Leadership in the Family - VP Scharman

Please describe a way you will apply a leadership concept you have learned about this year as you lead in your family.

One principle that I seem to be learning over and over is that we need to listen, evaluate, and then conclude. I guess this goes back to the idea that we need to be 'reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterward an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved.' I am so grateful for the people that have shown me the importance of this principle through their example.

When I lead my family in the future, I would like my home to be void of unkind words. I think it is possible to do this by being willing to listen and only reprove with love. I have realized this year that our tone means everything. It is crucial for me to remember as a mom that I need to have a loving tone, all the time. This will help me to support a loving dynamic in my family.

Vice President Scharman talked about the importance of developing structure in your home based on your individual time commitments. Describe how you believe structure and order in your family life can help you lead in you family. How can some form of structure and routine help you develop leaders in your family?

Structure and order in my family life will help me to lead. I want to have a structure committed to the gospel, where the essential activities like family scripture study, prayer, and family home evening are all built in to our lives. While growing up, there was a phase where my family didn't have this structure. We weren't' very good at reading our scriptures together, or praying together. As I reflect on that time, the feeling in our home would have been different if were were better at worshiping together. I want to be sure to lead in my home, with the gospel as our guide. My children will then know what to expect from me and from our family, so we can together work to establish a home with the Spirit.

It is essential for every leader to understand the power that comes from structure, from having authority in an organization. In my future home, I want to ensure that my husband leads with priesthood authority. I want him to have monthly interviews with my children, so they can come to expect that he is their father and he is there for them. By establishing structure, a family can grow closer together and develop the leadership abilities in the children. Immersion is sometimes one of the best learning tools. Hopefully, I can immerse my children in a home with leadership structure and order. This principle is the same as leading outside of the home. If we are able to establish structure in our leadership positions, organizations will run more effectively.

Leadership in the Community - Mayor Mark Winder

Mayor Winder talked about the challenge of balancing career and church assignments with the need to be involved in serving in your community and government. Describe how you will go about including community and government service in your life.

This question really helps me to realize how grateful I should be for the family I grew up in. My parents have set a great example of being willing to serve in the community. My dad participates on a few councils for the county for his profession. My mom serves in the schools regularly and has also served as an executive director of a non profit organization for a number of years. Their example has greatly influenced my ideas about how I can serve in the community. For that I am grateful!

When I am older, I plan to serve in my children's schools. If family is my number one priority, then it will be easy to justify spending more time with them during their education. I also want to serve with a non-profit organization sometime in the future. Girls on the Run is a non-profit that I have volunteered many hours with and I would love to serve with them again sometime in the future. It seems to make a large impact on the community with its mission to empower young girls to believe in themselves.

In Mayor Winders research on the history of church leaders interactions with Presidents of the Untied States, one conclusion that has been apparent is the importance of good people serving in and around government. Identify ways that you can have that type of positive influence in both your community and nationally. Please include various ways in which you see yourself being able to lead.

I have never had any sort of desire to serve in politics, although I admire many of the people who have served. I do recognize that it is important to first be informed. I need to remain educated about the current issues in our community, so I can vote appropriately. If I am not informed, I will not have an effective opinion. I also need to encourage those around me to vote! Beyond anything, I need to be supportive of the elective leaders, whether or not they were my choice. I don't believe in following with blind obedience, but I do think it is important to continue to support our government all the time. I will seek to have an educated opinion on the expressed issues and share it with those around me, but I will remember that people are not always identified by their choices. Politicians can do ridiculous things, but that doesn't make them bad people.

As you evaluate your experience this year in a leadership role, describe what motivated you to make the commitment you have made in your year of service with BYUSA.
I was motivated by the people we would be able to serve in the clubs area. I am motivated by the power that a club can have in a student's life. Seeing that positive change makes me excited. I am motivated by the BYUSA vision. I want to help students become more Christ-like leaders. I am amazed by how much we can learn as we are seeking to serve those around us. That is what I want to be better at!

Our Motive for Leadership - Dean Kau

"When we serve others we are not motivated by selfishness, but by charity." Please describe an experience where you have had the opportunity to be motivated by charity in your leadership experience.

I am so grateful for Dean Kau's emphasis on this topic. I really do want to have good motive while serving. I try to be consistently motivated by charity, but it is really hard to keep that kind of love on the forefront of my mind. Sometimes I just get too busy with the little things and lose my focus.

