Simpson Urges 2014 Forty Under 40 Class to Keep Striving
by August 19, 2014 3:45 pm 166 views
J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. executive Shelley Simpson shared her 11 secrets to success Tuesday at the 18th annual Forty Under 40 event, attended by over 400 people, at the Embassy Suites in Rogers.
Though being named to the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal’s 2014 class of high-achievers is a great accomplishment, Simpson urged honorees to continue to climb higher.
“There’s no specific age you have to be in order to be a great leader,” Simpson told this year’s honorees. “Don’t let this be the pinnacle of your career. Be a Forty Over 40.”
Simpson — chief marketing officer, executive vice president, and president of Integrated Capacity Solutions and Truck at J.B. Hunt — gave the keynote address and also met with honorees at a breakout session before the luncheon.
Tuesday’s event was sponsored by Intrust Bank.
Simpson, herself a member of the 2009 Forty Under 40 class, said there are 11 ideals, that if followed, will produce success. Chief among them are authenticity, teaching people how to win, leading by example and celebrating victory. A leader should also find and nurture young talent.
“There’s someone dying to know how you got to the position you have,” she said.
Along with guiding principles are certain questions a leader must answer.
“How do you win, what are your opportunities and how do you build a team around you?” she said.
This year’s diverse class featured bankers, lawyers, environmentalists and retail executives, among others.
The 2014 class also included the first honoree from the Marshall Islands, Melisa Laelan of the Arkansas Coalition of the Marshallese.
As a group, the average age of the honorees was 35, and most of them are married, have kids, own homes, have pets, and not surprisingly, a large majority use Facebook and LinkedIn.
Nine members of this year’s class also speak a second language.
To meet this year’s class, click here.