The average age of a CEO is going down, more young people are stepping into positions that were otherwise a preserve for those who were spotting grey hair. And we love to see it - talented young people taking on the world. But then again, ‘age is just a number’ could only be a popular saying as some workplaces remain oblivious to ageism.
You’ve got to appreciate the wisdom and experience that older professionals bring to the table, look at Robert de Niro playing a 70-year old intern in the movie ‘The Intern’. However, we need to look at the other side of the coin because young professionals have been victims of ageism just as their older counterparts.
I asked Bernard Ochieng, the Ag Human Resource Manager at SolarNow BV about the setbacks he faced as a young manager and how he overcame them. Here’s how our conversation went:
Tell us about yourself, who is Bernard and how did you end up in your current role?
I’m an adventurous young man who loves being on the road. I find traveling to be therapeutic whenever I feel burnt out or stressed and have so far visited 10+ countries.
I’m also passionate about youth. That comes from me spending about 7 years in AIESEC in Uganda where I started from the local chapter and went up to the national team where I served for 2 years. The passion for giving young people guidance on choosing the right career path or direction in life is what made me become passionate about human resource management. However, I studied Agriculture in campus.
I joined SolarNow in May 2019 just after returning from India because I wanted to get local experience since my previous jobs were internationally based. I started as an officer and after my 3 months probation, I was promoted to a senior officer. A while later the Head of HR left followed by the HR manager and later our HR Director also left and I became the acting HR Manager. The CEO wrote an email to the leadership team informing them I was appointed to handle all HR functions. One day he called me to his office and said they’d like me to take over the department and asked if I was able to handle it and I said yes. That’s how I got here.
Does age really matter when it comes to leadership?
I don’t believe age matters. What matters is exposure; leadership comes with exposure. Some motivational speakers say a good CEO reads about 52 books in a year but I don't think you need to read 52 books in a year. It’s about how knowledgeable, exposed, and updated you are.
There are things a leader will be able to do that somebody else can’t. Leaders will always read and it’s not because they have to but because they are seeking more knowledge and exposure. Like how do I handle a particular situation when it arises or how did someone else handle the situation when they were in such a position?
It’s the passion and exposure that really matter. You’ll find a 20-year-old who’s more exposed than a 50-year-old. For you to lead you need to be knowledgeable and be able to solve challenges whenever they arise.
As a young manager, did you at any point feel you needed to put in more effort to prove your leadership skills?
Yes. But given the exposure I got through AIESEC at different leadership levels, it wasn’t that much of a challenge. I needed to put in more effort because it was a new industry, I had never worked in the renewable energy sector before. Looking at how events were unfolding at SolarNow at that time where the Head of HR, HR Manager, and HR Director left, there was a gap that was created and I was a little bit scared. At that point, I wasn’t exposed to many things in the business so I didn’t know what these people were seeing that I wasn’t for them to leave.
When an email was sent that I was going to represent the HR department in the weekly leadership meeting, I was scared because I didn’t know what is discussed in the leadership meeting or what kind of updates they wanted. I had to ensure that I was up to date with what was happening across all the 45 branches. I remember during the first meeting the CEO asked me a question that caught me off guard, but with time I realized these were simple questions and I only needed to look at the right places to have the answers.
It was challenging at the beginning. I had to set my personal goals, after 3 months what do I want to see? At that time I was trying to do many things hoping to improve how things work.
What was your biggest fear(s) as a first-time manager?
I’d say failure, I felt like if I failed, no one would ever believe in me.
How did you overcome that?
I was in constant engagement with other heads of departments to ensure I was on the right path. I’m also always communicating with the former HR Director, getting insights and finding out how she would have handled certain situations.
Having a good relationship with other team members gave me confidence too because I was able to reach out to my colleagues whenever I had a challenge.
Looking back at your earlier days as a manager, did you hesitate to ask senior colleagues for help out of the fear of not being taken seriously?
Yes, and it still happens. There are times I don’t feel valued, I think it comes down to the topic we are discussing - ageism. I’m in my early 30s and most of the guys that I work with are 45+ years old. Sometimes people do not take you seriously because of your age.
There's a time I had a very heated discussion about some issues because I felt things in my department were not happening as I thought they should. But at the end of the day, I realized I need to know my limits.
Being a young manager who is leading older people, do you ever feel like there’s pressure to be the smartest person in the room?
At the moment I have one team member who is a bit older even in terms of work experience. It was tough in the beginning because anytime I would suggest something I would get sentiments such as “you are not the first person to try this”. As time went by we realized that we have different strengths and weaknesses. In HR, you need to have high EQ because sometimes people will challenge you just to see how you react.
I shared some books and courses from Coursera and Alison because I knew it would not only help them while at SolarNow but even after. This greatly improved our working relationship and how we appreciate each other's strengths and weaknesses.
What are some of the signs of age discrimination that one should look out for in the workplace?
The biggest sign would be being sidelined in important matters. For instance, maybe the leadership is discussing restructuring and as the HR department, you are a key player on such an issue because you need to understand the business objectives for you to be able to create the right environment and match the right talent. So when you are not invited to such discussions, it could be a sign of age discrimination.
There are also instances where your contribution is not taken seriously. Sometime back while we were conducting an interview, I wasn’t given a chance to share my feedback on the candidate whom I felt wasn’t a good fit.
Learning how to lead can be a process of trial and error. How can young leaders get good at this?
Having the urge to continuously learn is important, for you to get good at something you have to seek the knowledge. And it’s not only about reading books, I have subscribed to platforms that provide good information on various topics like the Harvard Business Review, Forbes, People Management, and McKinsey. You have to find an easy way to get information. I’m part of a WhatsApp and Telegram group that’s like a library where people share books.
Our mistakes also teach us a lot, you just have to be intentional to look back to see what worked and what didn’t. The fear of trying is what keeps you away from being the best at something. If you try and fail then try again, you’ll definitely get better. The ability to memorize things also helps you to remember what’s important.
SolarNow is one of the most progressive companies. How do you guys ensure there’s no ageism and how can other employers avoid ageism in their workplace?
It’s hard to completely ensure there’s no ageism. Some of these things are not embedded in the company culture but are individual perspectives. It can be tamed by letting people be who they are and be appreciated for what they do. If you create an environment and culture that allows people to do what they are best at and give them autonomy, you can avoid ageism in the workplace.
