Posts Tagged ‘Leadership Training’
Setting and acheiving goals
In bishopric meeting this morning, our new bishop shared the spiritual thought. He chose the subject of goals and quoted from page 146 of Preach My Gospel on how to set them. Here are some excerpts of the goal setting advice offered on that page:
“Goals reflect the desires of our hearts and our vision of what we can accomplish. Through goals and plans, our hopes are transformed into action.” What we reach for in goals reflects what we desire in our hearts. Our goals reveal our true selves.
Goals, faith and agency
“Goal setting and planning are acts of faith. Do everything in your power to achieve your goals while respecting the agency of others.” I believe the best goals are the ones that we can control. It does little good to set goals dependant on the actions of others.
Think about it. You can set a goal to have another person do some specific thing that is desirable, but you have no control over what they actually do. You can ask, invite, persuade and demonstrate why they should, but you can’t make them do it.
Service improves progress
“The ultimate measure of success is not in achieving goals alone but in the service you render and the progress of others. Goals are a means of helping you bring about much good…” I like the idea of setting goals in areas that benefit not just our own lives.
I believe that the progress of others is directly influenced by the service we render to them. I have seen this over in over in my own life. Those whom I love and serve seem to respond better when I ask them to do something that I believe will help them.
Goals, plans and activities
“Carefully considered goals will give you clear direction and will help you fill your days with activities that help people…” The achievement of goals requires that we make plans and then act to carry out those plans. Goals are not achieved by magic.
“Challenging goals will help you work effectively and lead you to stretch and grow.” Nothing good happens without work. If you want to achieve something worthwhile in life, there must be effort put forth to bring about the achievement of good goals.
Goals and the big picture
Like me, I’ll bet you’ve had the experience of someone else setting a goal for you that was not achieved. Perhaps you’ve even gone to the trouble of setting goals for others and then wonder why they don’t get reached. The goals were worthy.
I’ve discovered over the years that unless I have a clear vision of how a goal benefits and blesses my life or my loved ones, then I am less than enthusiastic in putting forth the effort to achieve it. I don’t think that’s selfish. I think that it’s just human nature.
Shared vision motivates
So anytime we start talking about goals in church, I always look for the leader to help me understand their vision. Unless I can see for myself what they hope will happen, I have a hard time connecting my energy and focus into carrying out assignments.
Again, I don’t think I’m expressing any fundamental character flaws here. I look for the same thing in working with people in my career. A great leader is one who inspires by sharing vision. When vision is shared and understood it is highly motivational.
Where there is no vision…
How do you feel when someone asks you to do something that is hard to do without sharing with you the vision of what they hope will be accomplished when the task is completed? If you’re like me, sometimes other things take priority over the assignment.
Don’t get me wrong. Most of us fulfill the basics of what we are asked to do. It’s not hard. We have instruction manuals and if you have been in the church for a while, you can pretty much figure out how to do any calling successfully with enough time.
Vision based on true principles
But I suspect that we can be much more effective in our callings and in our lives when we have a vision of ourselves achieving the righteous desires of our hearts. I also suspect that we don’t spend enough time creating and enlarging those future visions.
I am convinced that the best leaders motivate by sharing vision in a compelling way. Hopefully the ability to inspire and help people see themselves in different or better circumstances is based on true principles of honesty, integrity and hard work.
Summary and conclusion
So I have come to the conclusion that the best way to set goals, at least for me, is to concentrate on discovering the desires of our hearts. Activities that create a vision of each other enjoying those righteous desires are motivating and encouraging to me.
Once you know what you really want, find a way to visualize it and share it with others. The more people that share your vision, the more likely it is that it will be achieved. The goals and plans we make then become the stepping stones to fulfill our visions.
What they don’t tell you about Bishopric meetings
Except for a year off for good behavior to teach Primary, I have been participating in ward leadership meetings every Sunday morning for the past twenty-five years. Sixteen of those years included Bishopric meetings, either as an Executive Secretary, a Ward Clerk, or a Bishop’s Counselor. I don’t know why I’ve been so blessed but this experience has been a major part of my adult life.
Since Carol and I have lived in multiple wards and stakes over the years, I have sat in council with at least ten different bishops, sometimes as a High Council advisor. Two of the wards have been young single adult wards. I’ve got to tell you that there is something special about Bishops of YSA wards. In one YSA ward, the Bishop and one counselor had both been Stake Presidents.
