"Lead people older than you to build lasting loyalty Harry Truman was 35 years old when he commanded a battery of young soldiers — mostly Kansas City misfits, many of whom had been to reform school — during World War One. The guide explains that Truman "shaped them right up and got them into fighting force" and because he was "a full generation older than them" he became a beloved authority figure; his 100-man battery then "became his lifelong political followers" who voted for him for the rest of his career. Choosing to lead or mentor people in genuinely different circumstances from your own, rather than seeking peers, can create the deepest and most durable alliances. Source: Tour Guide (unnamed), Prohibition History Lecture, Temperance and Prohibition Tour Presentation"