Monday, February 21, 2011

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 very grateful that President Samuelson brought this up. Sometimes I look at my life and don't know how everything will fit together. I know that as I have my affairs in order, and as I seek the guidance of the Spirit, I will be blessed as I seek to do the best I can in my callings.

I need to be sure that I have support in my future spouse. I want our vision to be on the same goal. I really appreciated how President Samuelson talked about how if we aren't sure that we can do everything, to talk about our circumstances with our leader and seek for his help and guidance.


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?

I do this. A lot. Mentally, it makes me shut down and not want to do things. I feel like I'm juggling so many things that I can't do anything at all. As part of my Leadership Development plan for this semester I addressed this; to make things more manageable in my mind, I set a goal to only have one calendar (Google Calendar) and one to-do list sheet. By loosing all my sticky notes and being spread out all over the place, things are more manageable. I can further improve by numbering the items on my to-do list in order of importance, a principle I learned in seventh grade.

To avoid the practice of self criticism, I want to journal. I want to write down my accomplishments and allow my mind to reflect on how things are going. It's very good for me to organize my thoughts and to have an outlet.


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 don't do this yet. That's why I asked this question. After hearing about his method, I'll incorporate it into the way I use my calendar and set personal goals. I can also be better at including the public relations matrix into my personal life as I plan.


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 love the organization, its vision and the university it supports. Originally my freshman year, I started in it to become its president. After serving I have realized that it is not about position- it's about people. I can do so much more good with my skills in my current position. I really see a parallel of President Uchtdorf's General Conference address "Lift Where You Stand." In that message he directs us to "stand close together and lift where you stand."

I'm uncertain about my future with BYUSA. I just found out that I have been accepted to the public relations program. Currently, my biggest goal is to graduate from BYU with a degree from that program. I want to do my best there, and it may require my full attention. I have an orientation on Friday where I'll be able to learn more, and I'll continue pondering about my future as I pray each night.

I've been at BYU for three years now and I've been connected with strong leadership roles within the organization for just as long. I don't know what's going to happen, but wherever I am I plan to stand close to those around me and lift.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Ron 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.

This is definitely an area that I'm working on. To improve I'm working at doing a better job calendaring out what I need to do. As part of my Leadership Development plan at the end of last semester I made a commitment to keep all of my to-dos on my Google Calendar. I can expand this process by adding day-to-day tasks to keep me on track with my deadlines. I can also improve my delegation; this is not a skill that I'm very good at. I need to be more trusting of others on my team and willing to share some of my responsibilities with them.


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.

When Ron said this, my thoughts immediately went to my patriarchal blessing. I know that my faith and example are going to be something that influences others both inside and outside of the Church. I know that I am someone that needs to be involved in what is going on and plan to continue this trend as a grow older by participating in my local government and community groups. I feel blessed to have my family and the history behind my testimony. I know that many of the experiences from my past have made me who I am today and influence how I treat and think about others.


Bro. Jones described his work on the Festival of the American West. One aspect that made that event succesful 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.

Again, I feel like this was something that I was much better at last year. In my current position I seem to be seeking after people that are already interested in learning more about public relations. I can continue to invite others into the office, especially as I hear about events that might interest them.

In BYUSA we seek to invite all to come and experience more. We strive to offer things that will apply to many people. -I've given the office tour so many times! I there's too much to type out here for all the different types of things for people to learn about and develop talents in.- As we continue into the future, I see it to be very important, especially with my position over public relations, to be willing to engage in dialogue with the student body and truly be the best sort of organization that is serving them to the best of our vision.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Dr. Neal Cox - Director of Student Leadership

Select at least three of Brother 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.
Then select one or more hints from Brother Cox's presentation upon which you feel a need improve your focus. Be specific about your plans to better incorporate this hint into your life.

1. Family First
2. Leave it better than you found it.
3. Don't fear to contribute and invite others to do so.
4. Do more than is expected.
5. Be prepared before opportunity knocks.
6. Be willing to start from ground level.
7. Don't measure success by fame or fortune.
8. Don't value security more than opportunity to serve.
9. Deflect praise to others.
10. Sprout deep roots.
11. Try new things.
12. If you don't love it, leave it.



3. Don't fear to contribute and invite others to do so.
I love this one. Put your best foot forward in your service and invite others to do so. I gained a great testimony of this one last year as I was specifically over volunteer outreach and placement in HR. It was my duty to make sure events were fully staffed and that things were rolling right along. I was able to meet so many people and match them with opportunities that interested them. I made some wonderful life long friends in the process too.

6. Be willing to start from ground level.
I came into BYUSA asking Adam how I could become president one day. He recommended that I find a volunteer opportunity and that's when I began experiencing more with BYUSA. Through the last three years here I have been involved with many different aspects of our organization. Because of that, I have some unique insight and knowledge into how things work and of how to build off of our past. Had I been upset with Adam and felt entitled to an ED or VP position from the start, I would not have had the same type of experience here at BYU and would not be the same person that I am today.

10. Sprout deep roots.
AMEN! This has been my exact attitude in coming to BYU. I knew that I was going to be here for a few years and that by reaching out to those around me, my experience here would be improved. I really like getting to know people and learning about random connections between us. I can also see that the relations I make today are going to carry far into my future. It's incredible that I can now travel almost anywhere in the world and be able to find someone that I know.



9. Deflect praise to others.
I can't get enough of praise. After reading The Five Languages of Love this summer, I learned that I prefer to be praised with words of affirmation. Because of this I mounted a cork board above my desk to remind myself of my accomplishments and of my personal worth. This isn't vain or wrong, but because these compliments mean so much to me I realize that they may have a greater impact on others. As part of my Leadership Development plan this year I am working on expressing my gratitude more. As I do this, I will be better able to see the hand of the Lord in my life and have a more cohesive and cooperative team.

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.

I am very passionate about public relations. I'll find out if I was accepted in about ten days and from there I'll be able to see what kind of path I'm going to be on in that field. I love networking and being in the know. I can see these skills carrying over as I continue in the emphasis.


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.

As I experience success in my career I plan to continue to pay a full tithe to the Church. I would also like to give back to BYU in gratitude for all the opportunities it has afforded me. I can do this by donating to the Annual Fund, or by creating an endowment.

I also know that I would like to play a leading role in my community. When my children are school aged, I plan to be an active member in PTSA and possibly in our local government. If I can see a place where my influence would be a benefit, and it won't interfere with my other responsibilities, I would like to lend a helping hand.


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

I learned that leadership in my future career is going to inevitably come my way. Though my future is slightly uncertain, I can accept where it will lead me and embrace the opportunities and experiences that will come my way. I also know that I want to work on gaining a greater knowledge of both the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the theological positions of other faiths to be able to converse on a variety of topics intelligently.