The 20 Under 35: How Am I Doing?
Professional development also happens through our 20 Under 35 program. Originally, the Promise Awards were only open to those who were nominated by their employers. But as our industry began swiftly incorporating the energy and brilliance of the many start-ups emerging in “New Space,” we made self-nomination possible, and as we began to recognize that we were getting know many brilliant young people through our nominations process, we realized that the industry should get to know them, too. Hence the 20 Under 35 program, which honors the top 20 of all nominees, with the top three winning the illustrious Promise Award.
Famously asked by the late New York City mayor Ed Koch, “How am I doing?” is a question every professional needs to ask. Continual, honest, constructive answers to this question are a key aspect of professional development. With the inclusion of the option of self-nominations, another way to get the answer to this question opened up. This year, two of our 20 Under 35 honorees self-nominated and successfully made it to the list. Think about what this entails. Successful applicants must complete an application about themselves, and identify colleagues, mentors, employers and others who will endorse their nomination. Not just the self-promotion skill, but the opportunity to evaluate and test one’s own network, are all part of self-nomination. And the willingness of people to step forward and endorse you is, by definition, an affirmative response: “You’re doing great!” I want to take a moment to congratulate Bethany Downer and Nicholas Puschman for their successful applications.
