Last Thursday, we attended The Pique, an event to connect young professionals (YPs for short) with each other + to business leaders in the Upstate.

We wanted to share what we learned from the event with y’all – but our first takeaway was that there are a lot of organizations for YPs in the Upstate. Here are just a few of the YP groups that were represented at the Pique:

Anderson Rising
Greenwood Chamber Connect YP
Greenville Rotaract
Latinos United
Greenville Chamber Pulse Young Professionals
SYP: Spartanburg Young Professionals
United Way of the Piedmont Young Leaders

There are also alumni YP groups you can join, like Converse Young Alumnae, Clemson Young Professionals, and PC Young Alumni. Reach out to your university’s alumni association to ask if there’s a YP group – if not, you could start one. 👀

With all those ambitious young leaders together in one space (hello, Southern Bleachery), there was bound to be some new ideas, pro tips + plenty of wise advice. Here’s what we jotted down.

Driving Innovation Through Engagement & Inclusion

Marion Crawford, President and CEO, Crawford Strategy

Be curious (admit what you don’t know and *ask questions*), collaborative (how can you be helpful to everyone from CEO to intern?), and courageous (speak up with your ideas for improvement and show your value)

Deborah McKetty, President and CEO, Community Works, Inc.

Recognize the different styles of communication between generations: millennials tend to prefer direct and casual one-on-one conversations, while boomers are a bit more conservative and like formal meetings
If your ideas disagree with your coworkers, organize your thoughts on paper before talking with upper management, wait for the right time (when they have time to really consider your ideas), and stay professional

Erica Powell, President and CEO, Erica Powell Enterprises

Create a culture in your workplace where unique perspectives are an asset
When overcoming challenges, make sure you really understand what the barrier is: Erica is blind, and her example was being unable to drive – realizing that her blindness isn’t the barrier, transportation is, let her find the most effective solution

Moderator: Betsy Neely Simka, VP of Talent and Economic Inclusion, Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce

Develop “individual grit + collaborative amplification.” You have a perspective that employers need; once you elbow your way in, find a mentor or advocate who can help elevate your voice.
If you want to help promote diversity in your workplace: suggest people you think would be a good fit or fill a gap in the team + become an expert in the benefits of diverse/inclusive teams and be consistent in communicating that

Executive roundtables connecting YPs with Upstate business/government/organzational leaders | Photo: KB Photography

Young Professionals Development and Success

Pam G. Batson, First VP of Investments & Senior PIM Portfolio Manager, Weinkle Batson Financial Consulting Group

Consciously create opportunities to excel from your mistakes + let that lesson create a victory later, rather than dwelling on something you can’t go back and fix
Consider a career path based on your personal goals: if you want to be a top executive, you might want to stay with one company and develop their trust + respect; if you want to start your own business, short stints with different companies could be more helpful in teaching you lessons
Look for outlets that encourage continuing education – careers + technology are constantly changing, and you’ll fall behind if you don’t stay updated (and if your job isn’t encouraging that, it might not be a good fit)

Madison Skinner, Human Resource Manager, ScanSource

Seek things that make your stomach queasy – that’s when you know you’re growing (and if you make a mistake, own up to what went wrong so you can learn from it and share the lessons learned)
Create concrete, tangible goals and share them with someone who will hold you accountable, then start creating goals for others (like interns) to grow your leadership abilities
It’s common for millennials to only stay a few years at each job – if you’re worried about looking like a job-hopper on your resume, make sure you’ve given the role the chance to teach you everything it can before moving on
Stay informed + educated about your field and show management you’re interested, driven, and eager to learn; your self-improvement is improving the company

Moderator: Shannon Creighton, Director of Master of Business Administration program, Limestone College

When you’re setting goals, be honest about where you are, ask yourself where you want to be, and ask your management what you’re accountable for and what success means for you

There was also a wrap-up panel for all the attendees, where Caroline Aneskievich (BMW Manufacturing), Nicole Johnson (Boyd Cycling), Gabriel Montauti (Denny’s), and Anita Patel (S.C. Dept. of Commerce) shared their insight into global business in the Upstate. We learned why South Carolina is so attractive to international companies – we’ll be back soon to share the 6 major reasons.

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