Love of the people
Not one of these bishops ran things exactly the same as others with whom I served. Some were good administrators and some weren’t. Some knew how to delegate and others had a tendency to do most of the work themselves. Some were sticklers for following the handbook and some weren’t. But all were focused on the people over the programs. Without exception. Every one.
If there is one thing that stands out among bishops with whom I have worked, and one thing that to me represents the mantle of a bishop, it is a love for the people whom they serve, especially the youth. That love is the same thing that impressed me about the bishops of my youth. I knew they all cared deeply about me and wanted to help me grow into a successful and faithful adult.
Desire to do God’s will
Now I know that not everybody has this experience with their bishops. Yes, I have read some of the horror stories. I am acquainted with the claims of spiritual abuse, but have not seen it with any of the bishops in my experience. Some of the bishops would sometimes complain about the dumb things that members of the ward would do, but I never saw any unrighteous dominion.
I have sat in literally dozens of disciplinary councils over the years, both on the ward and stake level. Even when the result was excommunication, I have never felt anything but profound love and concern for the individual and an intense desire to do the will of the Lord in the matter being considered. That has always been the common desire of these bishops, who are imperfect men.
A tech savvy bishop
In today’s Internet age, I am grateful to serve with a Bishop today who understands and uses texting to keep in touch with his flock, in this case, all young single adults. He is also savvy about the Internet and knows exactly what goes on out there. He is aware of the LDS forums, both those that are uplifting and those that aren’t. And yes, he has read Rough Stone Rolling.
I bring that up because it is indicative of a Bishop who is aware of what the young people are reading. I am a church news junkie and am constantly amazed by how well informed this bishop is in comparison to some previous bishops. Maybe it’s just that we are living in the day of the Internet, but it’s a delight to have conversations about items being discussed in the Bloggernacle.
Great Bishopric meetings
Because most bishops are usually counseling members during Sunday school, we take the first part of our Bishopric meeting for gospel study. Sometimes we will spend a half hour discussing a scripture or a quote from the Brethren and how it applies to us and to the ward members. Some of the bishops I served with preferred shorter meetings so we did not have lengthy gospel study.
I have long felt that a ward leadership meeting should never be more than an hour. If you’re going to make it longer, that time should be well spent in understanding the will of the Lord as revealed in the scriptures in these latter days. The majority of a Bishopric meeting is consumed with staffing the ward, which of course involves discussing the right calling for ward members.
Callings through inspiration
If you have never sat in a Bishopric meeting you may wonder how callings are determined. Of course we always open our meetings with prayer, and usually sing a hymn first and then have a spiritual thought. We review the list of recent converts to determine if they are progressing in the gospel. As we are a transient ward, we are also constantly reviewing the new move-in list.
The Bishop usually ponders for a long time who the Lord would have fulfill a major calling like the head of an organization. Those do not come up very often. When they do, the Bishop will usually inform his counselors of who he has in mind, after which a discussion ensues of how that individual will fulfill that particular calling and how the needs of the ward members will be met.
Gift of discernment
The Bishop is very concerned that callings issued to ward members are ones that will bless them, that will help them to grow and that are the will of the Lord. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard Bishops pray for the gift of discernment to know where the Lord would have certain individuals serve. Serving in the church is a big deal and it helps us to grow and to love others.
Although it doesn’t always happen, I have been amazed at the number of times as a counselor I have issued a call to an individual to hear them say that they were praying for an opportunity to serve and that they knew that this particular call was coming. It is rewarding to see that when we pray for inspiration to place people in callings that the inspiration is real and is from the Lord.
Accepting callings
I don’t know if my experience has been unique in issuing calls but I can only remember a couple of occasions on which I did not extend the call after we had agreed upon it in Bishopric meeting. It became apparent after an interview in the home of the individual that the calling would not be in their best interest at that time. It is usually because I learned of extenuating circumstances.
You may wonder why we weren’t inspired that the call wasn’t right before we went to extend it. Remember, we had prayed for inspiration and felt united as a Bishopric that it was the right thing to do at that time. All I can tell you is that this has rarely happened and that it just may be a part of the inspiration process to visit the home before the spirit can confirm that it is OK to proceed.
