Last Lecture

I feel like there are too many thoughts, mental images and feelings I have learned this semester to just summarize a few of them or to choose the best ones. But if I have to, I will summarize the things I have learned into two main categories..."Go for it!", and "Have Integrity".

"Go for it!"
More often than not we are prone to thinking small, I believe the phrase we often use is "being realistic". We all know of people who have gone big, who live their dreams, but it just doesn't seem realistic to think that we will be able to achieve the same. I mean, obviously not everyone can be a huge success, we need employees and average people too, right? I mean I wanted to be a big movie star when I was a kid, but the odds are pretty small for success in that field, and you are more likely to end up as the wait staff in a restaurant in Los Angeles than end up on the big screen. But instead of risking failure I could go after a realistic goal, like getting a job with good benefits that pays a double digit salary. The lower you aim, the less you have to fall if you fail, that feels less scary....Or at least that is one way of thinking about it. The other way is to realize that there many opportunities just waiting out there, and even more left to be created. Are you ready to seize them? Someone has to! Why shouldn't that someone be you? D&C 38:30, "...if ye are prepared ye shall not fear". Prepare to seize opportunities. And remember that failure is just a part of life, try try again!

"Have Integrity"
No matter the opportunities we take advantage of, having integrity is key to eternal success. Money, power and success can be a slippery slope to a place we never imagined we go if we don't set firm guardrails around us and have our life, (business, family, etc.) deeply rooted in gospel truths. We can't be two different people, what we do in one aspect of our life will affect us as a whole. And we are under covenant to take His name upon us, we represent Him in every business deal we make. We should never do anything to slander that name.

So set your guardrails firmly in place, prepare yourself to seize opportunities, and then go for it!

Enjoy yourself

After listening to Stan Christensen and reading about Randy Haykin I feel that we should not just pursue the path of greatest wealth or power but truly do something we can enjoy. Christensen advised against taking a job just to get somewhere, but he said to do something somewhere you can prosper. This advice seems echoed in how Haykin drove his career path. He chose jobs and companies that fit where he wanted to go and what he wanted to do, and when he wanted a change he created that as well. My grandpa said that entrepreneurship is very fulfilling, and I think as long as you are enjoying it, going where you want to go, doing those things you hoped to do, then it will be.

Christensen additionally noted that work is called work for a reason, they pay you for a reason...it's not all enjoyable. Even Haykin has things he hates to do, or hurdles he must climb in his journey. However if the good things, the enjoyable things, those things that bring us closer to our goals outweigh the bad things, then I would call the overall experience fulfilling and enjoyable. There is plenty of things I don't look forward to, but there is even more that I do.

Money, money, money...

What is my attitude toward money? Throughout my life I have had very different views and created various "lenses" through which I saw it. Luckily I have had the opportunity, particularly in the past few years, to read, hear, and learn from those who had a healthier view of money. They weren't scared of money like I was, I was scared to have it and scared not to have it. The lack of money in my early marriage and our fear of drowning in a sea of bills and debt created a very hostile environment for us. We were unhappy with each other and blame was spread around. Those  individuals who knew better then me have taught me some important things to help guide my view. First, they taught me to stop being afraid of it, money is just an object, albeit an important one, and there are more than a million ways to get some if you want it. Second, they taught me that by giving it away, I would be more likely to succeed. Giving, not being greedy with the money we get, is the best way to live and provides the best breeding ground for financial wealth. Plus, we must remember that our life on this earth has no set time frame, we never know when it will be over and our physical money will not accompany us to the other side. However the good works we are able to accomplish with it and the people we can touch for the better can be our legacy forever.

