W14 - The End

Over the course of the last fourteen weeks I’ve learned a great deal about my nature and how I view my future and the opportunities that lay before me. I said from the beginning that I took this class to position myself to learn how to pursue career 2.0. That is to say, my next career when I finish my current job. However, the last three months have been transformative to me. This course, and many external factors in the world, have caused me to re-evaluate my plan and “move some things around”.

First, I now believe I have less time to work with. The April 2020 General Conference has left me the profound impression that I need to apply some of the principles I learned in this class much sooner than I originally anticipated. I believe that now is the time to look for additional opportunities and that time is much more critical. Not to “make a fortune” but to “Find Oil and Make my Mark”.

I have known for some time that I didn’t seek the grandeur of billionaires. That kind of wealth is ridiculous. But I also know that I want to position myself well enough to serve others without compromising my time with family or church service. No, this mind set does not align me with traditional entrepreneurs. But it does align me with God’s plan for me.

Also, this class has helped me develop insights in how I can better serve others, especially those I serve at church. We must develop our ability to accomplish tasks. To become finishers of the work. Far too often I see leaders in units across my Stake struggle because assignments and tasks go incomplete. I believe the six part process Jim Ritchie has described over the course of the term is the right mix of business acumen and spiritual insight to tech men and women to become doers of the work, and I plan to share this process with my fellows in the Stake.

It has become more clear that, as President Nelson said in Oct 2019 ”…Time is running out”. I believed I had more time. That I would not see the Saviors return, but that my children might. I don’t know if I will be in the Earth when he returns, but I now believe it will be within my perceived lifetime.  I am grateful to have taken this class and to learn the principles of success through a gospel lens. That is the most significant takeaway from this term.

Thank you.

W13 - An Attitude of Gratitude

Gratitude is something I struggle with…. a lot. Not because I’m not thankful for the things that I have. I am thankful. I struggle with taking the time to stop and assess my blessings, which is probably worse. Gratitude is also hard because I feel like I spend so much time trying to get things done that I’m too focused on my task list.

I was less active in the church for a very long time and I really do feel like I’m be working to make up for lost service opportunities until the day I die. There is no time to sit back and think about how good I have it and “count my many blessings”. However, my wife tells me all the time that’s exactly why I need to do it.

That’s what really stood out to me this week. The idea that gratitude can be more than just being thankful. I think my service is a way I try to express my gratitude to the Lord for the things I have received. Unfortunately, I don’t every think I’ll be comfortable with my level of service. There is always something else to do!

I’m also something of a loner when it comes to managing a work effort. As a project manager I have a solid understanding of the importance of stakeholder management. But in my personal life and in my church service, I struggle with delegation. I just don’t often feel like someone else is going to do the job the way I would. That probably pretty arrogant. I mean, I learn new ways of doing things from people all the time. I should be welcoming the opportunity to learn skills from others. But I really struggle with it.

My hope is that the Lord accepts my effort as a way of expressing my gratitude and is merciful with me to keep blessing me as much as I can take.

W12 - Do No Harm

What’s a business for?

Well, here we are in the last weeks of the term and I have a confession to make. I’d rather shave with a cheese grater than read the Harvard Business Review. I read the article, it was fine (they always are), but those articles always come across as trying to prove how smart they are, rather than instill valuable business knowledge.

There is a quote from the article that stuck to me though. The article says, “We should, as charitable organizations do, measure success in terms of outcomes for others as well as for ourselves.”

I agree with the article when it said that we need to associate with a cause in order to give purpose to our lives. I think that applies to both our business lives and our personal lives. Purpose is a powerful thing for anyone trying to be a change maker, or to simply make their way in this world. Purpose is not just for the entrepreneur or the business executive. All of us have a purpose. It’s the reason we’re alive on this earth at this time. Purpose helps drive and shape us into the people we will become, in this life and in the next.

