The Chamber’s Young Professionals Council (YPC) held its May Corner Office conversation with Bill Seely, President of Varsity Spirit. YPC aims to equip the next generation of Memphis business leaders with the connections and knowledge needed to expand into leadership roles in the community.
The Corner Office conversations allow young professionals the opportunity to learn new skills and gain insights directly from a company leader. The topic of this workshop was learning what it takes to be a true team leader professionally and personally.
Bill Seely is the President of Varsity Spirit, the leading global source for all things spirit, including cheerleading, dance teams and, most recently, band and performing arts. Varsity Spirit outfits over 750,000 athletes annually, administers over 5,000 camps in 50 states each summer and hosts 600 competitions across the country each year, including 20 premier championship events.
In addition to his role at Varsity Spirit, Bill helped launch USA Cheer, the National Governing Body for Cheerleading in the US, and established the first official US National Team to represent the United States in international competition. In that role, he led the efforts to develop the new sport of STUNT, which has become one of the fastest growing sports for women. He is also the Founder of Crosscheck Athletics, a youth sports ministry committed to developing the total athlete and target at-risk youth.
During the workshop, Bill shared his journey rising from humble beginnings to understanding the importance of "embracing your suckiness."
“Time is fixed. Give your time away to things that matter.”
Bill also shared with the group about how important it is to "make sure you know what enough is and define it." He reasoned that it's almost second nature for people to be so on the go and try to over accomplish which often times lead to burnout. As young professionals, he noted that it is crucial that we build a strong enough why that keeps us motivated as well as one that aligns with living a life worthy of your calling. He shared that in this space you will be gifted with finding balance of time for both work and rest.
YPC host monthly events providing our city’s future leaders with opportunities to connect with each other and with established business leaders in the area to gain insight and connections that will further their careers, broaden their networks, and prepare them to serve as the next generation of leaders for our community.
Want to a part of the conversation during the next Corner Office Workshop? 
