When I was a 22-year-old Ensign I regularly gave orders to my 40-something division leading chief. And he followed them. I also regularly asked him for advice and just as regularly followed it. Worked out well that way.
Being a 40 year old Chief is a he!! of alot differnt than being a 40 year old E-1!!! A bit different situation because being that I am the Chief in your story (36) and have a LT (31) that is in charge of the Department and there is alot of respect from both sides which helps when taking and giving orders. When your and E-1 40 year old getting orders from a 22 year old who most of the time does not respect an E-1 will be much harder for the 40 year old.
Come on, Chief. You know there is a hell of a lot of difference between an O-3 on his second department head tour and a newly-commissioned Ensign running his first division. When I was an O-3 I gave my senior petty officers a lot of respect and I had been around long enough to earn their's in return. I still cringe about some of the disasters my Senior Chief saved my young O-1 ass from just by being there to keep me from making a fool out of myself.