Like the article says, for us to be viewed and a friend (and not an enemy) of progress, we must bind ourselves with an oath similar to that of Doctors upon receiving their medical licenses. The Hippocratic oath pledges that the oath taker will do no harm. Our purpose should likewise bind us to the intent to do no harm. This isn’t simply a business principle, it a human principle that has, unfortunately, been cast aside.

The good thing is that we each can decide to take this oath upon ourselves and pledge to have a positive and common purpose. Business should commit themselves, from executive leadership to the newest hire, to improving the lives of all the people it touches. Personally, we should have the same purpose.

W11 - Money, Money, Money

My attitude toward money is still evolving in many respects. While I tend to agree with the author, I also sympathize with the authors sister. It would be wonderful to not need to think about money, or care about money! I just don’t believe that is a responsible or mature approach to take.

Money, for me, is very much a tool. No more and no less. The issue is that everything requires money. It’s not like having a full set of screwdrivers in your garage. I have a nice professional set of tools in my garage that I use about 6 times a year. Money is a tool that must be managed and accounted for daily and in all our business decisions.

I liken much more to my cell phone. With my cell phone I can do many good things like conduct business, check in with my family, call ministering families, read scriptures, etc. But, if I lack discipline, I can also do many evil things with my phone like abuse pornography, spread rumors or lies, or cultivate relationships with people I shouldn’t.

I think we, as gospel centered business people, need to do better than to “understand money”. We need to understand economics and the proper management of resources. Then we can apply those principle to money, and many other aspects of our lives like people, time, food storage, etc.

Like the author, I love the parable of the talents. I love that the master treats the two servants that doubled their talents the same, even though one ended up with ten and the other ended up with four. The master valued the effort and progress. I honestly believe that even if the master had returned to a servant that had tried but have some failures, he would have blessed him for trying. But the servant that ignored the talent and buried so as not to lose it was the guilty of the greater sin.

The church’s self-reliance program does teach us to save but not to just bury our money in the ground, or to ignore it because it’s more convenient. The self-reliance program teaches us that we must manage our funds in alignment with gospel principles. It doesn’t matter if you make thirty thousand or three hundred thousand dollars a year. What matters is that we mange what we have wisely. That requires effort and understanding economics and management of resources.

My views on money have affected the way I live. I married a saver and I like to have a nice financial reserve for emergencies and an occasional luxury. We don’t count pennies, but we do know where every dollar goes.

I think that is one of the rules for our financial success. Granted, we haven’t “won” yet! But my wife and I agree on several things. We avoid debt at all costs. For example, I’m paying for school out of pocket. My cars are paid for and we have no debt but our home. We also pay a full tithing every month. Finally, while both of us are savers, we do enjoy the things we have and try to keep the importance of possessions in check.

For example, both of my boy’s bedrooms are furnished from IKEA. Now, many people would say that I’m just throwing money away because I’m buying disposable furniture. However, we know that after a lifetime of use the furniture will be outdated and without value when they grow out of it anyway. So, while some might say I’m being wasteful, I reject that and say I’m being frugal.

Ultimately, the furniture will end up donated or discarded, no matter how much I paid for it. But I don’t want that to be a difficult decision 15 years from now, based solely on how much the purchase price was. That’s a hoarder’s mentality in my opinion.

Money is a tool that should be managed responsibly and carefully. But it shouldn’t take over your life. It’s only money…

W10 - Big (Appropriate) Dreams

This week was all about dreams and how we should “Go For It!”

Actually…. That isn’t what I got out of it. What stood out to me over the course of the module was how important it is to have ambition, but for that ambition to be appropriate and anchored to my own beliefs and goals.

Several times over the last 8 years I’ve had the opportunity to join a large technical consulting firm specializing in SAP development and deployments. More than double the salary, bonuses, stock options, the whole package. But the problem has always been the job requirements. 100% travel, business dinners, “the client is always right” attitude, etc.

