Brother Ward's Lesson on Interpersonal Skills

1. Considering your role as a leader, please describe who you view as your “customers” and how you practice the idea of meeting the needs of those customers.

I think my customers are my executive directors, my event leads, my program directors, and BYU’s student body. I think the best way I can meet the needs of all of these people is through a ripple effect. If I can meets the needs of my executive directors, then hopefully they in turn will meet the needs of their event leads and program directors, who will in turn meet the needs of the student body through the events they plan. I think my direct concern should be about meeting the needs of my executive directors.

2. Please describe a time when you you have been involved in a significant change. Identify what those who were leading the organization did to help make the change successful or unsuccessful.

The first idea that came to mind is when Jeremy left as an executive director last year. This was a change because as a team we now had one less person and had to distribute his responsibilities among the rest of us. I think Lee did a great job in making sure that everyone handled the transition smoothly. He made sure that all the responsibilities were taken care of so that our team was still successful. He also made sure that we felt comfortable with our new tasks and that we could handle what we were given. I think what really helps was his positive attitude and consistent care towards us.

3. Describe why you believe that networking with others is a vital part of leading change? As a presidency we often discuss problems that we are having within our areas. This has been a been great because there is usually someone else who has or going through something similar. Then they can give advice from their own experience and inspire the change that needs to happen. It has also been helpful to talk to previous vice presidents and hear their opinions and thoughts on problems. It is good to talk to people who understand your problems and have advice to share to help you change where you need to. They empower you to change through sharing their thoughts.