It’s that time of year again! On October 20, 2023, we held our yearly Youth for Leadership Summit, a free youth leadership training in the Philippines. Students from different schools across the country joined us in person and online, with over 2,500 students in attendance. Alongside the students, we invited a diverse set of speakers to motivate and empower our future leaders. The event had three parts, and the second one was all about Gen Z Leadership.
Within the Gen Z Leadership segment, we delved into the unique characteristics that define the emerging generation of leaders. Born into the digital age and fueled by a strong sense of social responsibility, Gen Z leaders are actively shaping the future with a fresh perspective. This portion of the event explored their dynamic leadership style, characterized by entrepreneurial thinking, digital proficiency, and a strong commitment to diversity.
Diverse Perspectives: Speaker Highlights
Our speakers came from different corners of the globe, connecting with us online. Earl and Natasha participated from the United States, while Anna joined us from Indonesia. Despite geographical distances, our speakers engaged in a vibrant and productive discussion on the subject of Gen Z leadership development.
Our first speaker was Anna Melissa Nava, CEO and co-founder of 1Export. This company operates as a comprehensive platform, offering a one-stop solution for Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) to seamlessly access the global market for their exports.
Our second speaker was Earl Martin Valencia, who serves as the co-founder and Chief Business Officer of Plentina. Plentina is a cutting-edge AI and fintech startup operating in the digital wealth management sector.
Lastly, we had Natasha Valluri, a student at Georgia Tech University and the Executive Director of WiTech, which stands for Women in Technology. This organization’s mission is to educate, inspire, and empower over 400 high school and college students, working toward providing technology access to everyone, regardless of their gender or socioeconomic status.
In addition to our esteemed speakers, we were honored to have our very own Claudine Duque as moderator for this segment. Claudine is a Supervising Consultant at John Clements Consultants.
Panel Discussion: Insights and Takeaways
Our panel was incredibly diverse, bringing a wealth of perspectives to the discussion. Anna and Earl shared valuable insights from their experiences in founding and running their startups, while Natasha provided a unique viewpoint on the challenges and rewards of balancing her studies with her role as a top executive in her company.
Here are my key takeaways from the segment:
- Foundation in Student Leadership: A common thread among the speakers was their early involvement in student leadership. Their experiences in school leadership roles served as a crucial foundation for the development of their leadership skills in the corporate world.
- Balancing Studies and Leadership: The speakers emphasized the importance of striking the right balance between academic commitments and leadership roles. Setting clear priorities and ensuring that leadership responsibilities don’t adversely impact academics was a key takeaway.
- Self-Care and Taking Breaks: The panel stressed the significance of taking breaks and caring for one’s well-being. Leaders need to step back and recharge to maintain peak performance.
- Leadership Beyond Titles: The consensus was that leadership goes beyond titles. No matter the executive position one holds, true leadership is defined by the ability to influence and guide a team. A title alone is not enough; effective leadership is what truly matters.
- Embracing Feedback: Effective leaders recognize that they aren’t perfect. They value feedback from peers and use it as a tool for self-improvement. A willingness to learn from feedback is a hallmark of a great leader.
- Competency, Consistency, and Honesty (CCH): The key qualities to consistently demonstrate to earn the respect of one’s team are competency, unwavering consistency, and unwavering honesty. These attributes are fundamental to establishing trust and credibility among team members.
Heartfelt Gratitude and Looking Ahead
At the conclusion of the segment, we had the honor of welcoming John Clements President and CEO Ma. Carolina Dominguez, as well as Professional Staffers VP and Managing Director Grace Sorongon, who expressed their heartfelt gratitude to the speakers. They truly inspired, ignited, and invigorated our future leaders. We are exceptionally proud of the diverse and insightful panelists we had for this segment, and we are immensely grateful for the wealth of knowledge they shared.
We’re excited for next year’s Y4LS!
Learn about our upcoming seminars, webinars, and workshops by visiting our Events page today.
