Learned in Primary - A podcast about simple faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ

A special simulcast from Transformative Principal. 

Welcome to Learned in Primary, where we discuss that everything we know we learned in primary. This podcast focuses on the things that we are learning as adults that remind us of what we learned as children growing up in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Join hosts Jethro Jones and Tom Bay as they discuss the current hot topics in thought leadership and how they relate to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

You can follow the show on twitter @learnedprimary and follow the hosts @tommybay and [@jethrojones](http://twitter.com/jethrojones. If you like what you are hearing, please subscribe to the podcast in iTunes and share it with your friends.

In this episode we discuss “Love Leadership” by John Hope Bryant. This podcast is not affiliated with the author of the book or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

1. Loss Creates Leaders - “The storms of life offer an opportunity to respond in one of three ways to personal tragedy or loss: 1. You can give up. 2 You can try to cope using whatever dulls the pain most… 3. You can grow and create something useful out of your experience of loss. Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail pleads for relief from his afflictions. This is just one time he was persecuted, and the Lord’s response is so comforting:  

My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes. D&C 121:7–8

1. Fear Fails - “I’ve had a front-row seat for witnessing how fear destroys a community.” p 5. I looked up the phrase “fear not” in the Gospel Library app and found that that phrase was used 441 times. 249 times in the Old Testament, 85 times in the Book of Mormon, 76 times in the New Testament, 27 times in the Doctrine and Covenants, and 4 times in the Pearl of Great Price, so how about we don’t fear.

2. Love Makes Money - “For a teenager, I was making a lot of money, and I got loud and overly confident about my newfound success. Over time, I have always found this combination to be a warning sign of impending failure.” p. 76 The Pride Cycle on LDS.org

   Yea, and we may see at the very time when he doth prosper his people, yea, in the increase of their fields, their flocks and their herds, and in gold, and in silver, and in all manner of precious things of every kind and art; sparing their lives, and delivering them out of the hands of their enemies; softening the hearts of their enemies that they should not declare wars against them; yea, and in fine, doing all things for the welfare and happiness of his people; yea, then is the time that they do harden their hearts, and do forget the Lord their God, and do trample under their feet the Holy One—yea, and this because of their ease, and their exceedingly great prosperity. Helaman 12:2

3. Vulnerability is Power - “Delivering bad news and admitting mistakes as soon as you become aware of them is one of the most powerful ways to show vulnerability…I find that bad news only gets worse if it’s left to drift on its own.” p 125 - #miracleofforgiveness

4. Giving is Getting - “If you want to have a prosperous, sustainable life, you’ll find it cheaper, smarter, and easier to do the work of love leadership. You will be better off in the long term if you inspire people, get them to believe in your vision, invest in them so they trust you, reward good behavior, build relationships. People will do the work they’re inspired to do rather than the work you force them to do.” p 157 - Why does our church not have paid ministers and still grow and be successful? Because we have a vision that is eternal and powerful.

1. What is Love “Love, in the context of love leadership, is not the same as love for your life partner, love for your children, or even love for a big dish of chocolate ice cream. No, I refer to the agape definition of love found so frequently in the Bible: love meaning unconditional love for your neighbor, a love as powerful as humankind’s love for God. It means treating others as you want to be treated.” Matthew 7:12— Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
2. Christ Will Not Reject You “What is it that people fear? People fear themselves. You have to love yourself and know that God loves you as you are. And what is it that most of us fear? Most of us fear rejection. We fear the emptiness and anxiety in our lives, and so we’re always looking for affirmation, understanding, acceptance from others.” Religion frequently fails people here ^, but the true doctrine of Christ teaches this same thing. “I believe that the whole purpose of life is to become comfortable in your own skin.”
3. I Care About You By asking the other person about his or her family and children (and who doesn’t like talking about their children?) you send a message: I care about you, and I am interested in something beyond what I might get. From there I inquire about the person’s hobbies and interests beyond work, and ask my favorite question, “What are you passionate about?” Home Teaching; Ministering “Home Teaching: Stop Saying these Words”
4. Leaders Build Ladders “True leaders are ladder builders; they’re not ladder climbers,” he told me recently. “The ladder builder is always saying, ‘What can I do to help you? How would I make you successful?’ If you make your team successful, your team’s going to make you successful.”
5. Keep On Caring John C. Mellott, the former longtime publisher of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, we are living through a “crisis of virtues.” Our habits of moral goodness have eroded. And we are all to blame. After the riots of 1992 in Los Angeles, I ran into a wall of indifference that is at the heart of this crisis of virtues. The long-term response to this tragedy was not, as I had hoped, an increased effort in healing and building community; instead, we witnessed a growing collection of private gated communities, private schools, private cars, and private jets. Everyone went back to his or her life of instant gratification and the day-to-day business of “getting” and asking “What’s in it for me?” As a friend said to me, “indifference is the death knell of the soul.” Dallin H Oaks: “The gospel of Jesus Christ and the covenants we have made inevitably cast us as combatants in the eternal contest between truth and error. There is no middle ground in that contest.”

