Love was in the Room

Love was in the Room

I found myself tearing up as the panel discussion came to an end at Marquette. The moderator turned to me and asked, “Colleen, anything to add?”

I could barely speak.

I said one word: Gratitude.

Three impressive professionals had just given an hour of their time to college students they didn’t know. Two drove more than 100 miles to be there.

They shared their journeys — the good, the bad, and the ugly.
They talked about moments they doubted themselves.
They modeled quick camaraderie — listening, laughing, building on one another’s stories.

They were honest about what not to do at work.
And they offered tactical advice alongside oodles of encouragement.

It was a beautiful, bountiful example of men and women for others.

And the students were leaning in.

“Other Duties As Needed”

One theme kept surfacing.

Workplace leaders — including this Marquette panel — are noticing hesitancy from early-career employees when work is undefined.

The phrase “other duties as needed” can feel threatening.

To seasoned leaders? It’s non-negotiable. It’s where growth happens.

Each panelist shared examples of when they said yes to work they didn’t yet know how to do. They described the stretch. The discomfort. The adventure. The growth.

Many Young Adults Struggle with Asking for Help

Here’s what we know:

Many young adults today carry an outsized fear of failure. They grew up developing socially through screens more than in real-life reps. When you don’t get thousands of small, imperfect, face-to-face interactions, vulnerability feels riskier.

So they cope by holding back.

They’re not lazy.
They’re cautious.
They don’t want to be exposed.

And that’s where leadership matters.

Every Day, I’m Transforming

Every day I work with leaders navigating massive, long-term transformations.

Their teams are designing, testing, redesigning, and re-testing new ways of working. These aren’t quick wins. They take months. Sometimes years.

The leaders who succeed are what I call Warm Demanders.

They are human.
They are encouraging.

They are crystal clear that growth is required. Not optional.

When you lead this way, something surprising happens.

It’s fun.

It feels good to work hard together on something you’ve never done before. There’s energy in shared stretch. There’s belonging in doing hard things side by side.

That’s what I saw at Marquette.

Love in the room.
High expectations.
Encouragement.
Growth.

Leaders, Here’s Your Invitation:

1. Share a story of when you said yes to the unknown.
2. Encourage at least one young professional to take a stretch assignment.
3. Check in with someone who has accepted a challenge and remind them that you are there for them.

And if you want to go further —

Reach out to me. I would love to bring the Be-Social Method, paired with a live panel of your strong leaders who model growth in real time together.

If you want your early-career employees to build confidence, initiative, and essential soft skills — let’s make it happen.

Reply to this email and we’ll get something on the calendar.

In the meantime, if this resonates, read Gen GenZ into the Game. It’s filled with practical tools to help you lead this next generation well.

Let me know what stretch you’re saying yes to this month. I’d love to cheer you on.

Let’s build rooms filled with courage.

Colleen

Postscripts

• Here are my linked in posts about the Marquette course I co-taught with Mary Rose Armstrong, and the awesome leader panel she assembled.

The Leader Panel Blew Me Away
Confidence-building Homework
Teaching Connection

•My AI is on my website — "she has read" both my books and all my blogs. Feel free to ask her anything.

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