Leadership & Character | Nashville, TN

A group of Wake Foresters gathered over dinner in Nashville, TN on April 19, 2018 to discuss Leadership & Character.

Overview and highlights of our Call to Conversation:

• We should endeavor to do the right thing. This attitude, this state of mind, should be passed along to help mold the character of children and friends. We discussed that character is something of a blank slate and we see it through our own lens. There must be some universal commonality, but we currently seem to be showing less empathy and less sympathy toward one another. Our values seem to be more varied than ever and we’ve drifted from civil discourse. “We’re in our own silos.” “There are too many divides.” Now would be a great time to try to re-engage with one another.  

Important themes we heard:

• Simple kindness is often the catalyst to good character.
• Action is vitally important when it comes to good character. How do we translate character into action? One has to take action and not just talk about it. In fact, taking action may well be the most important step in developing good character.
• The notion of being wholly present and mindful of our actions. Little things really do matter! It is that simple and perhaps we have a tendency to make things a bit more complicated than they need be.
• “Are we living just to make a living or living to make life worth living?” How is it that we value our lives and how can it best be expressed?
• We explored the role of social media and how it changes the way people think. Several noted that it sometimes alters the motivation one has to do good. Does posting on social media  make people take action, which could be a good thing? Or does it detract from the meaning of the experience — to do good regardless of who is watching?
• “How can we make this world better?” For both younger and older generations, to try and do so is reflective of good character.