You may be familiar with the prayer-like song that Bob Dylan wrote in which he wishes that someone, or all of us, can “stay forever young.”
May you always be courageous
Stand upright and be strong
And may you stay…
Forever young.
It turns out that, while a youthful spirit can enrich our lives, young doesn’t always cut it in the world of big business.
Granted, there are places in corporate America where youth is valued—in sales, customer service, and perhaps in research.
But at the senior decision-making level, executives tend to see new recruits as just so many puppies. Smart puppies. Eager puppies. Maybe even successor-puppies. But puppies nonetheless, inexperienced, naïve, and unfamiliar with the sharp-elbowed realities of business culture and global capitalism.
A degree from a prestigious university can help a puppy win a job, but it doesn’t guarantee that she will quickly earn the trust of an older, more experienced boss or client.
What does it take, aside from years of experience, for a young professional to overcome this bias?
One answer? Five languages!
The first language to master is the language of the industry you’re in. If you’re a consultant, you have to learn multiple languages. Mastery of language implies mastery of the thinking beneath the language.
Within industry, there are functions—finance, marketing, R&D—all of which speak their own dialect.
Then there is the language of your own company, and the language of your client companies. Again, if you are customer-facing, you must hold your own in substantive discussions conducted in the language of the client.
The second language is the language of your own vocal presence—the signals you send through the pitch, volume, speed, and resonance of your speaking voice.
Many young people speak quickly, have less chest resonance in their sound, enunciate poorly, use filler words such as, “Like, you know, I mean,” and demonstrate tentativeness in their pitch patterns—for instance, using a rising intonation at the end of a declarative sentence.
To senior people, all of these vocal characteristics signal immaturity and naiveté, and while they can be overcome with exceptional intelligence and sterling qualities of character, they represent another strike against the young.
The third language is what you say by listening. Few of us, at any age, are highly effective listeners, but to excel at this under-rated behavior is to enjoy a profound competitive advantage. The reason for this? The greatest need that people have is the need to be appreciated, and the simplest way to show appreciation is to listen.
While the other guy is talking, younger professionals (I’ve been one) are often busy thinking of what they’re going to say in order to prove their intelligence or defend their position. Wiser, more experienced hands are working to understand, and then recognize, the thoughts and feelings of others.
The fourth language is body language. Older executives tend to have gravitas when they speak—with words, voice, or body language. George Schultz, former Secretary of State, is someone who comes to mind when I think of gravitas.
Gravitas evokes a sensation of stability, solidity, confidence and calmness. Gravitas makes me think of deep, still water.
The body language of younger people often evokes sensations of quickness, flexibility, and turbulent water.
Or, put another way, whereas older people tend to move like large animals at the top of the food chain—like elephants or giraffes—younger people are closer cousins to our friends the chipmunks, squirrels, and finches.
These frisky friends are beautiful creatures, but you don’t want to trust a million-dollar project to Alvin, Rocky, and Tweety.
The fifth language: the language of clothes and grooming. If you wear blue jeans and T-shirts to an executive meeting within the Fortune 500, you’re probably committing a CLM (career-limiting move.)
And when you show up with a mohawk or a mullet, you’re road kill, unless you walk on water in some rare way.
These are broad claims, but they represent a broad truth. Large business cultures are more or less like the military. Each has officers and foot soldiers, objectives and enemies, front lines and back offices, campaigns, strategies, and tactics.
And each has a uniform—clothes and haircuts that signal that you are a member of the team.
These, in short, are the five languages we must master in order to earn the trust and respect of senior business people. The language of:
- Industry and function
- voice
- listening
- body language
- clothes and grooming
Some are easier to learn than others. For instance, developing your voice to make it deeper, more resonant, or less nasal takes time. And speaking more slowly can be a confrontation with a lifetime of habit.
But anyone can learn to speak all these languages more effectively, and thereby get people to take you and your ideas more seriously.
I’m with Dylan 100%: May you stay forever young. But may you also climb the learning curve quickly, to bring value to yourself, and to the enterprise you serve.