Pres. Samuelson

1. President Samuelson warned of the dangers of waiting to serve until you are less busy.  Describe how you will make yourself available to serve, even in the midst of a ever increasing schedule and responsibilities.

I think the best way to make yourself available to serve is to always have a mindset of service. If we have a mindset of service it doesn't matter where you are or what you're doing, you can always find opportunities to help those around you. I think another way is to always make time to do nothing, make time for yourself, and to connect with yourself. I think this is important for keeping things in perspective.

1. President Samuelson shared an important lesson he learned about making assignments in his role as an Elders Quourm President.  Please identify what you believe made the difference in the outcome he described going from having to complete the assignment himself to having others take accountability.  How will you apply this concept to leadership roles you have in the future.

I think accountability is huge. You can't do everything for everyone for the sake of the project; sometimes you have to let things fall or fail a bit in order for people to learn and to take responsibility. You can't babysit the consequences for a job well done or a job failed, for the sake of the individual involved, sometimes you have to let consequences take their natural course. I can apply this to my leadership roles in the future as a mother; you teach children the correct principles, you help lead them and guide them and help them see the consequences, good or bad, of their decisions, and sometimes you let them fall a little bit to learn the consequences of their actions. Easier said than done I bet. haha. 

Feb. 6th 2012

1.Dr. Wilson spoke about the effect working in Student Leadership at BYU had on helping him become a "grown up."  Please describe the ways that your involvement has helped you develop as a leader from when you started serving until now.

I feel like I have developed as a leader in many ways. I think the first way is through understanding what service is, and what it means to be a leader. The most valuable things I have actually learned about leadership are through my job at the Ballard Center - I've done a lot of research involving branding, PR, entrepreneurship, mission/vision statements, and how to run a business, and I've learned that one of the most fundamental differences that people tend to forget, is that there is a difference between management and leadership. I love comparing the two because it highlights that leadership is about helping those around you succeed; it's about knowing their strengths and weakness and helping them to develop in the areas that will make them most successful. It's about having a vision, and helping others catch that vision. It's about inspiring and motivating people to go above and beyond what they thought they could achieve. Leadership is not just about getting things done. Anyone can manage people, time, money, resources, but leadership is the development and art of people. I feel like understanding that has really helped me be a better leader, knowing what and how to define it. 

2. Dr. Wilson shared his experience serving an internship in Jerusalem.  This experience was not part of his program, but was approved because he was willing to do additional work to make it possible.  Please describe the ways you can be effective in advocating for change or making improvement in existing programs.

I can be effective in advocating for change or making improvement in existing programs, by being truthful, and really examining and analyzing problems in a truthful manner. If the problem with a program is that it's not meeting the needs of the students, let's say that. If the problem with a program is that the coordinators don't support it, let's say that. If the problem with the program is that the ED doesn't have sufficient knowledge to make it happen, let's say that. I think honesty is the best policy; we need to be honest with ourselves in order to get anywhere and in order to make any improvement. It's not about being perfect, or that so-and-so has all the right answers, but it's about being realistic, and helping to build people, and helping them and their efforts be successful. 

Jan. 30th 2012

I really liked the lesson that Brother Cox gave to us. I love hearing his personal insights on life and careers, and in giving us tips on things we can do to be productive and good servant leaders now and later on in life. One of my favorite tips that he gave was to do what you love. I am  a firm believer that the Lord gives us passions in life, and that he gives them to us for a reason. Whether it's music, ancient civilizations, business, or pottery, I know that He has given us those passions and talents for the purpose of building up His kingdom. That is why I love his tip of if you don't like what you're doing, change it. I feel like we are meant to be happy in this life, and do things that make us happy (And what will of course make us happiest is doing God's will) because God wants us to pursue our interests and do things we love. If you always wanted to be a pilot, be a pilot! If you always wanted to be an institute teacher, be an institute teacher! You should get up every morning and love doing what you're doing - don't do it for money, do it because you love it.

Another point in his lesson that I liked was to always put your family first. I think that no matter what happens to us in life, whether it's good or it's bad, if our priority is always our family and the church, then we will succeed no matter what happens.

I'm grateful for the chance that I had to listen to Bro. Cox speak about his life - I find his stories so motivating and inspiring. I want to live the kind of life he has lived, always doing the Lord's will and being willing to go after the one.

I can apply these tips to my life now and in the future, by always remembering to do what I love, and to encourage those around me to do what they love. Life is one to be enjoyed, if you don't start loving it now, will you ever? I will also apply family as a priority throughout my whole life, because they're the ones that matter, and will always matter.