Career Development | Winston-Salem, NC

A group of Wake Forest staff members gathered over lunch on January 24, 2019 to discuss Career Development.

Overview and highlights of our Call to Conversation:

• We each shared the story of our first job and discussed the insights we gained from that experience. Maybe our first job wasn’t our calling, but there was a common thread in our stories about how we learned to work hard and to respect those around us.
• We debated, “Is work ethic inherent or learned?” One conclusion was that we are more motivated to take initiative and work hard when we respect our supervisors.
• Thoughts on leadership were shared from the perspectives of both the leader and the follower. Developing those on your team is as important as working to advance yourself, and it’s important to remember that even leaders are trying to figure it all out!
• The question “would you do the same work for free?” became very real when thinking about those affected by the government shutdown. Perhaps the better question to ask of ourselves is, “Am I only working for the paycheck? Or the weekend? Or the benefits?”
• Lots of wisdom was shared and as our conversation wrapped up, we reflected on how to translate this experience into our daily lives. We were reminded that people on our teams are in different stages of career development, and in the words of Chaplain Tim Auman, “the best gift you can give someone is your full attention,” just like we all did during lunch.