Reflection #3

1. 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.

When someone calls me or texts me, I will reply back in a quick fashion. When someone expects me to be somewhere, I will be there and I will be there on time, if there is a conflict I will inform them of it as far in advance as possible.

1. 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 think taking a sincere interest people is the best way to befriend someone. It's easy to get the basic facts about a person, but to try and make deeper connections or delve more into what they say to get the meat really shows that you want to understand and learn more about someone. Once you're able to better understand someone, you are better able to serve them and teach them about the Church.

1. 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.

It all goes back to the Divine-centered leadership model. You provide people with a responsibility, a job description, a vision. And then you work with them to help them create their own vision and once people catch the fire of a vision, they accomplish incredible feats. Then, they continue the drop in the water and inspire others with their vision and help them create their own vision for their project and it diffuses down to the very bottom, and by that time everyone has caught the fire and puts all their effort and talents into doing incredible things.

Reflection #2

1. 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."

Family First: This is a really hard "hint" for me to follow, because I have the bad tendency of putting my family as the lowest priority. Yesterday, I called my brother to see how he was handling college, his social life, etc. Basically to get a status report on what he's doing in his life. I plan on calling my parents on Saturday to check base with them and see how they're doing.

Be prepared before opportunity knocks: My current job right now is determining who they will be laying off for the summer, and I may be one of those people because I don't have as a high as seniority as others. While there is still a chance for me to stay on during the summer, I am attending a job information meeting concerning Aspen Grove tonight. I also plan on restructuring my resume to include the most up to date information.

Be willing to start from ground level: My FHE husband died (in the figurative sense) last semester, so I recently remarried. I need to work with my new husband and talk about what he thinks is important for our FHE family to learn and do and not get stuck in doing things the same way I did them last semester. I'm excited to meet with him on Sunday to talk about how he envisions our FHE family.

1. 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.

Don't value security more than the opportunity to serve: I am very much a realistic person when it comes to the nitty-gritty details of life. I feel that I allow myself to be selfish in doing things to better my level of security rather than hyperfocusing on serving others and I need to find the balance between these two. In order to incorporate this "hint" into my life, I am going to get on my knees and ask the Lord to help me have greater faith in His will for me and to provide me with opportunities to serve others. I plan on acting on the promptings I receive.

Reflection #1

1. 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 feel very passionate about people. I love learning about new cultures and I love learning about people. I'm passionate about helping people, whether it's through small service or networking, etc. I think there are a lot of career paths that include being heavily involved in people's lives, but I would hope my career path leads to me working with different cultures through microfinance practices.

1. 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.

My home ward is a perfect example to me of the principles Judge Griffith spoke about in Jacob 2:18-19. My ward is very affluent, but because of their affluence they are able to help send many missionaries off on missions, provide unbelievable camp and educational experiences for the youth, and be heavily involved in the community. I hope to emulate these families in my ward by being generous with all I am blessed with an providing opportunities to others who are having a touch bump in the road of life.

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

I loved how Judge Griffith talked about seeking the Atonement every day in your life. We are all imperfect, at least I know I am and I need the Atonement in my life to make me the person the Lord wants me to be. In regards to my leadership, I believe I cannot be successful unless I implement the Atonement in my life. I can't be successful if I am not on the same page with the Lord, and as I seek Him and His infinite goodness in my life, He will bless me with the experiences I need to have and He will help me touch the lives of those I lead and follow.

Reflection #7

1. Considering your role as a leader, Please describe who you view as your “customers” and how you practice the idea of meeting the needs of those customers.

My customers are my club presidents, my administrators, the BYU administration, the BYU student body, and the Provo community. I practice the idea of meeting the needs of those customers by being available and being knowledgeable in my field of expertise.

1. Please describe a time when you have been involved in a significant change. Identify what those who were leading the organization did to help make the change successful or unsuccessful.

When I was VP for my class council in high school we revamped the professionalism and the structure of our council. We created a vision and we shared that vision with our council members and then we created several committees where we appointed committee heads and had those committee heads report their findings to the overall committee. It was super successful and we raised the morale and the commitment of our council for the next 2 years.

1. Describe why you believe that Networking with others, is a vital part of leading change.

You can't know everything, but you can be in contact with others who are experts in their individual fields. You need to be able to connect people and connect yourself with as many variable resources as possible in order to have a total package deal of success.

Reflection #5

1) Do you look for opportunities to recognize and reward others?

I really do try and look for opportunities to recognize others, because of how much it means to me when I receive praise out of the blue from others.

2)Do you praise their effort, creativity, and ability to overcome obstacles?

Yes, because when you specify your compliments they are actually sincere and people truly feel as if you pay attention to them.