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Next month’s book: Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown

Welcome to Learned in Primary, where we discuss that everything we know we learned in primary. This podcast focuses on the things that we are learning as adults that remind us of what we learned as children growing up in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Join hosts Jethro Jones and Tom Bay as they discuss the current hot topics in thought leadership and how they relate to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

You can follow the show on twitter @learnedprimary and follow the hosts @tommybay and @jethrojones. If you like what you are hearing, please subscribe to the podcast in iTunes and share it with your friends.

In this episode we discuss "Stuffocation" by James Wallman . This podcast is not affiliated with the author of the book or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Experientialists Quiz: http://stuffocation.org/expquiz/

Jethro’s Takeaways

1. “And finally, what do I, a cultural forecaster, think?”

1. And what would a man of faith say about stuffocation? probably that it takes us away from God and makes stuff our idols.

1. “Despite occasional victories, like the banning of the CFCs that harmed the ozone layer, environmental damage has only gotten worse through the years. The runaway success of consumerism is now not only causing what may be irreversible climate change, for instance, but also, which is perhaps worse, the greatest extinction of plant and animal species since the dinosaurs died out. Materialism might mean that whole swaths of our planet could one day wake up, as Rachel Carson foretold, to spring mornings that are entirely silent.”

1. Stewardship is the right way to look at taking care of our planet. D&C 101:90: "And in his hot displeasure, and in his fierce anger, in his time will cut off those wicked, unfaithful, and unjust stewards, and appoint them their portion among the hypocrites, and unbelievers." D&C 104:55–56: "Behold, all these properties are mine…And if the properties are mine, then ye are stewards; otherwise, ye are no stewards." Moses 2:28, the Lord gave dominion over everything to Man: "And I, God, blessed them, and said unto them: Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth."

1. The world is not, it must be said, quite as flat as a pancake. There are still peaks of influence. The government is still far more influential than most individuals. And the world’s big media and advertising companies, like Disney, Google, and News Corp, are certainly more likely to influence what you and I think and do, and especially when and how we spend our money.

1. Imagine the peak of influence that our church leaders have over some other peaks. who are we more willing to give out time and attention to?

1. One path that most governments and businesses do not want us to go down is minimalism. Why would they, when their economic and financial models are based on materialism, on us wanting and buying more? If the government, industrialists, and advertisers who rely on materialism had it their way, there would be no mention of minimalism.

1. the Lord however would probably prefer a minimalist lifestyle - Matthew 6:19–21 -

1. "19  Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
2. 20  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
3. 21  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

1. One consequence of this is that people sacrifice too much life to get more stuff. Experientialism.

1. We have been commanded to be experientialists for many years, since April 1843, at least. D&C 130:18–21

1. 18 Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.
2. 19 And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.
3. 20 There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—
4. 21 And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.