Confirmation of the spirit
Perhaps a description of the process we go through when we deliberate in a disciplinary council will help explain the process of inspiration a little better. After hearing the facts of the matter, we excuse the individual and discuss the options outlined in the church handbook. The primary concern is always how the action we take will affect the individual and help them to repent.
We make a decision an then present it to the Lord in prayer. We each kneel and the Bishop asks one of those present to offer the prayer. We tell the Lord what we have decided and ask that we may know through a confirming witness of the spirit that the decision is right. We then conclude the prayer and the Bishop usually asks each member of the council if they are still in agreement.
Knowledge revealed from God
Sometimes the will of the Lord is obvious to all present. There is an unspoken communication that takes place between us. We each just know that the decision is correct. We know by the same process that individual members receive a testimony – by knowledge from the Holy Ghost. That is one of the blessings of serving in a Bishopric. You come to know how revelation works.
That’s what most people don’t know about Bishopric meetings – the amazing experience that we have each week with revelation. It is one of the best training grounds for understanding how the Lord communicates his will to the mind of man. I can tell you from many years of rich and deep experience that this process of revelation has always been present and it is a sacred experience.
Summary and conclusion
You may know former bishops or bishopric counselors who have said that there is a lot of small administrative detail that goes on in priesthood leadership meetings. You may even be a former bishop yourself. Yes, I agree that it can be tedious week after week to address some of the same issues over and over as callings need to be filled. It takes effort to ensure that God is involved.
Bishopric meetings can be a most amazing and rewarding experience as humble yet imperfect men unite in prayer to seek the mind and will of the Lord on behalf of the people that they serve. But to me, the most gratifying part of serving in a Bishopric is to be tutored by the Holy Ghost in how revelation works. It is a real thing and it is used constantly to further the work of the Lord.
General Authority training – advanced subjects
You’ve been active and faithful in the church all your life and have a deep and abiding testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. You have enjoyed success and found great joy in helping others come to a knowledge of the Lord through your missionary labors. You’re proven to be a gifted administrator in the priesthood. You love to study the scriptures and to teach the gospel.
Responding to difficult questions
The Brethren have decided that all potential General Authorities must now take some additional classes prior to receiving the call. While we are a lay ministry, it is important that those who are called into positions that represent the church have skills developed in responding to difficult questions. You know the ones I’m talking about. President Hinckley was asked some of them.
Since you are on that potential General Authority list, you have been selected to participate in this class. In order to ensure that the training is effective, we have selected some real-world examples of the kind of questions you can expect to encounter. While you may have had no experience in studying church history, you will most certainly be asked questions like these.
The really hard list
1. Joseph Smith polygamy and polyandry – why didn’t we know about this?
2. Book of Mormon translation – Peep stone in a hat vs. Urim & Thummim
3. Why are there multiple versions of Joseph Smith’s First Vision story?
4. Why did the three witnesses of the Book of Mormon leave the church?
5. Why is there no real archeological evidence for the Book of Mormon?
6. DNA evidence proved that American Indians have no Israelite blood.
7. Egyptian scholars have proven that the Book of Abraham is a fraud.
8. Did Joseph Smith take the Temple ceremony from the Masons?
9. Could a real prophet have been deceived by the Kinderhook plates?
10. That is so exclusionary of us to claim to be the only true church.
11. Did Brigham Young teach that Adam was God and if so, why?
12. Do we currently teach that God was once a man like we are?
13. How can we really believe that man can become a God?
14. How could the Mountain Meadows Massacre have happened?
15. Why did the church practice polygamy after the 1890 manifesto?
16. Your church seems racist. Why delay giving priesthood to blacks?
17. Why did President Hinckley deny that we teach long-held doctrines?
18. How was President Hinckley deceived by the Mark Hoffman forgeries?
19. Why do Mormons believe that Lucifer and Jesus Christ are brothers?
20. There are documented cases of spiritual abuse by priesthood leaders.
21. Why is the church opposed to work of LDS scholars and intellectuals?
22. Why did the church cover up President Benson’s Alzheimer’s disease?
23. How can the true Church of Jesus Christ reject those who are gay?
24. Why has church growth stopped in the U.S. – baptisms decreasing?
25. How can the LDS claim to be the true church with so few members?
Effect of the questions
These are legitimate questions raised over the years that can be found today all over the Internet. Many of our young people are asked these questions by their friends on a regular basis. They are not being malicious or trying to cause problems. They simply want answers. Even though they are difficult questions, some have studied them out in an effort to be able to provide the answers.