3)DO you find ways of providing special rewards for people when they work hard?

I can work on providing special physical rewards rather than solely verbal rewards.

4)Would family members or friends describe you as generous or stingy in giving recognition and praise ?

I would say that I am don't give out compliments on a regular occasion, but when I do give a compliment it is very generous and sincere.

My initiative went well. I didn't do any physical act, but I pulled people aside and sincerely told them a specific compliment. Next time I should work on doing a physical act.

Reflection #4

1. What does integrity really mean to you? How do you know personally when you are displaying integrity?

Integrity to me means when someone who is true to their personal morals and values. They will not abandon what they believe to be correct, no matter the adversity that comes along with it. I know when I am displaying integrity when I testify I know of things to be true. It is not always bold or eloquent, but when I testify, through my words or actions, of those things I know to be true, I know I am being true to myself and displaying integrity.

2. Choose one of the development suggestions, or your own, to work on this week. What did you choose? Why? How did it go?

Something I've needed to work on is developing myself academically. I know that school is important because fostering education is one of the most important things I can do right now in this life. There's that Doctrine and Covenants scripture that talks about how everything we learn in this life, all of that intelligence will go with us into the next life, nothing else will remain except our intelligence. And I know that to be true, and I truly do love learning, but I have neglected my academic pursuits. I am going to schedule out time to do my homework the day before it is due instead of attempting to merely go through the actions and doing it the day of due. I will pray before I study and seek the Holy Ghost's companionship as my teacher as I study.

I did not actually create time to do my homework, but when I did study I sincerely prayed to learn and understand the subject material for added knowledge to take with me in the next spirit world, and I actively sought the Holy Ghost as a teacher in my studies and the blessings from the change of heart and mindset towards that was incredible. I truly loved learning about subjects I never had an interest in previously, and it was because I understood the big picture of why I needed to learn them and I was so grateful for the opportunity to be tested on them.

3. Think of someone you know who displays integrity regularly. What do they DO to demonstrate integrity? How does that impact you?

They are just true to themselves and true to their beliefs. I may not always agree with their viewpoints, but we can get into uplifting and enlightening conversations because we both stay true to the values and beliefs we hold dear, and because we both share our integrity in this way, we are able to broaden the perspectives of one another. I appreciate their opposing viewpoints because it reminds me that everyone has a different background and perceives their world differently than I do. It makes me a more aware, well-rounded person, and it also encourages me to have integrity at all times.
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Reflection #3

1. What are some ways that you have encouraged others to generate creative, resourceful solutions to problems and what were the outcomes? Please use a specific incident in your answer

When I was the co-event lead for Guitars Unplugged, there were several circumstances which required my committee to think creatively in a short amount of time. One of the most difficult problems to solve was the production of the annual Guitars Unplugged cd. My committee had done research on production and studio time that would go into the creation of a cd and when we presented the funding amount required for the production, the Campus Activities vp vetoed the funding because it was too expensive. My committee went back 3 other times finding cheaper studios, etc and finally the vp said that producing a cd was not necessary and a inefficient use of funding. So I went to my team and we brainstormed: how could we advertise and facilitate our 17 bands original compositions to the entire BYU population without producing a cd? While there were several ideas, my team came up with the solution to put the songs as MP3 files on a Guitars Unplugged website that anyone could download off of. While the majority of students were upset at the fact there was no cd produced, the goal to facilitate the band's original songs was successful.

1. In your opinion, what are the most important behaviors (as defined in your student manual) in getting results with a project or problem? Explain why you have chosen these ad use specific personal examples to add merit to your claim.

I think there is one most important behavior and that is taking initiative. A project or problem cannot and will not get results unless someone takes the initiative to start the creative, administrative, etc. processes involved with the project. In the Clubs area, Pete set the bar for taking initiative during the summer months. I felt as if all my programs couldn't really start until the Fall, and Pete also felt the same way, but instead of doing nothing, he created projects to help promote the Clubs area in a different way, which was creating a pamphlet. Something as small as the pamphlet has been helpful in quickly getting important information to a wide audience of interested students who don't have a lot of time.

1. What are your personal strengths in getting results on projects or problems, and how can you use and implement them in your current leadership position to benefit your team?

I am strong in organization and planning. I believe that when a project arises that organizing and planning allows a safeguard to deal with problems in a calm and collected manner. When problems do arise, with a solid foundation, you don't believe the end of the world is near, but you take the problem for what it is, see how it fits into your overall plan and tackle it with gusto. I can implement these into my team by planning monthly activities and area retreats, as well as encouraging my club presidents to plan their events and advertising ahead of time.