On Jun 9 – Jun 11, 2023, Eddie Perry, MA Sports Psych, USA Men’s Soccer Team and Adam Ratner, MA, MSW, LCSW, MBA were crucial to the success of this Youth Leadership Event and takeaways by the 100 Sophmores transitioning to Juniors in High School who where in attendance. The key focal points of the event centered around leadership development, identifying your why, building resilience, achieving a high-level of team cohesion, as well as, looking at leadership not only in the conventional sense, but also as a critical component to our own identity personal and interpersonal development. Put simply, looking at leadership from a service and impact perspective in terms of the importance that we, as leaders, set the tone and lead by example in our commitment to improving the quality of life peers and strangers alike.
Upon completion of the core portions of the leadership growth seminar, workshops and activities, Grow Wellness Group (drawing from the core pillars of the Grow Wellness Foundation, NFP – shaping future leaders with a focus on human impact and the helping field as well as engaging as much as possible with value to the communities we serve and to which we are tremendously committed.
Grow Wellness Group was honored to have the opportunity to also design and implement a service project for these young aspiring leaders, which is based on giving back based on the lessons they have learned as the have transitioned through high school, the struggles, the wins, how they navigated struggle and social challenges. The soon-to-be Juniors are creating, “100 Lessons from 100 Young Leaders,” where each Junior will record a 30 second or less video with their lessons learned and wisdom that will be shared far and wide – throughout schools in Illinois and with HOBY leaders across the nation.
1. You Will Hit Road Blocks – Subsequently, you will have 2 choices – either remain in the feeling of pain and failure that you are being challenged with, and will spiral to a place of potential complacency, OR lean into the discomfort of being challenged or making mistakes. You will make plenty so, at some point in time, you will have no choice but to get comfortable with being uncomfortable as the consequences of not doing so are far worse. We must learn to be nimble and resilient in the face of “failure” and to never, ever give up.
2. Be Hungry, but Humble – Raw intelligence will only take you so far. It will be your hunger and own hard work / grind that will get you to where you want to me. Put a hard-working, invested average intellectual next to a mediocre effort above average intellectual, and I would take the hard worker every time. Humble – do not flaunt. As a leader, wins go to the team. And losses, we generally own. If you are doing a good job, people will see it, but do bot be afraid to advocate for yourself. No one else will. This is part of hunger.
3. Treat People Like Humans & Remember, You Are Your Own Brand – Simply, have empathy, identify what motivates others, look for what inspires and what provides value to those other than yourself. When we put good out into the world, it comes back. Not how we expect, but in ways we do not that may end up being far more impactful. And, what we put out into the world in any fashion will no doubt shape how we are viewed as well as our innate competency. Show the good stuff – the stuff that makes you unique, different and capable of adding to any team you are in that no one other human can do in the same special way.
4. Take Risks & DO NOT COMPARE! – We are now clearly living in a society where we CAN compare in real-time and make assumptions (usually erroneous) about how we are doing compared to others – academically, socially, romantically, athletically, professionally, financially, etc, etc. I could go on and fill the page. Social media also has not done favors. I constantly am working with clients who are so focused on others that they completely derail any chance of unique identity and self-acceptance achievable. Keep those side blinders on, unless you have healthy mentorship or the like, to prevent your own dreams from being squashed. Our authenticity and drive dies when we attempt to become someone we are not. Do it your way with the tools you acquire along the way, and you will feel like you are faking it sometimes, which is okay as long as you are continously committed to learning.
HOBY empowers young people to dream big, make an impact, and change the world! We believe in the potential of today’s youth. The HOBY mission is to inspire and prepare young leaders for a life dedicated to leadership, service, and innovation. Their leadership programs are designed to educate, motivate and activate students, giving them the tools they need to turn their ideas into action and reach their goals. Each program adheres to the five core HOBY values: Volunteerism, Integrity, Excellence, Diversity, and Community Partnership. Grow Sports Psychology & Grow Wellness Group will be taking part in supporting a leadership volunteer project on a continuous basis to share this wonderful wisdom with HS Freshman transitioning from Junior High.Eddie Perry, MA Sports Psychology & Performance Improvement, CMPC (Candidate), US Deaf World Cup Team“Leadership in Groups & Teams as it relates to his role as a Member of the USA Men’s Deaf Soccer Team, & Leadership roles he has welcomed in providing education, support and resources to support inclusion of athletes with disabilities”
By: Grow Wellness Group & Grow Sports Psychology & Performance Improvement
