When talking about character, Dr. Suri said something that really resonated with me: looking into character and what makes a good leader will set a North Star for our organizations, our communities, and our countries. There is an Analect in which Confucius says, "Governing by the power of virtue can be compared to the Pole Star, which remains fixed in place while all the other stars orbit respectfully around it." This is exactly what Dr. Suri is saying and it is crazy to me that I went from learning this Analect for my history class to applying it to something a CEO said. What the Analect means is that when one leads with virtue, with good character and compassion, they will inspire those around them to lead lives with good character and compassion. I think this is what Dr. Suri is trying to say as well; therefore, we must acknowledge the importance of good leadership and the characteristics it takes to be a good leader. Typically, we determine the traits of a good leader through those we see in the media, but as Dr. Suri noted, some people's soft skills can be labelled as "Schmoozing skills" or "politically motivated skills" so there is some responsibility on us to determine which skills we want to exhibit so that when it is our chance to serve as the North Star, we will be sure to encourage those around us to lead with good, respectable skills as well.
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