“All you have to do is look at what’s going on with society or pick up a copy of The Wall Street Journal or The New York Times tomorrow and see what is being written. It’s not the kind of thing that directs people to paths of learning that have some worth and meaning,” said Robert Dilenschneider, founder of The Dilenschneider Group and author of 24 books, including his latest, “Character: Life Lessons in Courage, Integrity, and Leadership.”

Dilenschneider was joined by John P. Cahill, Chancellor of the Archdiocese of New York, for a conversation and discussion about that topic in a program at The Sheen Center for Thought and Culture on Tuesday, April 15.

Dilenschneider, with a successful lifelong career in public relations, and Cahill, with a high-caliber career in law and state government before his role at the archdiocese, both have deep experience working with a variety of successful leaders.

In an interview with The Good Newsroom prior to the event, Dilenschneider described how he chose the people who are profiled in the book. “We had about 300 people who wanted to be in the book. We brought it down to 31, and there are 269 people who are very unhappy. We wrote the book because of the times. We said to ourselves, things are not going too well in America right now, so we really needed to deal with some very basic issues, and the people in the book do that.”

Those included in the book are athletes, political leaders, religious figures, scientists, and innovators. Only one served as president of the United States. “There are people in the book like Dwight Eisenhower, a fantastic guy. I didn’t know him, obviously, at D-Day, but I knew him later on when he was president. I was a kid, but I sent [a letter] to him one time, asking what was the toughest thing he ever did. He said, ‘When I knew what was going to happen on those beaches and I knew I was going to give the order.’ He said that was the toughest thing he ever did,” Dilenschneider said.

The event was moderated by MaryLou Pagano, executive director of The Sheen Center. Pagano defined character as “the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual, the distinctive nature of something, the quality of being individual in an interesting or unusual way, and a person’s good reputation.”

Dilenschneider reiterated his choice to include Eisenhower, then highlighted another famous name in the book. He described former South African President Nelson Mandela as someone who “constantly had an idea of where his country should go and how he could heal the country” despite his harsh treatment in prison.

When Cahill asked him about his own character development, Dilenschneider shared a story from his time at the University of Notre Dame, where freshmen were required to sign in for church daily. A famous football player across the hall, who the author did not name refused to do this, and when Dilenschneider encouraged him to comply, the player asked Dilenschneider to sign in for him. Dilenschneider refused, explaining it wouldn’t be true service to what the Church was about. The player was eventually asked to leave school.

Regarding the current state of character in society, Dilenschneider observed that today many people simply want to make money without giving back to society in a meaningful way. He contrasted this with figures in his book who used their wealth to make a difference in people’s lives.

When asked if character can be taught, Dilenschneider affirmed it can, saying it’s “the job of everybody who’s here tonight” to teach character to young people.

Shanu Hinduja, whose father S.P. Hinduja is featured in the book, attended the event and performed a traditional gesture of respect at the close of the evening by placing flower garlands around the necks of both speakers. She said her father was “one of the best ambassadors that India could have had in his time” and thanked Dilenschneider for including him among the 31 individuals of character.

Cahill spoke with The Good Newsroom after the event. “Bob Dilenschneider is an amazing man. I’ve known him for 30 years and he’s a man of outstanding character. He understands what the issue is, and he has a lot to say about it.” Cahill said that he wanted all of his children to read “Character.” “[Dilenschneider] captures individuals that we all should know, and understands not only what made them great, but how they could endure hardships, how they viewed people, and how they treated others. It’s a lesson for all of us.”

“Character: Life Lessons in Courage, Integrity, and Leadership” is available from fine bookstores everywhere and in e-book and audiobook formats.