The Committee on Younger Members (CYM) hosted the Younger Member Leadership Symposium (YMLS) on September 21-22, 2014 at ASCE headquarters in Reston, VA. Interactive leadership sessions were offered during the course of the two-day event, focusing on tools to assist younger members (35 and under) to grow in the profession. Leanne McConnell and Nicholle Piper represented Pittsburgh YMF at the conference.

Perhaps one of the largest takeaways from the weekend was the difference between Project Management and Leadership. Effective Project Managers are not always effective leaders, and vice-versa. Methods to improve upon leadership skills and project management abilities were discussed extensively during the YMLS. Other topics included assessing your personality strengths/weaknesses, effectively using your younger member group, successfully having difficult conversations, and evaluating your corporate and personal influence sphere.

The CYM provided a reading list that expands on the key topics from the weekend:

1. Good to Great – Jim Collins
   
2. Difficult Conversations – How to Discuss What Matters Most – Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, Sheila Heen
   
3.  The Five Dysfunctions of a Team – A Leadership Fable – Patrick Lencioni
   
4. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People- Powerful lessons – Stephen R. Covey
   
5. Getting Things Done – The Art of Stress-Free Productivity – David Allen
   
6. People Styles at Work­ – Robert Bolton
   
7. The Situational Leader – Dr. Paul Hersey
   
8. How to Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie
   
9. The 360 Degree Leader – John Maxwell
   

For more information about the ASCE Committee on Younger Members or the 2015 Younger Member Leadership Symposium (tentatively scheduled for September 21-22, 2015), please contact Pittsburgh YMF President Linda Kaplan at lkaplan@gfnet.com or CYM Programs Member Kelly Doyle at kellydoyle.asce@gmail.com.