Leadership & Character | Winston-Salem, NC

Members of the Alumni Council, their spouses, and Wake Forest staff gathered on September 14, 2017, at Graylyn Conference Center in Winston-Salem to discuss leadership and character.

In businesses and in nonprofits, in our workplaces and in our families, in politics and in history, in our homes and in our schools, in our communities and in countries across the globe, we shared stories of strong character and real leadership that teach, inspire and connect us.

• We appreciated small acts of kindness as one of the strongest forms of character.
• We pondered the many ways leadership can be taught, and we agreed upon the importance of modeling behaviors, especially for our children. But we also recognized that many times, character and leadership are innate, that the skills simply come from within, even in the absence of role models or formal teaching.
• We marveled and admired the selflessness and humility of those behind-the-scenes leaders, those without an official title or those that shy away from taking credit for all their many good deeds.
• We agreed upon the importance of using one’s platform for good, if it exists because of an official leadership capacity; and we were encouraged by how the power of social media has transformed our ability to care deeply for, to really feel and know, the plight of others.