Who says you can’t be an executive director as a Millennial?
I hate the term “Millennial.” It conjures up this stereotype of apathetic, hedonistic twenty-somethings whose main concern is where the next beer is coming from.
But Sean Garrett, the 33-year-old (Millennial!) executive director of United Way of Central Carolinas as of March 1, doesn’t mind it.
“I think it’s hilarious,” he said. “Before I got into this job I didn’t really think much about age or being a Millennial or any of those things. Then I got this job and everyone was like, ‘Look he’s young, he’s a Millennial.'”
How he got to where he is had nothing to do with age but everything to do with what he learned from other people, such as United Way CEOs. His recommended approach to growing your career: “Finding really smart people you can learn from. And being really vulnerable.”
Part of that vulnerability involved coming into his job interview in Charlotte with people who didn’t think he had a chance. But just because you’re young doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to be confident, right?
“I do know this work and I care a lot about this work,” said Garrett, whose 11-year career has involved work at United Way in Madison and Chicago, as well as at United Way Worldwide in New York. “I’m a sports guy and I like being part of the team.”
What are your aspirations for our community? Tell us! #CLTaspires pic.twitter.com/hWoE8VymZI
— United Way of Central Carolinas (@myUWCC) June 22, 2015
That’s where the current work of Garrett, a lifelong New York Giants fan and a blossoming Panthers fan, comes in. A big part of his job is putting a large group of people and their diverse ideas together and applying them to one core issue or plan.
How that works: He averages seven meetings a day across the five-county area that United Way serves, bouncing from conversations at coffee shops (or Fenwick’s with C5) to speaking engagements at companies to visits at agency offices. Then, he looks for the commonalities in the ideas he encounters.
Thank you, @Skookum Night Shift 2.0 teams! pic.twitter.com/lmPzgzo8YN
— United Way of Central Carolinas (@myUWCC) November 21, 2015
“I like going to meet people since I’m still so new,” he said. “You get to see things.”
One of the big opportunities he sees for Charlotte is the development of a core plan to channel a common energy toward community issues.
If you look at Panthers fandom, for example, the city certainly has enough energy for positive change.
“Everyone’s excited about them … you see Panthers gear everywhere,” Garrett said. “Imagine if that was more focused on an issue and had that same kind of energy.”
Imagine.
Photo: Katie Toussaint
This story was originally published December 1, 2015 at 10:18 PM with the headline "Who says you can’t be an executive director as a Millennial?."