By Erika Norton, WPAOG Senior Multimedia Journalist
Undergraduate students from across the globe gathered at West Point last week for the annual McDonald Conference for Leaders of Character (MCLC). The conference, made possible by founding benefactors HON Bob McDonald ’75 and Diane McDonald, as well as the Department of Behavioral Sciences & Leadership and the West Point Leadership Center, provides cadets and attendees the opportunity to bolster their leadership skills through critical thinking and collaboration, and explore strategies to address global issues.
“This conference brings together accomplished senior fellows from industry and public service to mentor an outstanding group of student fellows worldwide,” said Officer in Charge CPT Mary Swan ’14. “Together, they tackle global leadership challenges, focusing this year on how organizations can lead through change, which is important in today’s global environment. We are excited about the opportunity for mentorship and reflection on leadership and character between this year’s senior and student fellows.”
Beginning in 2012, the MCLC has allowed over 650 emerging leaders a transformative, short-duration leadership experience. This year, student fellows learned how to embrace challenges, respond to setbacks, assess a need for organizational change, and employ strategies to build momentum toward change efforts. They also learned how organizations can embrace change while staying true to the character and values of their organization.
Keynote speakers included CEO of LA 28, LTG (R) Reynold Hoover ’83, and COO of Ralph Lauren, Jane Nielsen.
“I think my favorite lesson so far was that ‘the perfect is the enemy of the good,’” said CDT Henry Porter ’27, who attended this year’s conference. “I think a lot of us West Point cadets try really hard to be perfect, but we might actually be shooting ourselves in the foot and neglecting the good, smaller changes we can make in the world, because we’re just constantly trying to get to the perfect.”
McDonald is the current Chairman of the West Point of Graduates and Cabinet Chair of WPAOG’s West Point Ready Campaign. He is one of West Point’s top supporters and an inspiration for all members of the Long Gray Line.
