Building Relationships for Success

THE YOUNG EMPLOYEES OF today are the future business leaders of tomorrow. As leaders, we have an obligation to help our future by training and mentoring tomorrow’s leaders today. This is the goal of the Young Executives Organization (YEO).

YEO’s mission is to cultivate young talent in the convenience store and petroleum industry through implementation of education and networking. YEO accomplishes this mission by leveraging the experience of National Advisory Group (NAG) members to help foster superior leadership skills. Companies that leverage the leadership and experience of senior executives can develop and maintain the talent they have in-house to ensure the organization has a robust pipeline of talented leaders.

YEO will take another important step forward in our mission cultivate young talent May 24-25 with the fourth annual YEO Roundtable at Maverik Convenience Stores in Salt Lake City. The roundtable will include a special team-building project with Habitat for Humanity on May 23. Attendees will have the opportunity to help build a new home for a local family in Provo, Utah.

I am especially proud of the growth of YEO and the level of participation we are seeing from young leaders throughout the convenience store industry. What I am learning from this up-and-coming generation is that high achievers have an insatiable thirst for knowledge and will seek out learning opportunities throughout their careers that help hone their skills and add to their arsenal of leadership tools. YEO is here to foster these new opportunities.

According to Alex Malley, a leadership expert and author of “The Naked CEO” the best way for young executives to become effective leaders is to focus on a learning journey that combines formal experiences in the workplace with selective experiences of their own making. In other word, they must choose their own paths. The business climate today was much different than the ones faced by our fathers and grandfathers, so it stands to reason that the path in the business world will also be different.

Naturally, some things will never change. Treating people the right way and having a solid foundation ethically and morally will help you in times of crises, but other than that, forging your own leadership identity is vital to success. Malley listed fi ve priorities essential for young leaders:

1) Pursue Your Passions. When you combine passionate pursuit with your work you have an energy that others notice. It’s in your body language. People are naturally attracted whether they like you or not. Great leaders mobilize others with their authentic energy.

2) Listen and Observe. “Great communication comes from a genuine human interest in others,” Malley said. It’s sound advice. If you want to be a leader, learn about the personalities of the people around you. Understand their strengths, weaknesses and motivations. Invest in them through conversation. Learn about their life experiences and marry your approach to different people in a manner consistent with their character.

3) Empathy. A timely act of kindness can turn a person’s life around. Always take the opportunity to exhibit your understanding when a colleague faces diffi cult times, whether that be as a result of their own actions or not. A moment of kindness when a person is vulnerable can present a profound opportunity to recast a relationship and allow confi dence to be built or rebuilt.

4) Personal Identity. The most effective leaders are not defi ned by their own success or the title they hold. Always ensure that you do not align your identity to your title. Not only will it make you more tentative in conducting your activities, it could impact you if the title is taken away.

5) Self-Awareness. Do everything you can to understand the impact you have on others around you and appreciate how your actions and behaviors impact others. Only when selfawareness becomes a strength will you be on your leadership journey.
To learn more about the YEO Roundtable and our mission to help develop the leaders of tomorrow, visit www.nagconvenience.com.