Nelson Mandela once said, “The youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow.”
Having spent the last four years establishing and developing the Urbana Youth Center (UYC), a program that provides evidence-based and creative programming to 700 student members to help lift them out of poverty, these words now hold an entirely new meaning to Justin T. Weller, the center’s founder and executive director.
While it is often recognized that we as a society are obligated to teach and uplift younger generations, how they enlighten and inspire us is often left unsaid. In truth, some of the most profound lessons come from the young people in our lives.
This is a known fact at UYC. Their motto may be “Open Hearts. Open Minds. Open Doors.,” and their goal may be to uplift students and set them on a path toward success, but the young people they serve grant them this same kindness and privilege each day.
A few of the most crucial lessons Justin Weller learned from working with a diverse group of young people are that trust and credibility are everything, empowering others is the ultimate reward, and failing well is an art. Here’s more about what he’s learned and how his insights from these younger generations can also be applied to businesses in all industries with team members of all ages.
1. Trust and Credibility Are Everything
To build a path of open, honest communication and break through to students, earning their trust and establishing credibility is crucial.
In the same way that adults must earn young people’s confidence, it may take younger business owners time to establish themselves among legacy industry leaders.
According to Forbes, “[Many business leaders] assume it’s all about value and pay little attention to their reputation, oblivious to the fact that their reputation can make or break their business.”
Everyone can provide value. Others may be smarter, better, faster, or stronger, so it’s essential to remain true to yourself when building relationships with others. After all, kids can be particularly good at catching adults when they are attempting to look smarter or sneakier than they are.
“Youth is often seen as naivety, but it is also purity,” said Weller. “Because of their pure, objective perspectives, young people are exceptionally capable of sussing out when adults do not trust them, hear them or value them. This same point is true in business and throughout life. As a business leader, employees, stakeholders and other industry professionals need to establish trust and credibility in order to effectively reach, manage and maintain those relationships. At the end of the day, we can’t fake credibility.”
2. Empowering Others Is the Ultimate Reward
Once those relationships are established, it’s equally as essential to maintain them.
At UYC, educators and staff find that the key to this is empowering others, as it allows students to feel truly seen and heard while rewarding and inspiring team members to continue their transformative work. Whether in youth programs or corporate business, seeing your people feel valued, grow, and succeed can be even more rewarding than seeing yourself succeed and evolve.
“Witnessing the groups you’ve helped cultivate become more passionate, knowledgeable and agile is one of the most eye-opening and inspiring events I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing,” said Weller. “A leader is only as strong as their team, so their success is yours to celebrate, and their challenges are yours to learn from and own.”
Truly empowering teams and communities can allow them to showcase unexpected and unprecedented success while providing leaders with the opportunity to prove trust and belief in the projects and teams they oversee.
3. Failing Well Is an Art
Even when students come up short or stumble a few steps backward, UYC believes they should be redirected, empowered, and embraced–this is resilience building.
Resilience is a word that tends to be tossed around with a neat bow atop it. However, many people forget that resilience is a product of overcoming failure, shortcomings, and challenges — words and ideas that are typically less than comfortable to discuss.
“The only way to truly grow and stretch our resilience muscles is by learning to fail well,” stated Weller. “Falling down is inevitable, but we can choose to acknowledge the experience, dust ourselves off and move forward with humility and new knowledge. When I think of resilience, I picture a child learning how to ride a bike. They may take a few tumbles, but with determination and steady encouragement from those they trust, that child will have the confidence to try again until they master the technique.”
Accordingly, if a business or team doesn’t hit a goal, make a sale, or win a competition, their leaders can come alongside them and teach the art of failing well. Like riding a bike, business is not meant to be perfect and challenge-free.
As with many things in life, the most unexpected people can bring about the most remarkable change and spark the most necessary conversations.
Whether in a classroom with building blocks and students or a boardroom with an executive team, opening hearts, opening minds, and simply being a little more human can open doors. The leaders of today and tomorrow can benefit from trust, credibility, empowerment, and, most importantly, a healthy dose of problem-solving.
