Leadership & Character | Greenwich, CT

A group of Wake Foresters gathered over dinner in Greenwich, Connecticut, on December 11, 2017, to discuss leadership and character.

As our conversation unfolded, two underlying themes on leadership and character emerged:

• Small acts of kindness can and do define character.
• People are often at their best when things are at their worst, and true character is revealed.

We are shaped by life experiences – good and bad.  Parents are concerned about the bubble that their children live in – both in their home communities and at Wake Forest.  Developing resilience also helps develop character.

The question was posed: Can character be taught? Members of our group recognized that Wake Forest has various programs underway to both model and embed character into the classroom and greater University. One example that was cited resonated with our group. The exercise involved bringing together on one stage people with opposing viewpoints and following up with small group dialogue. Our group agreed that today’s generation seems more tolerant and accepting of differences, which is hopeful.

After a delightful and engaging dialogue, our group expressed interest in getting together again to continue the conversation.