So of the 6 rules that Stephan W. Gibson gave for prospering,
"Rule 1. Seek the Lord and have hope in him
  Rule 2. Keep the commandments, that includes the temporal ones, tithing and fast offerings.
  Rule 3. Think about money and plan how you can become self-reliant.
  Rule 4. Take advantage of chances for learning so you will not be ignorant of these matters.              Education, as President Hinckley has taught us, is the Key to Opportunity. Rule
  5. Learn the laws upon which the blessings of wealth are predicated. Rule
  6. Do not send away the naked, the hungry, the thirsty or the sick or those who are held captive."

I believe rule #3 is where I am working on right now. Using what money we have to create an environment which is self reliant, is my next big financial goal. There are so many things that lend themselves to this like, year supplies and gardening, learning skills like sewing and repair, creating a financial reserve and investing smartly, staying out of debt and sticking to a budget, and so many other areas that can help.

Humble

          I love how Taylor Richards of Taylors boats was so humbled and surprised each year that they made the it onto the top 100 boat dealers list. I would say that many people would be thinking they were, or at least hoping that they were number one. And even thought they ranked near the top ten percent, they were humble and grateful for it.
           As successful as I hope to become I don't ever want to "expect" to be number one. I want to strive for number one, but I want to always remain gracious and hopefully delightfully surprised if I were to be told I was near the top. Humility in business combined with an ethic of hard work and integrity feels like a winning combination.

     I loved reading, "A Message to Garcia" from the Acton Foundation. I will definitely refer back to this as I engage in leading my own business and hiring my employees. I liked some of the advice they offered like making employment conditional, making sure to only keep those who have proven their worth. They said, "Underachievers may change over time, but only if they make the decision to change themselves. Your assignment is to get the job done, not run a counseling service for underachievers". I thought this was insightful, having been on the hiring, and being hired end of an employment situation. There were times when I have had to continually coach, cheer-lead, and at times drag an employee through their own daily tasks. I am also sure that there have been instances that I have been under-qualified and unassertive enough to be that employee as well. In both instances, time, energy, and moral were lost. This need not happen to any company who is able to put more thought and quality into hiring new human resources.
     I also loved the advice to, "Find a “deep burning need” you care about. Your lifelong mission will be more fulfilling if it serves the needs of others. Look for opportunities or injustices that speak to your heart. Find where your gifts, tasks you enjoy and a “deep burning need” intersect and you will have found your calling." This has been the biggest idea I have been pondering this semester. There are many ways to make money, but I want to find the right one for me.

Human problems

I love the perception that all technical problems are really human problems at their core. How true. If we could truly dig the very start of a problem, how often would we find a human error or problem? And if we were to find and correct each "human problem", how much less would "technical" ones occur? After listening to Eric Ries talk about his "Five Whys", I would like to set a goal for myself (my future self) to be the kind of manager/business owner that doesn't just deal with the immediate problems but seeks to find the underlying human element to it. I want to acknowledge every level of my company and those people that keep it going, or slow it down. To work this way, is similar to a doctor diagnosing a disease opposed to just treating  and catering to symptoms. I also think that this type of system would really make myself and employees responsible for their actions. If they, or I, are not preforming duties well enough then we can diagnose and seek to fix that. I hope I can continue to learn new and better ways to manage a business and the people who are so needed for its survival.

Habits

          It is hard for me to choose just one habit among the all important seven which will be of most use to me in the future. They each seem to need each other. And in a world where there is SO many ideas, habits, and information, Covey has narrowed it down to only seven.
          I like the concept of win/win. Especially in business it can be made to seem that if we want to be successful, you must beat out others. What a game changing concept, that to reach our goals we should help others to feel good and "win" as well. Our employees can win, our partners can win, our customers can win and even other business can win if we have the right attitude. This particular attribute reminds me of how the Savior would conduct a business. And if I can feel that the savior would approve of my business plan and conduct, then it is full steam ahead in my eyes.
         Another habit which could have heavenly attributes would be to begin with the end in mind. When I think of this, I think of having an eternal perspective. Can we see where we want to be, are we heading down that path? Not only in our personal life but in our business dealings. I want to be able to forego the instant gratification of the now and see the big picture.