Sometimes they have discovered that even long-time members have never heard these questions. They have been told by well-meaning leaders to just pray about it and they will get their answers. But there is so much confusing information out there and no official LDS source that addresses these questions that they become discouraged and begin to doubt their testimonies of the church.
Rules of engagement
Your assignment as a new General Authority is to address these questions in a manner that builds faith and encourages continued study. You must not act surprised if you have never heard any of these questions before or don’t understand why they seem so important to those who are asking. And you certainly don’t want to be dismissive of those who are bothered by these questions.
You must not defer them to others, claiming that “we have apologists who answer this stuff for us.” That won’t cut it. You’re now a General Authority and need to know the answers yourself. Yes, it’s true that most members of the church have never heard these questions and don’t know that these are issues for some. And yes, some members would be shocked to learn about all this.
The challenge
So your challenge is great. How do you answer these questions without causing confusion or doubt among the faithful members who do not question? How do you respond to the one as the Savior taught? Those who struggle with these questions are a relatively small number and yet they are very active on the Internet, where many people seek information on the church today.
At the same time, focusing on these questions and taking the time to research them, understand them and to be able to explain them is time consuming. It takes away from one of the primary missions of the church to declare the gospel. And yet, it fulfills another part of that mission by perfecting the saints. Most of these questions are raised by disaffected and former members.
A possible response
It seems that we have failed a generation of bright and intelligent young people who have grown up on the Internet. We did not anticipate what this amazing communication medium could do to supply facts and details about our history and doctrine. It’s not that we’ve been purposely trying to hide anything from you. It’s just that you have been exposed to stuff earlier than we figured.
We wish it had been otherwise. We would have preferred that you had knowledgeable mentors to guide you through your discovery of all these difficult issues. We were aware of them and decided not to share them or at least not promote discussion of them in the church curriculum. We are seeing now that this may have been a mistake. It was not our intention to deceive you.
Personal responsibility
We understand that many of you have felt shocked and betrayed when you first learn about these things. Please don’t lose faith in the entire church teaching system that has brought you to the point you are now. We should have found a way to inoculate you before you encountered these troublesome issues but were concerned that exposing you to them early could also be disastrous.
Please accept our apologies for not teaching you about these things in a more open and honest manner. We accept the responsibility for our failings in this area and will work harder in the future to ensure that the upcoming generation does not have to suffer what you went through. But we hope that you will also be just as responsible for your own church history education.
Summary and conclusion
This is obviously just a thought exercise. Please don’t seriously think that my ponderings here have anything to do with the reality of the way the church is responding to this problem. You may legitimately wonder if some leaders in the church are even aware that this problem exists. Perhaps those that are aware feel just as frustrated as you that we don’t address it more openly.
For those that have struggled or are struggling with questions like those I have listed, please be aware that there are many thousands of us who have faced and answered the same questions. We recognize their potential impact to destroy faith, but have found that God is faithful and will send peace to the troubled heart. Sometimes satisfactory answers will only come over the test of time.
Elder Packer was right about bearing testimony
I was first introduced to this scripture in seminary as we studied church history. I was impressed with the basic promise of the Lord to Joseph and Sidney that he would inspire them and back up what they said when they spoke. “That’s wonderful for them,” I thought at the time. I’m glad the Lord gave them this promise because it must be hard to always know the right thing to say.
A powerful mission president
One of the joys of my mission was being taught by a man whom I already greatly admired for his devotion to religious education. I had attended several Know Your Religion lectures presented by Joseph C. Muren in the year before I left for Central America. Halfway through my mission I was delighted to learn that he had been called to preside over the mission in which I was serving.
Zone conferences with President Muren were simply amazing. I don’t know how or why I was so blessed, but I will never forget the excitement I felt as President Muren taught us the principles of the lacing together effect. He helped us to understand how natural it is for new converts to want to share their newfound faith with beloved family members and friends close to them.
