SpencerDavis

Business1050

MyRenaissance
WhenIturned19IfinallyfeltlikeIwasoldenoughandfinallycapabletotakecareofmyself.Iknew
thatmymissionwouldbechallengethatpushedmetofindoutifthiswastrue.IttestedmetoseeifIwas
mentallyandphysicallyabletodowhatneedstobedonetosurvive.ThefirstyearofmymissionIfeltlikeI
hadneverlearnedsomuchsofastinmyentirelife.Itreallyopenedmyminduptoallthepossibilitiesthat
laidbeforeme.IlearnedthatImightnotalwaysbeincontrolofwhathappensinlife,butIdidknowthatI
wasincontrolofmyselfandmyattitude.ThismeantthatIcouldhandleanysituationthatwasthrownmy
way.ThereweresomanysituationsthatIwentthrough,andpeoplethatImetthathelpedmelearnabout
whatittakestobesuccessful.ManyofthesethingsIhavelearnedalignwiththeideologyofthisclass.The
chaptersthatIfeelreallyalignwithwhatIlearnedare,thefourchaptersonManagement,Tulipmania,The
UniversalDrink,TheWayofWealth,andTheDependenceEffect.

Leadership
Ilearnedalotaboutleadershipduringmymission.Asapersonwholookeduptoleadersandone
whoeventuallybecamealeadermyself,Icanrelatetoeachofthedifferentchaptersthattalkonleadership.
ThesechaptersareGeneralPrinciplesofManagement,MethodsofInterestandControl,NotEnough
GeneralsWereKilled,andPersonalRelationInIndustry.Iwasabletoseeeachofthesedifferentleadership
practicesinmymission.Itreallyhelpedtoobserveotherleadersandwhatmadethemleadersandother
whowantedtobeleadersthatwerentquitedoingitright.

GeneralPrinciplesofManagement
DuringthischapterHenriFayoltalksabouthowmanagementislikeamusicalconductor.The
conductordoesntplayalltheinstrumentsintheorchestra,ratherheorchestratesorbringsallthepieces
togetherandmakessuretheyareworkingtogetherinharmony.Hegaveanexampleofacompanysplitting
upindepartments,thiswayeveryonewillbeworkingtogether.Isawthisonthemissionasourmissionwas
dividedintozones,thiswayweeachhadanareaofresponsibility.Ifeltlikethiswasratherimportant,
otherwisethingswouldbeanunorganizedmess.Ididalsoseethatwhenpeopledidntcareabouttheirown

boundariesandstartedgoingtootherpeople'sboundariesthatthingswouldgetmixedupandproblems
wouldhappen.Ididnoticethatthemoretheconductorcaredaboutwhatwasgoingonthemorethatallof
uscaredaboutwhatweweredoing.

MethodsofInfluenceandControl
DouglasMcGregorSpokeabouthowthereweredifferentpositionsortypesofleadersandhowthey
havepowerintheworld.Thereisthecoercivepower,whichisalsoknownasthepolicepower.Thisformof
leadershipusesfeartoleadpeople.Isawthisprincipleofleadershipveryappearantinmymissionwiththe
missionpresident.Ifapersonwasdisobeyingtherulestomuch,themissionpresidenthadtheauthorityto
sendhimhome.Nobodyeverwantedtoleavethemissionearlysoitwaseffectiveathelpingpeoplefollow
therules.
Thereisalsoaleadershippositionthatfocusesonlyonrewardingthegoodeffortsofthepeople.I
sawthiswhenazoneleaderwouldsuggestthatifwealldidourpartthanwewouldhaveapartythelast
mondayofthetransfer.Whetherornotthiswaseffectiveinthemissionwasdebatablebecausemostofthe
timethepartywouldbethrownregardlessifweaccomplishedourgoals.
Thenthereispositionalleadershipwhereapersonisassignedtobeoveragroup.Thiswasthe
mostcommonformofleadershipinthemission.Foreveryfewcompanionshipsofmissionariestherewasa
leaderthatwastheretowatchoutandmanagethatthemissionariesweredoingwell.Andontopofthat
therewereleadersthatwereoverlargeramountsofmissionariesandthelowerleaders.Thesepositions
wereoftenbeingchangedandpeoplewouldmoveallaroundthedifferentleadershippositions.Ifeltlikethis
wasveryeffectiveasitgavealotofstructuretothemission,andtothemissionaries.

NotEnoughGeneralsWereKilled
Agoodleaderdidntneedtobelovedoradmiredbutratherrespectedandtrusted.Thiswasavery
importantparttoourtheleadershipinthemission.IlikedthepointthatPeterDruckermadewhenhewas
talkingaboutcharisma.Charismaisgettingpeopletofollowyourvision,followwhatyoubelievein,rather
thantofollowingthebigpicture.Druckertalksabouthowtherearebornleaderswhojusthavethenatural
instincttoleadpeople.Druckerstatesthattherearetoofewofthesekindsofpeople,butstatesthat
leadershipcanactuallybelearned.Icanrelatetobothofthesetheoriessomuch,becauseourleaders

taughtusthatwecanlearntobecomeabetterleader.Itwasalsoveryapparentthechangethatwouldbe
madebysomepeopleastheywouldlearntobecomebetterleaders.Itdidmakethemandevenmyself
morecapabletoleadpeople.