Every Tuesday, I attend Clubs Night in the wilk. I love Clubs Night! This past Tuesday, I was able to get to know a team member a little better. I was showing Garrett Yentes around Clubs Night so he could become familiar with the clubs and understand more of what they do. I had such a good time showing him around because I was able to introduce him to all of the club presidents. I think this really helped Garrett out, as well as helping the club presidents to understand the level of really responsibility that they have. I had so much fun! This experience helped me to better understand that when we are serving with the proper motive, we will be blessed even more than those we are serving. I don't know if Garrett will remember Tuesday night, but I don't think I will forget the feelings I felt.

Why is it important for you to serve and lead now?

It is crucial for me to serve and lead now. One of my favorite talks is "Lift Where You Stand" by Elder Uchtdorf. I love this talk because it really encourages us to be a leader in every situation we find. Sometimes a leader is the one who takes command of a situation, but other times the leader is the one who is willing to listen. I feel like I would be ungrateful for the experiences I have had if I were unwilling to be a leader. I am so grateful for the examples I have had and the family who has supported me to better understand this principle.

I have noticed that there is a definite relationship between what you are able to do and the knowledge that you gain. The more I do, the more knowledge I will gain. The more knowledge I gain, the more I will be able to do. I want to be caught in this cycle of continual progression. It must apply to leadership as well! The more I am willing to lead and take opportunities to lead, the more I will understand about being a leader. Christ was the perfect leader. He led all the time, even when hundreds of people were filled with hatred because of his leadership. If Christ can lead now against all odds, I sure am going to try.

How will you prepare yourself to be ready for those unexpected opportunities to lead and serve, like the college students who saved the truck driver who had fallen off of the causeway?

In order to prepare myself for those unexpected opportunities to lead and serve, I first need to commit to lead now in all unexpected opportunities. As a child, I was told to make the difficult decisions (marriage in the temple, no drugs etc.) early on, so they would be easy to follow later on in life. This principle seems to apply to leadership as well. If I can choose now to not let opportunities to lead pass me by, I will be more prepared to lead now.

I also want to take advantage of the expected leadership opportunities now, so I can become a better leader. Being a better leader will help me during those unexpected opportunities to lead. I can do this by continually working to have the right motive while serving in BYUSA. If love is my primary motive now, I will not hesitate when called upon with a moment's notice.

Leadership in the Church - President Samuelson

President Samuelson explained the importance of accepting callings. Please describe how you plan to respond to different calls that will come to you over your lifetime.

I was really impressed by President Samuelson's discussion of accepting callings. I plan to accept any call that I am offered. I want to follow his council and be sure to keep my leaders informed about my life, so that calls can be extended properly.

President Samuelson identified the practice of being “too critical” of ourselves as being worse in effect than not being critical enough. How do your expectations of your own performance effect how you serve as a leader. How do you intend to avoid the practice of over self criticism?

My expectations of my own performance effect how I serve by driving me to more success. I think my consistent high expectations allow me to achieve what I normally wouldn't be capable of. Sometimes this can be bad because I can get frustrated when I don't meet my own expectations.

I plan to avoid the practice of over self criticism by remembering that all I can do is my best. I want to be a hard worker and strive to meet my goals. I think the root of avoiding self-criticism that is too critical is in remembering my true worth as a child of God.

President Samuelson shared his method of organizing his plans to include, long term, mid term and short term. What approach do you currently use in organizing the work you are responsible for?

I currently use a similar method of planning to President Samuelson's. I always make sure to plan each week, morning, and night to help me to be the most effective with my time.

Please describe your motive for serving in BYUSA. Has this motive changed or evolved as the year has gone by?

I serve in BYUSA because I am passionate about the vision. BYUSA is the best way I know how to serve BYU, the school that has given me so much. I want to give other students the opportunity to serve and have good experiences as I have. I serve because I want to eliminate the poor on campus by helping the individuals here. My motive has definitely changed as I have come to better understand the purpose of BYUSA.

Leadership Opportunities in Your Career - Brother Jones

Bro. Jones described his career path and an experience where he received a recommendation from the President of Dixie State College. This recommendation came because of Bro. Jones reputation as someone who would follow through on any assignments he received. Please describe what practices you will engage to make sure that you are considered someone who is reliable in completing projects.

