God won't give you cookies, but He will provide the ingredients

The most impactful lesson I retained from this week's lesson was the talk by Elder Gay. He has a background of great success in business, yet he comes across as humble, and it seems that his priority was not to obtain wealth, but to build up Heavenly Father's kingdom. Years ago I heard the talk that was quoted by Elder Gay in this lesson. The Lord provides raw materials, not finished goods, so mankind can experience the joy of creation. From this talk, the quote above came to my mind, and I wanted to hang this quote in my kitchen "God won't give you cookies, but He will provide the ingredients." I think this concept applies to cooking, as well as to life. Often I think we want to have things handed to us:capital to start a business, a mentor that will hold your hand through the challenging steps of entrepreneurship. Often, this is not how it works. As we pray for success in our endeavors, the Lord will bless us, but many times He does not just hand out capital. He will, however, more likely bring our minds to the awareness of sources of capital for which we can work to obtain it. He will also place people in our path that can be mentors, but they may not do the work for us. They can serve as a guide and a resource, but the work must be done by the individual. The talk from Elder Gay

Interview with an Entrepreneur

This week I needed to record my experience interviewing an entrepreneur. For another class, I also had to interview a couple people in business, so I had some different perspectives to draw from. I interviewed a woman whom I admire, who is a personal friend, and an entrepreneur. This was not her planned career path, but it sort of just happened that the circumstances were right for her to start her own business. This was not something she had studied or even thought about, so there has been a lot of learning involved in the process. What I learned in this interview process is number 1: entrepreneurs are busy people. They work hard and care about their people, and their clients. That may not be true of every entrepreneur, but for the people I spoke with, that was definitely the case. I also learned that most are willing to take the time to discuss the lessons they've learned along the way, if they don't feel you're just wasting their time. I learned that often, and entrepreneur is someone who takes advantage of being in the right place at the right time, and it's not always a planned course for their life. I also found that once a person has the experience of working for themselves, they do not have the desire to back and work for someone else. I think this helps motivate entrepreneurs to continue the process of operating other businesses. The entrepreneur I interviewed has only been a business owner for a couple years, and there is still a lot to learn. She has surrounded herself with advisors and mentors, people she can ask for advice and direction. This is something else I learned from this experience: an entrepreneur does not have to do it alone. There are many resources out there, and people who are willing to give direction if asked. I've always been afraid to start my own business, with the feeling that it's not stable and secure for a stead income. I am now coming to understand that there is risk involved, but there is definitely opportunity to create a secure and steady income, if one is willing to do some research, and find need that matched the skills and talents I have to offer.

True leadership

The overall theme I felt in this week's readings was about becoming a good leader. The address given by Kim Clark was very clear cut and simple: lead with a "small l." Basically there are three attributes to develop to master small l leadership. First is be a good example. We are to work to be more like the Savior, who was the perfect, ultimate example, and He tells us to "Follow Him" after he showed us by example, the way we need to be. He knew that to be a good leader is not to simply direct others to do something, but to FIRST be a good example, and people will naturally follow you. Second, we must have and maintain a vision. We cannot expect people to work towards something of which they are unaware. It is the leader's responsibility to help those following to remember the vision of the end goal, and continually work towards that goal. The third attribute mentioned is to lead with love. If people know and can feel they are loved, they will have no problem following, and remaining loyal to those in leadership. Leadership with a small "l" puts the focus on being humble and not boasting of ourselves, but in working hard and expecting others to work with you. I really admire people who I've see that have this type of leadership ability, and there it a notable difference in the feeling of an organization if they are led by someone who exemplifies this leadership model. My favorite part of the readings this week was the article "Message to Garcia" and the message about being a person who has the ability to execute. I see changes in myself over the course of my working years. I realize when I was young, I was less likely to just dig in and get the job done. I would have asked questions and less executable. Now, however, I think I am very much this type of person, and as I look to hire for my company, I realize it is not a common trait. We have to recognize those in the organization who are not people who will just work to get it done no matter what, and get them "off the bus" as Mr. Collins would say. This has caused lots of recent changes in our organization, but due to the nature of what we do, it is important for us to have people who will do what it takes, ask the right questions, and learn from their mistakes, rather than being slowed down by them. This reading was the most powerful to me, and something I want to teach my children, that THIS ability is so vital. And in the end of the reading it provides guidance to become that type of person. It does not have to be something you're either born with or not; it can be developed. I feel like that is almost as important: to know there is hope to become someone that can provide that kind of value to an organization, no matter what type of organization it is. Just dig in and get things done...the world needs more people who are able to willing to do just that.