A unique interpretation of scripture
During one particularly spiritual Zone Conference, President Muren taught us the importance of being teaching and testifying missionaries. We weren’t having too much success getting the investigator to pray in the first discussion. He powerfully demonstrated how he would like us to conclude the first discussion by kneeling in prayer and inviting the family to join us as we did so.
He then shared section 100:5-8 and testified that the Lord would put words into our mouths to know what to say that would bless the family the most with what they needed at that exact time we were there. I remember thinking to myself at the time that this was going to be a leap of faith for me to go from something the Lord gave to Joseph to something I should use in my labors.
Applying the scripture in our work
So out we went to be a bit bolder in our teaching, testifying and challenging. I vividly remember the first time we went to our knees at the end of a first discussion. The family looked more than a little surprised but followed our lead. After explaining what we were about to do, I opened my mouth to pray. Something special and sacred happened at that moment that is hard to explain.
After thanking Heavenly Father for the blessing of being able to teach that particular family about Joseph Smith’s first vision, I began to bless the family. I found that I was not asking Heavenly Father to bless them, but that I was pronouncing blessings upon them that I knew they needed. I was astonished, as was my companion, but not nearly as much as that special family.
Powerful results of faith
At the conclusion of the prayer, I opened my eyes and witnessed a grown man sobbing as he was overcome with the spirit. His wife and three children, who were teen-agers, still on their knees, moved closer to him and we quietly watched as they shared a sacred family hug. Slowly, we stood and silently waited. When the man stood, he extended his hand and thanked us profusely.
“How did you know?” he asked. “What do you mean?” I replied. “How did you know to say those things you did? You blessed us that we would have family unity and good communication between us. You blessed us that our love for one another would be strong and that we would be able to overcome any financial difficulties that we might be experiencing at this time.”
The Lord stands by his promises
“I didn’t know,” I responded, “but your Heavenly Father did and he inspired me with what to say that you needed to hear.” We made an appointment to return in a few days and quietly excused ourselves as it was evident that the family had some things that they wanted to discuss among themselves at that time. The spirit was strong with all of us and we fairly floated out of there.
As my companion and I talked about this sacred experience I found myself saying, “You know, President Muren was right. The Lord sends His spirit to bear witness to whatever we feel inspired to say when we do it in the spirit of solemn meekness and love.” Now, not all of our discussions went like that but we sure had a lot more of them after that with similar results.
Service over the years
Fast forward seventeen years. By this time I had a family and had served in several teaching and priesthood leadership positions in the church. Our little inner-city ward was dwindling and I was juggling multiple callings because of lack of people to share the load. I was beginning to feel a little burned out when we were privileged to attend a multi-stake conference with Elder Holland.
This was 1994, just before the death of President Benson and before he was called as an apostle. I greatly admired the man, having read many of his BYU talks over the years. I was impressed that Elder Holland was concerned about the one, even though his assignments brought him into teaching environments where there were hundreds, if not thousands who gathered to hear him.
Taught by a General Authority
As we gathered in our conference priesthood leadership session, Elder Holland began to teach us the importance of speaking and teaching under the influence of the spirit when we are standing in front of a congregation or a class. He then quoted D&C 100:5-8 and promised us that as we exercised faith in teaching the gospel, we would know what to say at the moment it was needed.
Even though I had witnessed this scripture fulfilled in my mission, I had not been as successful in my teaching assignments over the years since then. I tended to over-prepare and always had more material than I could possibly present. As a result, I found myself rushing through the lesson in an effort to fit as much in as possible. I always felt exhausted after these experiences.
Pause while bearing testimony
Elder Holland then did something that I have rarely seen anyone do with such effect either before or since. He told us that it is important that we pause after we teach a principle of the gospel so that the spirit can work on the people. He then dramatically demonstrated this by slowly bearing his testimony and pausing to let the spirit sink it. It was profound. Silence can be so powerful!
This was an answer to prayer. I was going so fast when I taught that the spirit didn’t have time to settle in people’s hearts when I bore my testimony. I felt extremely grateful and wanted to get back to my ward to try this out. I didn’t have to wait that long because Elder Holland asked for a volunteer to demonstrate this principle in action. I soon found myself at the front of the chapel.
