I just started managing a team where everyone’s been here way longer than me. I’m 28, and most of the crew is in their 40s and 50s. They’ve seen managers come and go, and I can tell they’re skeptical. I don’t want to come off like some know-it-all outsider, but I am here to improve systems and fix a lot of stuff that wasn’t working. Any advice for earning respect without pretending I’ve been in their shoes when I haven’t?

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Don’t beg for their respect—earn it by making their jobs easier. Fix broken systems, back them up on the floor, and stop trying to be liked. Once they see you’re competent, the vibe will shift fast.

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Been there. Your job isn’t to be them, it’s to be useful to them. Start by asking sharp questions, not making fast changes. When you earn their trust by showing you’re here to make their lives better, not boss them around, the tone shifts. One phrase that helped me: “I’m here to build on what’s working and clear the roadblocks.” Let your actions do the talking.

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Take the time to really learn what's going right and what's going wrong before implementing changes. Talk to the workers and try to understand their pain points. If you put in the effort to really learn about your team, they'll be much more likely to buy in to your future proposals than they will if you come in acting like a hot shot know-it-all on day one.

I was in a situation like that once, when someone new came in to straighten out a real mess. I always remember him saying the only thing that would get him mad was to hear someone say "but that's the way we've always done it." Some people resented that, but it was the right thing to say. You just have to move ahead and not let people who are stuck in their bad habits undermine what's happening in the present.

Just be real and tell them just what you said

Definitely don’t go in and change everything from day 1. Take some time to understand what’s going on and then slowly make improvements.

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