I’ve been tempted to take the job a few times. Having SAP S/4 Hana, GRC-10, and Ariba on my resume would open some amazing doors. But my wife and I have made the decision that our family life is more important than the money. I can always make money; I won’t always have time.

This week’s module reinforced the wisdom of our decisions. I’m actually in the middle of another decision like this right now. The offer is a little better this time, but the terms are much the same. We’re going to thank them and pass. It’s just not worth it to sacrifice family and relationship for money and status.

I think that’s the central message (with a spin) of Elder Oaks talk “The Challenge to Become”. We are trying to become an eternal family. We are trying to help our children become faithful disciples. We are trying to become converted to the Lord. We just don’t believe we can do that separated, with me working in another state and my wife home with the boys every night.

We accomplish that together.

W09 - The DPC

I was truly excited to reread Elders Bednar’s talk about how BYU-I was a DPC, Disciple Preparation Center, and how a school can be an instrument of furthering Gods plan, while developing each of us. The first time I went through college, I went to a non-church school. It was a great experience, but over time I’ve come to realize that it was insufficient. That was one reason I decided to enroll with BYU Pathway.

I’ve wanted to return to school for a long time and I’ve wanted to attend a church school so I could have the experience of studying academic subjects with a gospel centered lens. Elder Bednar’s comments about how discipleship prepares us for both temporal and spiritual advancements and success are one of my favorite talks I’ve ever read.

One point that he makes that is particularly impactful to me, is how he compares the university setting and the temple. In my experience, academics are particularly prideful about their work and its importance. For example, I’ve never met a math teacher than didn’t think his subject was the most important on campus. It’s very easy to see the culture of superiority that permeates academia today.

But Elder Bednar’s comments remind us all the education is a critical component of God’s plan for each of us and that we must value education to truly be disciples of Christ. That doesn’t necessarily mean a formal, university education is a prerequisite to achieve eternal life. But I do believe it means that God expects me to seek learning and the blessing and service opportunities that come with that light and knowledge.

A university, even if it only exists on-line, is truly a temple of learning. This university, that is led by the Lord’s restored church, is truly a specific type of Temple to the Lord. It would not surprise me to see the word’s “Holiness to the Lord” on my diploma, and I wouldn’t think it was inappropriate either. I look forward to studying temporal and spiritual things here at BYU-I and hope to make this discipleship preparation opportunity the very best it can be for myself and my family.

W08 - Don't Give Up!

The overall theme of this week seems to be perseverance and ways to prepare ourselves against ourselves. That may sound like a convoluted sentence, but the idea is that we can be our own worst enemies and we should prepare for that. As easy as that may sound, it’s proven to be far more difficult than I imagined it would be.

Many of my successes in life are because I know how to work, and I don’t like wasted time or inefficiencies. As a Six Sigma Black Belt I’ve made many career advancements simply by isolating and fixing gaps, issues, and problems simply by determining the root cause of an issue and applying standard tools and methodologies to correct them. Doing that to yourself is a little bit harder. Fears aren’t always rational, but they are real.

For example, I have a fear of putting my family in a compromised position. My first marriage ended in disaster and I promised God and myself I would absolutely not allow that to happen again. I am firmly convinced my wife is the greatest personal gift my Father in heaven has ever blessed me with, outside of my savior, and I intend to take care of her. But there have been times when the desire to play it safe, in the name of protecting my family, has caused me to miss an opportunity.

I don’t actually believe God wants me to miss those opportunities, and I know for a fact that he won’t always put up a figurative neon sign that says, “this is a blessing for you!”. I know I need to be faithful and to work. So, facing those fears and balancing my responsibilities with opportunities is something I’ve had to continually work on.

This week has been a lesson in preparation for those famous words by Elder Holland “Don’t you give up!”. I don’t intend to give up, I just need to prepare myself, in spite of my own fears, to know when to take a chance and when to stay safe.