I want to always to make sure to set deadlines for myself so I can effectively follow through on the projects I need to get done. I want to be better at listening to the concerns of others and working to solve their problems when they ask me to, and not delaying until later. I am going to be better at setting deadlines for myself and letting others know what those deadlines are so they can be sure that I will prioritize and attend to their needs.

Bro. Jones mentioned the opportunities that he has had to be an example for those who are not members of the church and has been an influence for changing opinions about Mormons. Please describe how you will consider the opportunity to make friends for the Church as you start and grow your career.

I want to make friends for the church at a start and grow in my career by first striving to be an example of kindness to those around me. Being an amiable person can go a long ways. I want to be recognized as a hard working, honest employee that is kind and respectful towards all of my coworkers. By building relationships first, I can then open the door for Church discussions in a comfortable environment.

Bro. Jones described his work on the Festival of the American West. One aspect that made that event successful was the inclusion of many different people and allowing them to shine with their talents. Please explain how this concept of involving others and allowing them to utilize and showcase their talents relate to our practice of leadership in BYUSA and in the future.

In BYUSA, we are striving to build individuals and help them to have a good experience while here at BYU, so they can be prepared to go forth to serve. By delegating tasks to individuals who will be able to carry them out well, it allows them to shine, and allows the program's success to be greater as a whole.

In the future, I will be able to be more successful if I allow those with different talents to perform well in their roles. Teams are almost always more successful than themselves.

Leadership in Your Career - Brother Cox

Select at least three of Bro. Cox's 12 career "hints" and report what you are currently doing to follow his recommendations. Be specific in describing how you are living each "hint."

Currently, I am striving to be more prepared before opportunity knocks. I want to be the type of leader who is able to serve on a whim because I am already prepared. I think BYUSA has really helped me to develop this skill because I am often asked to report on things or perform tasks I have not done before. I want to continue to be prepared for the unknown.

I am definitely not measuring success by fame or fortune right now. I am not famous and definitely not rich. :) More than that, I really try to focus on the successes of my team members in BYUSA. Without them, there is no way I would be able to succeed in the office with my area. I hope that they are able to understand my honest gratitude for their efforts.

I have realized the truth of the hint to try new things. I have set a number of goals this semester, one of them being that my roommate and I really want to get a group of friends in our ward. We have been actively inviting people to do things, and it seems to be paying off finally! Being proactive in a social, non BYUSA or academic, setting was a newer thing for me.

Select one or more "hints" from Bro. Cox upon which you feel a need improve your focus. Be specific about your plans to better incorporate this "hint" into your life.

I really need to improve on my ability to do more than is expected. Lately, I feel like I have been spread really thin with my many responsibilities, but I do want to achieve greatness somehow. I am going to start choosing one focus per week that I will try to do more in. This is an attainable goal for me. Once I have more time, maybe I will be able to conquer this goal a little better.

Leadership in Your Career and Community - Judge Griffith

Judge Griffith spoke about his career and how he had moved around to different opportunities seeking to find his passion. Please describe what you feel you are passionate about today and where you think these interests will take you as you start your career path.

The interesting thing about my life right now is that I know I am in the right major, but I'm not exactly sure how it is going to get me to my true passions. Honestly, I love my classes as a public health major, but I have always dreamed of teaching someday. Teachers can have such a profound impact on the lives of those around them and are able to change lives one child at a time. When it comes down to it, I am passionate about service and helping people. I know I will take jobs that help me to do this. Hopefully, this is the underlying passion that will always guide my career path.

Judge Griffith quoted several versus in Jacob 2, in reference to the pursuit and use of wealth. How will you apply the concepts that Jacob shares with us as you experience success in your career.

I have always lived a fairly frugal life and I plan on continuing that way. I want to pursue riches in the worldly sense, so I can be in the position to serve at whatever capacity I am asked to serve. If I am willing to work hard today, I will be able to serve 'harder' tomorrow. I am grateful for the examples in my life who have shown me that this is a great way of living. If I am old and can go on 3 missions in a row, that would be great! :)

Please share something you learned about leadership in your career from Judge Griffith’s presentation.

Judge Griffith's presentation helped me to realize that we can be a leader in any position, but I need to want to be a leader. It won't do me any good to go about life trying to accomplish the 'shoulds.' In order to work hard, I will need to set myself about the task of working hard.