I once had an older gentleman at a leadership event refer to me as a “young adolescent banker,” casting me as a disinterested, uninvolved, partying citizen. I didn’t agree, for I saw myself as a community servant, but I understood where he was coming from. He is able to see what is the stereotypical and largely perpetuated view of young “professionals” in the city.
We often see “networking events” or young professional leadership events advertised as meaningful meetings to educate and inspire, but utilized as a marketplace to score a date or find a mate.
Two of the city’s most influential leaders, Bob Morgan, CEO of the Charlotte Chamber, and Tim Newman, CEO of the visitor’s bureau, participate in events to meet and talk to young leaders. The common questions aren’t about development of the urban core or the way light rail will affect the city. What’s pressing on the minds of the crowd is our ranking as a singles destination nationally.
What no one will say about Charlotte that needs to be said is that we’re a large city of small, disconnected and well-meaning meat markets. Is that bad? I don’t necessarily think so, for it is this meat market that has driven the change in our city and the fortunate (or unfortunate) development of our downtown. I argue it is time we called a spade a spade and stopped masking these happy hours and social engagements as some form of leadership training or community service.
Meat market has a derogatory tone to many, but I don’t see it as all wrong because in essence, a lot of these people are looking for the same thing. What I am lobbying for is for everyone to own up and just call them clubs and stop the charade of linking them with some charity or organization that half of the young people could care less about.
I don’t advocate a removal of young professional groups in the city, but in a unique time when Charlotte is at the developmental stage of its growth, our honesty can make the real leadership and service oriented groups much more impactive and create natural collaborations between the purpose and the party.
Changing this community for the better takes hard work, commitment and consistency, not just wine, beer or social functions, and we shouldn’t paint it any other way. As a graduate of Leadership Charlotte, I thought I would leave there with business contacts that would help me purchase that Corvette Z06 I have wanted. Instead, I learned that there are thousands of people in the community who need our help, and making this place better for them is hard and sometimes isn’t fun. But it is needed to make Charlotte a better city for everyone, not just me and my banker friends.
There is a real need for leadership and service-based innovation in this city, and all these pseudo-leadership groups do is push away the people that honestly want to be agents for change in the city. I don’t want you to go away: I want us to be more efficient in service. So if you just want to have a happy hour, call it that; don’t marginalize leadership by misusing the name.
Decker Ngongang, a native of Charlotte, is a financial professional and committed citizen.
This article appears in Aug 9-15, 2006.