Tom’s Takeaways

1. The Dark Side of Materialism“In today’s culture, material goods have become substitutes for deep and genuinely meaningful human desires and questions.”This is a problem, not exclusively caused by the love and pursuit of material goods, but you can certainly see its influence. I feel like we hear our church leaders constantly encouraging us to make and take time to study, reflect, and discuss things of a higher (spiritual) nature. The recent talk that came to my mind was the Ponderize talk by Devin Durrant, “[My Heart Pondereth Them Continually](https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/10/my-heart-pondereth-them-continually?lang=eng)“I promise you will not regret writing a verse of scripture on your mind and heart each week. You will experience a feeling of perpetual spiritual purpose, protection, and power.”
2. Learning from HistoryTo give some context to our current ‘stuffocation’ problem, Wallman talks about the Original Mad Men and walks through the history of materialism. The Lord has commanded us to bring context to our lives in similar fashion: to study history via His scriptures.
3. “Not simple, but simpler living.”I really liked this point from Wallman in Chapter 6. He retouches on it in his conclusion, too, saying that the extremes probably aren’t the right answer for most people. It made me think of the wealthy man who asked Christ what good think he could do to have eternal life and the Savior told him to give everything to the poor and follow him. [Matthew 19:16–22](https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/matt/19.21) That is definitely not a commandment he gave to everyone.
4. Materialism in the East — Missionary opportunities?The influence of Western materialism was slow to reach folks in Eastern countries like China, Mongolia, Russia, etc. But, as Wallman points out, it’s there now and expanding. I hope that this becomes a stepping stone to the fulfillment of the prophesies that the gospel will roll forth “until it has filled the whole earth.” D&C 65:2
5. “How should we live to be happy?”I think the gospel helps to answer this question along with the question’s extension: How should we live to be happy… in this life and the next. We’ve been given a pretty clear picture (or plan) of how best to approach this life and I believe their is room to accomplish a happy, obedient life both with and without material wealth. I do believe that it’s our Heavenly Father’s intention for our lives to be abundant. “Memories live longer than dreams.”

Our next book is Love Leadership by John Hope Bryant

Thanks for listening to our show!

Please take a minute and rate this show: http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1031586002

Welcome to Learned in Primary, where we discuss that everything we know we learned in primary. This podcast focuses on the things that we are learning as adults that remind us of what we learned as children growing up in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Join hosts Jethro Jones and Tom Bay as they discuss the current hot topics in thought leadership and how they relate to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

You can follow the show on twitter @learnedprimary and follow the hosts @tommybay and @jethrojones. If you like what you are hearing, please subscribe to the podcast in iTunes and share it with your friends.

In this episode we discuss “Everyone Communicates, Few Connect” by John Maxwell. This podcast is not affiliated with the author of the book or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Tom’s Takeaways:

1. Connecting Is All About Others “Good teachers, leaders, and speakers don’t see themselves as experts with passive audiences they need to impress. Nor do they view their interests as most important. Instead, they see themselves as guides and focus on helping others learn.” Teaching: No Greater Call, Lesson 13: “The Teacher’s Role in Helping Individuals Learn the Gospel Knowing that individuals are responsible to learn the gospel, we may ask, What is the role of teachers? It is to help individuals take responsibility for learning the gospel—to awaken in them the desire to study, understand, and live the gospel and to show them how to do so.”
2. Connecting Goes Beyond Words “face-to-face communication can be broken down into three components: words, tone of voice, and body language. What may come as a surprise is that in some situations, such as when verbal and nonverbal messages aren’t consistent, what people see us do and the tone we use can far outweigh any words we say while trying to communicate.” Jesus is the best example: drawing in the sand when defending the sinner, kneeling in Gethsemane to pray, kneeling in the midst of the Nephites to pray, turning over tables when rebuking the money changers…
3. Connectors Do the Difficult Work of Keeping It Simple “Good teachers know that the fundamental law of learning is repetition. Someone once told me that people have to hear something sixteen times before they really believe it.” Pres Henry B Eyring: “The good word of God with which we must nourish is the simple doctrine of the gospel. We need not fear either simplicity or repetition.”
4. Connectors Inspire People “American poet and writer Maya Angelou noted, ‘The most called-upon prerequisite of a friend is an accessible ear.’ That is also a prerequisite of being an inspiring leader or communicator.” Pres Russell M Nelson “Do not try to control your children. Instead, listen to them, help them to learn the gospel, inspire them, and lead them toward eternal life.”
5. Connectors Live What They Communicate You Are Your Message. “How you portray yourself, what you communicate, and how you live need to be consistent.” Great examples from our general authorities. D&C 50:6  “But wo unto them that are deceivers and hypocrites, for, thus saith the Lord, I will bring them to judgment.”

