25 Years of YP: ‘Young Professionals allows you to build real bonds’

By Morgan Scruggs, Coordinator, Leadership Programs

Average reading time: 2 minutes

To celebrate 25 years of Young Professionals (YP), presented by Fidelity Investments, the DRC is highlighting a series of alumni to learn more about their experiences in YP.

Brennan Meier, Partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, first became involved with Young Professionals through the LEAD YP cohort program.

“I was looking for a way to push forward in my own development while also getting to know similarly motivated people in Dallas,” he said. “When I saw the great cross-industry focus for LEAD YP classes in the past, I knew it would be a great opportunity, and I applied.”

LEAD YP deepens young professionals’ understanding of their leadership style and primes them to grow into leaders who champion the Dallas Region.

After being accepted into the program, Meier began to learn about his own leadership style.

“The LEAD YP program is a rigorous process, both in and outside of class, that makes you look at where you are and how you can improve. I embraced the process and was able to see a side to leading and managing that I had not before.”

During Class Days, when the cohort meets monthly to receive leadership training and engage with their peers, Meier participated in group activities that helped him put these lessons into practice.

“[During] one class, the lead team created an obstacle course. Each other team then had to navigate a blindfolded teammate through the course while only listening to the instructions from the team,” Meier recalled. “It revealed communication styles and encouraged teamwork and reliance on others when to complete a nearly impossible task… it was a great distillation of the principles we had learned in the in-class sessions.”

The lessons Meier learned through LEAD YP have influenced his perspective.

“Before LEAD YP, I was much more of an ‘action-now’ kind of person. Now, I recognize that the process of getting to the right answer can be just as important as getting there if you want to have a bought-in team who will be willing to stay the course and achieve at a high level over the long term.”

In addition to learning valuable leadership lessons, Meier also found community within YP.

“From about the halfway point through the program, I could tell that the friendship and network being built was one that would endure for years. YP allows you to consistently see and interact with the same people and build real bonds.”

Meier recommends YP to those who want to make a difference with others.

“YP is for Dallas professionals who wake up and want to get better and make the city better. If that is you, then YP is your people, and you will meet and become friends with a diverse group that cares.”