Leadership & Character | Atlanta, GA

Group two photo from the C2C in Atlanta, GA on July 16, 2019

A group of Wake Foresters gathered over dinner in Atlanta, Georgia on July 16, 2019 to discuss Leadership & Character.

Overview and highlights of our Call to Conversation:

  • The stories shared were personal and insightful about a time when great character and leadership were exhibited. Throughout the duration of our Jeffersonian style dinner, we discussed the importance of civil discourse; having educated conversations with opposing views which emphasizes our motto of Pro-Humanitate and enriches our knowledge of topics and ideas.
  • We acknowledged that sometimes good people make bad decisions, but the difference is that someone with strong character has a desire to right the wrong and change for the better. Character evolves over time.
  • Reflection is an important part of character building. In quiet moments we are able to reflect on feelings of guilt leading us to admit our mistakes and apologizing.
  • We acknowledged that leadership and character do not discriminate, they affect individuals across all socioeconomic classes and in all leadership roles.
  • A major theme throughout the conversation was consistency, treating everyone with kindness and understanding.
  • We recognized that strong leadership and character requires vulnerability and humility.
  • We concluded that high moral character equals strong leaders, that they go hand and hand. However that does not mean that all people in leadership positions have good character. In all scenarios, a person of strong character leads by example and stands up for what is right, whether that means following the rules or breaking protocol. Doing the right thing sometimes means going against societal norms and not taking the easy way out.
  • A final thought was on paying it forward, everyone around the dinner table spoke of time when they were touched by someone of strong character and now we can think about how we can pay it forward.