Being placed in a position to manage or lead people who are older or more experienced than you can feel genuinely intimidating, but this dynamic is manageable, and even a real advantage, if you approach it with the right mindset rather than either overcompensating with authority or shrinking away from making necessary decisions.
Acknowledge their experience genuinely and actively seek their input on decisions where it is relevant, rather than asserting your authority defensively to prove yourself, since their experience is a real resource you have access to, not a threat to how seriously you are taken. Lead through clarity of goals and a genuinely fair process, rather than leaning on hierarchy or title alone, since a title by itself rarely earns real respect from someone with considerably more experience than you, respect there is earned through how you actually operate. Be openly transparent about being newer to the specific role while still confidently making the decisions the role genuinely requires of you, since this combination of humility and clear decisiveness tends to land far better than either false confidence or excessive deference.
Give credit generously and visibly for good ideas and contributions regardless of who they come from, and do not let yourself be intimidated into avoiding necessary decisions simply because someone more experienced is in the room, since avoiding your actual responsibilities out of intimidation undermines the team more than making an imperfect call would. Over time, consistent fairness, sound judgement and genuine respect for others experience earn a kind of trust that a title alone, however senior, simply cannot manufacture on its own.
Example: A young team lead managing several more experienced colleagues openly acknowledged their expertise in team discussions, actively sought their input before finalising decisions, and still made the final calls their role required, which earned the teams respect faster than either deferring entirely or asserting authority defensively would have.
One practical tip: Openly acknowledge and draw on their experience rather than asserting authority defensively, while still confidently making the decisions your role actually requires, since that specific combination of humility and decisiveness earns respect far faster than either extreme on its own.