Practice is part of preparation
He asked my name and said, “Brother Malone, I want you to simply bear your testimony, but I want you to pause after each sentence as you look your brethren in the eye. Now, go ahead.” I turned and faced hundreds of priesthood leaders including Bishops, Stake presidents, Elder’s Quorum Presidents and lowly ward executive secretaries and quorum instructors like me.
Maybe it was because I had a man who was about to be called as an apostle standing next to me but something sacred and special happened on that occasion that has rarely happened quite so powerfully since. I did as Elder Holland taught and watched in amazement as men quietly began to wipe tears from their eyes as I bore witness to the truths of the restored gospel that I love.
Give the spirit a chance to work
When I was finished, Elder Holland invited me to sit down and then said very slowly and very quietly, “You see brethren, the Lord stands by his promises. When we teach and bear testimony in solemnity of heart and in the spirit of meekness, the Holy Ghost is shed forth in bearing record to whatsoever we say because it is what the Lord inspired us to say at that moment.”
It was another one of those sacred moments for me. I was immersed in the spirit while I was bearing testimony. The Lord was strengthening me and bearing witness to me at the same time that I was bearing my witness to others. I love that special and sacred experience and wish that it occurred more often in my life. It took an apostle to teach me how to bear testimony with power.
Summary and conclusion
President Packer has said, “A testimony is to be found in the bearing of it.” Because this is such a powerful principle, it has been attacked by the adversary through enemies of the church, many of them former members who never quite got it. They like to call it lying for the Lord and claim that the bearing of testimonies to one another is simply a form of brainwashing in an evil cult.
President Packer is right. There is nothing that can equal the experience of testifying of the truths of the gospel while under the influence of the spirit of the Holy Ghost. D&C 100:5-8 can be one of the most difficult scriptures to internalize. It takes a great deal of faith to trust that the Lord will inspire us but I know from experience that he does send his spirit to bear record to our words.
Do parenting meetings cause you to feel guilty?
I attended the Worldwide Leadership Training Broadcast this morning. It was well worth my time. I’m glad I was there. I’ve attended every one of them since 2003 and this was one of the best. After Elder Holland’s introduction, President Packer read and expounded upon “The Family: A Proclamation to the World.” It was wonderful to hear it from one of the authors.
There was then a round table discussion with Elder Holland, Elder Oaks, Sisters Julie B. Beck, Susan W. Tanner and Cheryl C. Lant, general officers representing the Relief Society, the Young Women and the Primary organizations. They modeled for us what a great ward council meeting should be like, although I don’t recommend that it go so long. I like short meetings.
I took four pages of notes from that discussion and look forward to reviewing the transcript when it is posted on the church website sometime next week. I was disappointed that our satellite feed had audio problems so we had to watch it from the DVD. It was obviously recorded weeks ago as President Packer was referred to as the ‘Acting’ President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. We also did not get to hear President Monson’s address at the end.
Carol did not go. Besides not feeling well she said she did not want to experience feelings of guilt abut not being a perfect parent. I know the Brethren have heard this before. Elder Holland addressed it immediately. He told the parable of the homemade shirt and explained why we need a pattern in the church for doctrinal standards, quoting D&C 52:14. He said they fully understand that we are not perfect but it is their responsibility to teach general rules and ideals.
Elder Oaks also addressed it when he said that we never give up as parents of wayward children but that we MUST lay down the burden of guilt at the feet of the Savior. In one of the most touching moments for me, Sister Beck spoke about mothers who had been abandoned by priesthood holders in their homes but had not abandoned the Lord’s plan for happy families.
She was obviously speaking of husbands who had left them, causing them to deal with divorce and raising children in the church alone. I have no idea how difficult a task that must be. I have known some courageous women like this who have been faithful and have been blessed with children who go on missions and marry in the temple. But I also know of women who have tried and feel like failures because their children did not accept the gospel or remain faithful.
I wonder if this comment was in any way related to the sisters who objected to her last talk in General Conference entitled “Mothers Who Know.” They wrote and posted an ‘opposing view’ in their piece entitled, “What Women Know.” I wrote about this back in November. I know the sisters of the church sometimes feel that their voices are not heard. I hope that is changing.
Did you attend the Leadership Training broadcast? If so, what were your impressions?