PersonalRelationinIndustry
JohnD.RockefellerJ.R.isimplyingthatthesolereasonofmanagementistobridgethegap
betweentheemployeesandtheemployer.theyarethemiddlementhattrytoalignthetwovisions.
IhavebeenthemiddlemanmyselfandIunderstandcompletelyhowboththemanagementandthe
employeesfeel.Itsamazingtoseethetwodifferentperspectivesandtrytobridgethegap.
Managementhasthevisionofbothsidesandwhatisworkingandnotworking.Theyarethekeytomaking
surethatbothpartiesaresatisfiedandbeingheard.Oncebothsidesknowtheyarebeingheardtheycan
thenworktogetherunderonesolidvision.

Tulipmania
Atieisonlyworthsomuchbutthereseemstobeacrazewhileonamissionthatthemoretiesyou
havethecooler,fancierandmoremoneyyouhad.Especiallyiftheyareallgoodlookingskinnyties.
Thesekindsoftiesareworthmorethangoldonamission.SoofcoursewithallthishypeabouttiesI
boughtloadsofthem.WhatIdidntrealizeuntilIgothomefromthemissionisthattheywerenotworth
nearlyasmuchastheyusetobe.Iwentfromwearingtieseverydaytowearingthemonceaweek.Even
whenIdidwearthemwhenIgothometheywerentnoticedliketheywereonthemission.Ilookbackand
seehowthewholeideaofnewtiesonthemissionwasnonsensical.

TheUniversalDrink
Everydaytherearethingswedothatwewishwecouldchange.Welookbackatourdayandkick
ourselvesfornotsayingsomethingornotdoingsomething.Inthemomentitseemslikeaharddecision,we
dontalwaysknowwhatisright.Butafterwemakeourdecision,ifitwasthewrongonewealwaysseemto
havethatremorse,orthatfeelingofmissingout.Onthemissionwewereconsistentlytaughtandwarned
thatwedontwanttohavethisfeeling.Eachofusneededtodoourbestsowewouldntmissout.Theway
wewereabletodothiswastotalktoeverybodywesaw.Therewasalwaysthatslightchancethatifwe
missedtalkingwithonepersontheycouldbetheonethatwasreallyneedingtohearourmessage.

TheWayofWealth
OnmymissionIrealizedthatthereisalotoftimeinaday,andifweusethattimewiselywecan
getalotaccomplished.Howeverifweusearetimetodononeproductivethings,suchasbeingidleor
watchingt.v.andothermeaninglessactivitieswearewastingourtime.BenjaminFranklinsaidthatthistype
oftimewastingisactuallytax.Alsohestatedthisitisagreatertaxthanthetaxesthatthegovernmenthas
inplace.IalwaysrecognizedthattimewastingdidntgetyouanywhereinlifebutwhenFranklinsaidthisit
reallycamefullcircleandmademeunderstandhowproductiveonecanbe.Franklinalsosaidhethatlives
onhishopeswilldiefastingIthinkthistiedinreallywellbygivingthereaderabetterunderstandingthatto
avoidthegreatertaxoneneedstoworktobesuccessful.

TheDependenceEffect
AsIwasgonefortwoyearsIreallyunderstoodthedifferencebetweenneedsandwants.The
reasonwhyisbecauseweliterallylivedoutofoursuitcases.Allwehadwerethethingsthatwebroughtwith
us.Nowofcoursewedefinitelyweretakenverywellcareof,wehadfood,aniceapartmentandfurniture.
Alsowehadacarthatwecouldgetaroundinwhichmademefeelreallyluxuriousforamissionary.Other
thanthathoweverallwehadwasenoughmoneytobuyfoodandotherthingsweneeded.Afterlivingthis
kindoflifestyleitreallymakesyouunderstandalltheextrathingsthatwebuythatwereallyhavenoneed
for.
IlikedthischapterbecauseithelpedmerecognizeonceagainwhatIneedandwhatIwantand
howtheyareseparate.ItmakesmethinknowaroundchristmastimeaspeopleareaskingwhatIneedand
whatIwant,andIsayIdontneedanythingandimnotsurewhatIwantbecauseIamcontentwith
everythingIhave!

Conclusion
Aswelearnedaboutcriticalthinkingandbusinessthissemestersomanythingsreallyrelatedto
whatIalreadyknow.Aswediscussedthedifferentchaptersitwasnicetohaveasecondopinionthathelps
solidifywhatIknowandmakingitatrueprincipleinsteadofaguideline.Itmademethinkofmymissionina
differentwayabouthowitreallywaspreparingmetobecomeasuccessfulperson.Itsamazingtobeold
andmatureenoughtorecognizethesegreattruthsandtoavoidmakingtypeoneandtypetwoerrors.