Lauren James serves as Executive Director of MDLF and was a Class I Fellow.
One of my goals at the Mitch Daniels Leadership Foundation is to build a bench of Fellows who continue learning, questioning and growing as leaders long after their Fellowship concludes. We're fortunate to partner with Liberty Fund to host four, one-day conferences annually, creating space for thoughtful dialogue around the ideas and principles that shape our leadership. My hope is that these experiences inspire more Fellows to participate in Liberty Fund's immersive, multi-day conferences alongside business and community leaders from across the country.
That opportunity recently brought nearly 20 Indiana leaders, including MDLF Fellows, together for three days in Philadelphia to explore the life and legacy of one extraordinary polymath whose ideas still challenge us 250 years later. During the October Benjamin Franklin and the Virtues of Liberty conference, we studied his writings, debated his convictions, walked in his footsteps and stood in the rooms where our nation's founding principles took shape.
I arrived admiring Franklin's ingenuity, entrepreneurship and contributions to our republic. I left equally fascinated by his contradictions, his capacity to evolve and the questions his life raises about our own character.
Five ideas I'll be putting into practice long after Philadelphia:
No one is entirely self-made. Franklin championed individual initiative, but so much of his impact grew through relationships and civic institutions. His Junto and library reflect what we're cultivating at MDLF: leadership measured not just by what we accomplish, but by what we make possible for others.
Character is a calling, not a credential. Are we virtuous when it benefits us, or when it costs us? Franklin's pursuit of moral perfection was a lifelong exercise in becoming a little less imperfect. I find something encouraging (and refreshing) in making room for mistakes, self-forgiveness and growth.
Leadership turns dissatisfaction into action. Recognize what could be better, envision what's possible and mobilize people and resources to make it happen. Franklin didn't just identify problems. He organized people to solve them.
Curiosity creates possibility. Printer, publisher, entrepreneur, inventor, scientist, diplomat, statesman, fundraiser and the list goes on! Franklin wore at least 22 different hats - talk about a master generalist! I love that he never stopped learning or finding new ways to contribute. What a reminder that no single title, career or chapter has to define us.
Goodness is something we do, not just something we believe. Franklin's concept of "benignity of mind" speaks to goodwill, generosity and genuine concern for others. A belief I share deeply: character shows up in the everyday choices we make to leave people and places better than we found them.
And if I could add a fourteenth virtue to Franklin's original 13, it would be Intellectual Courage: the conviction to seek truth, the humility to recognize error and the courage to act on a changed understanding.
Perhaps my favorite part was the company. Hoosier executives bringing different experiences, convictions and questions to the same table, challenging one another thoughtfully and leaving with new friendships. A modern-day Junto, if you will!
Grateful to Hans Eicholz for his masterful moderation, Nate Feltman for the wonderful invitation, the Liberty Fund (Shani, Emilio and Terry) and everyone who made this experience possible.
Franklin spent much of his life asking how he could become better and how he could make his community better. Those are exactly the questions we hope to inspire our Fellows to keep asking, long after their Fellowship experience concludes.