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Indiana’s four living governors were on stage for the first time Thursday night, and they didn’t talk about politics or policy.
Instead, Gov. Eric Holcomb and former governors Mike Pence, Mitch Daniels and Evan Bayh shared laughs and insights about the decades they’ve spent in leadership at the eighth annual Harvest Dinner at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.
As the country approaches a traditionally consequential election year, dinner organizers said they sought to suspend politics and debate topics to instead focus on the mechanics of what makes an influential leader in a panel titled “The Art of Leadership with Four Gubernatorial Hoosiers.” Proceeds from the Harvest Dinner support the Youth Development Fund, which benefits Celebration of Champions and 4-H youth participating at the Indiana State Fair.
Holcomb encouraged young people to align their passions with their purpose. He spoke about finding a common mission and working toward a goal that will continuously be built upon.
“I wake up every day and think about progress,” he said. “That’s not some pursuit of rhetorical perfection, but progress. If you’re heading in the right direction, you can continue to build on that.”
Daniels emphasized that defining one’s “why?” was vitally important to lead their service.
“I’ve never been able to do better than to say to young people: ‘First and foremost, try to be a person people can trust,'” Daniels said. “That’s not a bad start.”
Pence reflected on what it means to be “right” as a politician:
“When you’re a congressman … I always held the view that your job was to get up every morning and be right about your opinion. Be faithful to what you told people you were going to stand for,” Pence said. “When you’re governor, we have to figure out what the most right thing is that you can get done.”
Bayh said leadership boils down to “principled compromise” by working with your colleagues to find the best solutions—though he called it a “vanishing art.”
Each governor was asked what his most cherished accomplishment was during his term. Holcomb said it was impossible to choose but landed on the increase of local health department funding that every county has now opted into. Bayh boasted about his establishment of the 21st Century Scholars program and his pride in its large-scale impact. Daniels spoke about laying the groundwork for “the best sandbox in America” for economic development. Pence picked the Regional Cities Initiative.
They nodded to their predecessors and said their work has compounded to achieve successes they see today in the state.
Despite the pleasantries, the current political situation did not totally evade the event advertised as a night of common ground—although the participants kept things optimistic.
Daniels said that he believes that the next generation will deal with a crisis that brings the issues of the past to a head. While it sounds grim, he said he believes young people are up to the challenge and are presented with a “great opportunity” to show their leadership.
“They’re going to get a chance at greatness,” he said. “That’s when greatness is actually defined.”
The United States is most vulnerable when it’s fighting within itself, Bayh said, which leads to weakness globally. He urged people to find common ground, stay true to their core values and pay attention. “Nobody ever learned anything by talking, but you can learn a lot by listening,” he said.
Overall, the atmosphere was amicable and casual. The attendee dress code ranged from overalls and flannels to sports coats and leather shoes. The conversation included references to fried food, humorous stories and family memories at the fair.
Holcomb told a story about how he and his wife went to McDonald’s after his first day in office to keep himself grounded. Pence recalled a story about a goldfish won at the state fair that “would not die.”
Bayh, the lone Democrat among the four, joked about how long ago he served as governor (1989-97).
“Well, I was back in the Pleistocene era,” he said. “You know, when mastodons and wooly mammoths and saber tooth tigers and even Democratic governors existed here in Indiana.”
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I’m sorry I missed it. They should have another event like that , not just at the state fair. It will remind Hoosiers what we have had as governors and how lucky we have been compared to many states.
+1. Not many states I’d trade places with for the last 6 Govs (OBannon/Kernan were in many ways extensions of the Bayh foundations)
Great balance of principles and pragmatism on that stage.
Would be great if prices for this event were a bit for affordable! Or at least offer single tickets. Your average Hoosier couldn’t afford a an entire table.