How To Be Young And In Charge

As cray-town as it may seem, in the not-too-distant future, you could find yourself being the boss. In fact, according to a recent CareerBuilder survey, 38% of workers already report to someone younger than themselves, up from 34% in 2012. But just because you’re more likely to become the HBIC of your peers or elders, that doesn’t mean you can shortcut the skills needed to oversee a team. and when being at the top is totally new, you might be afraid to ask for help, says Linda a HILL, a harvard Business School professor and the author of Becoming A Manager. here are some tips on how to prep for that climb up the career ladder or to kick even more butt if you’ve already hopped up.

- Dayna Evans

Set boundaries

You know those gossip sessions you and your co-workers have about the buff guy on the second floor? Yeah, those days are over. When you’re the boss, your relationships with colleagues need to shift just a bit. ‘Create parameters by trying not to hang out with your staff outside work,’ says Ali Kriegsman, co-founder and COO of retail start-up Bulletin (she became a boss for the first time at age 24). Sure, you might socialise at a company happy hour or a mutual friend’s birthday party, but decide early on that you won’t cross lines. So no getting wasted in front of your team or talking shit. These self-imposed guidelines will set the precedent that you’re a supervisor, not a beer-pong bud.

Model the behaviour you want to see