Become a better human and a better leader through participation in a Legatus forum

A Legatus forum is a proven platform to explore your deepest thoughts and experiences with like-minded Catholics.

Being a part of a Legatus forum will not only give you a sounding board with other CEOs and corporate leaders, but it also will give you an opportunity to hear from other forum members about how they too deal with the challenges of being a Catholic business leader.

To share your life experiences through a forum in a confidential setting with up to 12 other Legatus members of varying age, trials, and life accomplishments is something unobtainable elsewhere. Yes, you can find other organizations such as YPO and Vistage where you can experience something similar, but it will not be as encompassing as it will lack the Catholic perspective that Legatus brings.

A Legatus forum is also a way to enhance your membership outside chapter events. A forum establishes a working communication model that respects privacy and encourages attendance, punctuality, and protocol of communication. When all put together in an organized and safe environment, these elements tee up a recipe for personal and spiritual growth.

Monthly meetings, typically conducted in a confidential boardroom setting, encompass a simple agenda. They commence with the Universal Prayer, then continue with sharing your lows and highs of the past month and raising awareness of what is on your plate at that time. This process builds a bond among members that reaches beyond your chapter gatherings. Through this personal sharing and listening, you can build a relationship with one another rooted in our Catholic beliefs.

Through a series of communication starters, you get to know each other and your passions while building trust and respect for one another through listening and structured participation. A moderator manages the gatherings with humility by encouraging each member to share openly in a safely guided process. The more mutual respect exists, the more openness will flow from the dialogue.

A forum provides insights as to how each of us can become better leaders, fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, and friends. As we are in this world to share with one another, God has asked us to love one another. A forum is another means to deepen your faith though connectedness with fellow Legatus members.

In this confidential setting, “iron sharpens iron” (Prov 27:17). Each forum member has a chance to share knowledge and experiences with each other in a trusting environment. By engaging and fully participating, you will deepen your understanding of what it means to be a better Catholic. Through listening and accepting one another as they are, you build a trusting environment of communication that leads to bonds of lasting friendship.

As your forum grows, so will each of you. Many forums enjoy planning two- or three-day annual retreats, exploring a special theme or topic that is often mentioned at regular forum meetings (often referred to as “parking lot items”). Some forums invite to the retreat a guest speaker who has special talents with the specific topic to be explored. Such presentations can provide an enlightening message and immense take-home value.

Recently I had the honor of working with Terry Timm, life coach and author of A Movable Feast: Worship for the Other Six Days. While collaborating with him, he mentioned that “better humans make better leaders.”

That is where you begin. Legatus, especially through its forums, helps its members become better humans and, consequently, better leaders of business and society. I encourage you to reach out to your chapter president and make a Legatus forum a part of your chapter experience.

Mark R. Scalise retired as CEO of Scalise Industries in 2016