University ITSM

On Tuesday, October 20th the Wake Forest fellows were lucky enough to lunch with yet another incredible leader in the Wake Forest community. Currently serving as both the President of WFU Health Sciences and the Dean of Wake Forest Medical School, William B. Applegate can easily be described as one of the most inspiring leaders we have met with thus far. The time that Dean Applegate spent with us led to three pages of scribbled notes that I will highlight here in the attempts at sharing just an ounce of the wisdom he shared with us.
 
Dean Applegate still wonders what he wants to be when he "grows up". Explaining that when he first began his career, while he knew his goals would be tied to the health industry, he did not know how exactly. Advising us that "careers rarely turn out as you would expect" he explains and recommends the practice of writing down your goals. It is this exercise, recommended by his wife, that helped him figure out what he wanted to do, and then ultimately how to go about getting there.
 
Focusing on the importance of goals that are tied to people or society, he discussed with us the idea that being a leader is not always an easy thing. "Sometimes people make fun of your aspirations to be a leader" he says, but still he encourages students to step up and take the challenge. There are so many ways people can lead, and not enough people are using themselves to make an impact, he explains. One suggestion he had for us to help in achieving our goals? Finding a mentor. So much about a career is tied to mentors, he says, pick one (or several) that will help you get where you want to be. Not only can they help open doors, but they can offer non-judgmental advice on various aspects of life.  He cautions us however, “listen to your mentors, but you fail if you always take their advice”. 
 
Among other insightful comments, Dean Applegate throws in the phrase “slip on banana peels”, highlighting the importance of persistence and claiming that sometimes you will slip and fall, but that ultimately it is not about how many times you get knocked down, but how many times you get back up that matter.  He also challenges us to constantly look for new opportunities. When a door opens, walk through it, he posits, and while it may not seem to match your goals at the time, you never know where it will lead.  The ability to follow your gut when making decisions is something that will come with time, but if you feel passionate about what you are doing, it will make all the difference.
 
Dean Applegate leaves us with a final piece of advice regarding the vital, yet often overlooked practice of self-assessment.  We must evaluate our own strengths AND weaknesses he says in order to work on the weaknesses and continue to grow. “We can be what we want to be” he says, “but we must expand and move out of our own comfort zones”.