 24 because I was younger than the other candidate it was a factor that he considered. Nevertheless 18 months later, neither work for my organization any more and I am two assignments away from completing the qualification.
I think I am always going to feel hard done by until I get to the level that I could have got if awarded the job but recently I know I am in complete control on my education and must work harder to complete the qualification. Can anyone please help me with my organizational direction assignment (7006), I am doing it on my place of employment being local government but would welcome peoples recommendations for any sources of good material that can help me meet the learning objectives.
Essentially I am looking for some inspiration, as I want the qualification to be a journey rather than a means to and end to right a wrong. I hope this can come from all you older and perhaps younger members?
Thanks.
Phil McCorry
Aside from the crass nonsense that somebody is too young to be a manager perhaps the issues of managment and leadership are being obscured and confused here. There is a distinct difference between the two qualities; Alexander was, after all, supposed to have conquered half the known World before he was 25 but that was through strength of character and leadership rather than goood management. Conversely, I am acquainted with a number of senior managers who couldn't lead a dog on a walk and only just manage to tie their own shoes. Quite simply the ability to manage and the quality of leadership are as individual as the number of employees you have.Both together are less common that you might think.
Acknowledging and nurturing skills in your staff is key to progression and good managers should be able to accept your contribution as valid. I have usually found that the poor manager denies knowledge and development to their subordinates and will prefer to employ clones of themselves to ensure continued safety in appointment and reduced competition. Thus does the institutional inertia that abounds in the UK at present maintain its hold and generates the plethora of specious managment rules, regulations, and governance statements that take priority over innovation and reward. The revolution in business affairs is long awaited and I hope the days of the paper tiger manager are numbered!
Good luck and have the confidence in yourself to progress, preferably with another employer who will use your skills correctly.
Chris
I can only echo what has been said by others and add my own two pennies - apart from the fact that ageism is illegal in the UK, it is also a sign of limited thinking on the part of the person that uttered those words. You can be as old as the wind and not have one ounce of managment potential, or you can be in your early teens and be a "born" leader with bags of potential (I work with the Cadet Forces so I see early development of leadership skills all the time).
If the issue was one of being so young that you couldn't have amassed the qualifications and / or experience in a certain role then it would make more sense - however that should then be part of a job description under essential qualifications et cetera required of applicants.
Management can sometimes require the manager to have a certain "gravitas" to deal with unusual or sensitive situations, however by being a good manager you earn colleagues' respect and build up that sense of gravitas, so again age should not be a factor.
It may take a younger manager a bit longer to build up to that level of respect, but persevere, do the right things and I am sure you will secure a position where you are respected for your skills not for your age. Good luck!