How to Leverage the Experience & Passion of Young Leaders

In July, we hosted 10 young adults for a week-long leadership program called the Emerging Leaders Initiative (ELI). I had a strong belief that it was going to be a good week and we would learn a lot about investing in young leaders. However, this intensive exceeded all of my expectations, and the primary reason was the young leaders that joined us. These gifted young people made a mark on our staff and on the other participants. After learning from them during the week, here are four takeaways on how to leverage the experience and passion of young leaders.

1. They are real, so be authentic with those you lead.

We spent five days together and it did not take long for the participants to share their joys, struggles, and ways they have experienced the good and bad of leadership. These emerging leaders were looking for more than surface-level interactions. This is a motivating reminder to all leaders (including me) that appropriate and deeper-level investment is the present and future of leading people.

The leadership takeaway? Vulnerability and being the most authentic “you” are the pathway to deepening trust with those you lead.

2. They are hungry, so give them the opportunity to learn.

We spent time in learning labs, met with leaders from businesses, nonprofits, and churches, and worked on case studies navigating real issues. The hunger that each participant displayed for personal growth was impressive. This group understood that they were not fully formed as leaders (we never are), and they were hungry to gain as much knowledge and experience as possible in the time we spent together.

The leadership takeaway? Give young leaders real-life experience now to best equip them for their future leadership roles.

3.  They are an empathetic generation, so practice empathy in your leadership.

Empathy is a critical trait in leadership because people across all sectors are experiencing multiple types of stress. We have been in a season of uncertainty with stressors in politics, a pandemic, and injustice all converging at once. Empathy is the ability and capacity to understand and feel what another person is experiencing and to place yourself in that person’s shoes. This is crucial for establishing and growing relationships.

The leadership takeaway? Take a few minutes and place yourself in the shoes of the emerging leader in your organization and ask what culture and leadership issues are critical to them.

4. They are ready to make a difference, so invest in them, learn from them, and provide them with opportunities.

Young people are ready to make a difference…NOW. They can speak the same language and connect with other young people which gives them the credibility to impact their generation. They are self-aware, socially aware, and culturally aware which makes them willing to challenge norms towards social responsibility. They are value and mission focused, and they want their work to have purpose and meaning. Young people are living through new experiences building their grit muscle – many are embarking on their careers amidst a pandemic (something most older generations have not had to navigate). And they are asking some culturally, socially relevant questions like, “What is it like to be a woman in leadership?” or “How do you build credibility when you are in a minority group?”

The leadership takeaway? We would be wise to find ways to learn from their perspectives, knowledge, and experiences and put them into practice. And “finding ways” means that we actually take steps to prioritize emerging leaders in important conversations and plans. 

Most of us can look back and see how the investment of someone a few years ahead of us made a difference in our leadership. ELI offers emerging leaders an opportunity to grow and develop leadership skills for their calling.

We believe God has uniquely gifted every person to have a positive influence in the lives of others and in our society. ELI is a 5-day leadership development program where participants will examine traits and practices of effective leadership, assess their personal strengths and leadership style, and learn from leaders across professional fields. This selective program held in July is open to 10 students ages 18-23 that have a desire to lead and dream big. If ELI might be a good fit for you or a young leader in your life, you can learn more and apply here.

We also host Accelerate in June which is a 3-day leadership intensive designed for leaders in the growing stages of their leadership, generally between the ages of 27 to 35 years old. Accelerate provides three days of outstanding leadership principles as well as clarity on your leadership style and its impact on your organization. The capstone is an opportunity to complete an organizational-related project with the guidance of our consultants. You can learn more and apply here.

Billy Dunn is a Senior Consultant at The Center Consulting Group and has over 20 years of church and nonprofit leadership experience. He serves as the Character Coach for the Lehigh University Men’s Basketball team and the Director of Ministry Leadership for Word FM. Billy has assisted with the launch of a number of nonprofit organizations and has worked with organizations and ministries across the world. Billy has an M.S. in Organizational Leadership and brings experience in the areas of leading change, leadership coaching, resource development, church growth planning, and strategic thinking and planning.