Key Messages from the Character Canada Conference

To say the last two days attending the Character Canada Conference was inspiring is an understatement. There was a wide variety of uplifting and engaging presenters speaking around the central topic of character and how it applies to business, education, and the community surrounding us.

Each of the keynote and breakout session speakers brought their own life experience and perspective to the topic of character. From education to sports and business to law enforcement their diverse backgrounds provided a well rounded outlook on the importance and impact of character in their respective fields.

A few of the stand-out takeaways for me included:

• It's never too young to start instilling character - Dr. Avis Glaze shared a story about a class who's substitute teacher was never called in. By 9:30 two of the students went to the principal's office to let them know that they did not have a teacher in their class. Immediately the principal ran down to the classroom expecting to find chaos at best, or an empty classroom at worst. However, what they discovered was that the students had found their teacher's lesson plan for the day and were working through their assignments. When asked why they were doing this, they responded that their teacher had been focussing on character throughout the year and this is what they felt was the right thing to do.
• People will never forget how you made them feel - positively or negatively. Erin Parkes explained how long after your interaction or transaction is done with someone, if you make their experience a positive one it will stick with them.