‘Don’t hope. Know’: Rep. Warren Davidson hosts workshop at International Leadership Conference

Fifteen students, faculty and military personnel sat in Marcum Hall room 154 on the first day of Miami University’s International Leadership Conference. While a few students in the room came for class credit, others came to hear from Miami’s own congressman.

“He's my congressman, so I feel like getting to hear him speak as much as possible is probably good for me,” said Anthony Rossi, a junior studying international studies. “I want to understand his beliefs and see just what's going on in my political area.”

Warren Davidson, a United States Representative for Ohio’s 8th Congressional District, capitalized on his military experience in his workshop: “The Next Mission: Developing Political Leaders from Youth and Military Communities.”

Following high school, Davidson immediately enlisted as an infantryman in the army, where he witnessed the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. From there, he attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and graduated near the top of his class. It was at West Point where Davidson found his strong leadership skills, which he based his workshop around on Oct. 3.

Davidson, a Republican serving on the committees of financial services and foreign affairs, has been representing Miami and the rest of the 8th district in the house since 2016, when he answered his second call to public service.

Even in his congressional office, Davidson applies the skills he learned in the army to being a leader in Washington, D.C.

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“So this is a Teddy Roosevelt quote that is kind of developed from [my] life experience: do what you can, with what you've got, where you are,” he said.

Ben Thaeler, district director in Davidson’s office, a Miami alumnus and a southwest Ohio native, led the workshop portion of the event. He first asked the members in the audience to generate some characteristics that make up a solid leader.

Students began calling out different adjectives: integrity, determination, commitment and collaboration were all discussed, as well as the humanity of a leader.

Building on this, Thaeler organized participants into three separate groups that present different challenges: family, youth activities and the military, which are all groups that youth typically tend to be part of. Some of the challenges in these categories included burnout, lack of engagement and stability in the home.

In the youth activities group, four students discussed the importance of leadership roles early on in things like sports, school activities and clubs. Nolan Miller, a junior studying health rehabilitations, said youth activities are one of the key foundations in building not only leadership skills in children, but resilience as well.

“A lot of the challenges that you encounter in youth activities can be applied to situations in life,” he said.

The three groups presented their analysis of the challenges facing these groups, to which Davidson used his military knowledge to respond to.

“The value of planning is incredible, but the plan itself isn’t always very useful, because once no plan survives first contact with the enemy,” he said, “you start a war, he fights back and you just have to react.”

Davidson wrapped up the lecture by applying his discussion on leadership to the current political climate, calling President Donald Trump an effective yet polarizing leader. He then addressed the audience with one remaining question, this time narrowing in the answers to reflect on political leaders alone.

“What are the necessary traits for a strong political leader, for the times that we are in?”

Students across the room began chiming in. While some answers were similar to the first time he asked the question more broadly, others added in new adjectives: humanity, honesty, diplomacy, productivity and empathy.

“To me, the most important quality is having someone who is unifying,” Miller said.

The workshop, having run nearly 10 minutes over the scheduled end time of 3 p.m., broke off. A swarm of students approached Davidson to follow up on a point or two that he made during the lecture. For Jonathan Pike, visiting assistant professor at the Center for Civics, Culture and Society and attendee at the workshop, this was a promising sight.

“I think the students who took the time to come and get these insights from somebody who is actually in the process is a significant opportunity,” Pike said. “They should be applauded for taking the time to come and get that insight that [Davidson] had to offer.”

The International Leadership Conference took place over the span of two days and included three keynote speakers, as well as 18 workshops led by key leaders. Other notable leaders in attendance include Lt. General Richard M. Clark, executive director of the College Football Playoff; Hajime “Jimmy” Kishimori, Japanese consul general; and Sunny Singh, chief of staff for the Central Intelligence Agency, office of CTO.

patelou@miamioh.edu

@OliviaPatel555