Jethro’s Takeaways:

1. “Carlos made the same mistake as others who don’t connect: they see themselves as the center of the conversation.” - this highlights the importance of the change from the discussions that missionaries gave to Preach My Gospel, and the change in how curriculum is taught to Young Men and Women.
2. “If I went back to college again, I’d concentrate on two areas: learning to write and to speak before an audience.Nothing in life is more important than the ability to communicate effectively.” —GERALD FORD, Nephi wished that he could do this better, too!  
   1. 1 And now I, Nephi, cannot write all the things which were taught among my people; neither am I mighty in writing, like unto speaking; for when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men.
   2. 2 But behold, there are many that harden their hearts against the Holy Spirit, that it hath no place in them; wherefore, they cast many things away which are written and esteem them as things of naught.
   3. 3 But I, Nephi, have written what I have written, and I esteem it as of great worth, and especially unto my people. For I pray continually for them by day, and mine eyes water my pillow by night, because of them; and I cry unto my God in faith, and I know that he will hear my cry. 2 Nephi 33:1–3
3. “I think everyone can agree that many of the issues we face in life can be complex. A professor may legitimately argue that his or her area of expertise is complicated. I won’t contest that. But as leaders and communicators, our job is to bring clarity to a subject, not complexity. It doesn’t take nearly as much skill to identify a problem as it does to find a good solution. The measure of a great teacher isn’t what he or she knows; it’s what the students know. Making things simple is a skill, and it’s a necessary one if you want to connect with people when you communicate. Or to put it the way Albert Einstein did, ‘If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it enough.’” - Gospel is simple. Testimony meetings should make things simple.
4. At the close of a conversation, ask if there is anything you can do to help them and then follow through. Acts of servanthood have a resounding impact that live longer than words. Mosiah 2:17–19
   1. 16 Behold, I say unto you that because I said unto you that I had spent my days in your service, I do not desire to boast, for I have only been in the service of God.
   2. 17 And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.
   3. 18 Behold, ye have called me your king; and if I, whom ye call your king, do labor to serve you, then ought not ye to labor to serve one another?
   4. 19 And behold also, if I, whom ye call your king, who has spent his days in your service, and yet has been in the service of God, do merit any thanks from you, O how you ought to thank your heavenly King!
5. My desire is first to help you learn the principles behind connecting with others, by:
   1. Focusing on others
   2. Expanding your connecting vocabulary beyond just words
   3. Marshalling your energy for connecting
   4. Gaining insight in how great connectors connect.
   5. Then I’ll help you acquire the practical skills of connection: Finding common ground
   6. Making your communication simple
   7. Capturing people’s interest
   8. Inspiring them, and
   9. Being authentic.
   10. President Monson’s example.

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Our book for next time: Stuffocation

Welcome to Learned in Primary, where we discuss that everything we know we learned in primary. This podcast focuses on the things that we are learning as adults that remind us of what we learned as children growing up in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Join hosts Jethro Jones and Tom Bay as they discuss the current hot topics in thought leadership and how they relate to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

You can follow the show on twitter @learnedprimary and follow the hosts @tommybay and @jethrojones. If you like what you are hearing, please subscribe to the podcast in iTunes and share it with your friends.

In this episode we discuss “Sticky Branding: 12.5 Principles to Stand Out, Attract Customers, and Grow an Incredible Brand” by Jeremy Miller. This podcast is not affiliated with the authors of the book or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Overarching Theme: There are many strategies (presented in the form of ideas, stories, and exercises) and core factors to creating and maintaining a “Sticky Brand”, or in our case an effective church.

Jethro’s takeaways

1. “Simple Clarity is the ability to simply and succinctly describe your business, what makes it unique, and who it serves. Simple Clarity is about speaking in the language of your customers, and clearly explaining your company’s story.” We really try to do this with the church. The church is about telling the story of simple faith in Christ succinctly. 4th Article of Faith
2. “The five best words you can hear a customer say are, “That’s interesting. Tell me more.” If you can get them to say that, you have caught their attention and they will listen to what you have to say. “ This is true in the church, also. When we do find a sweet spot for conversing with people about the Savior, we find a way to make it real for them.
3. “Sticky Brands make Big Goals and take Bold Actions. Their goals energize the brand. They create momentum and excitement around a business that is infectious. People are excited to talk about the company, refer others to it, and buy from it, because of its accomplishments.” Moses 1:39
4. “Sticky Brands are built by people: ambitious, impatient, talented people. People who are not satisfied with the status quo or growing just another business. Sticky Brands are built by people who commit to growing them.” The church is successful because there are so many people willing to do the work for no pay, no respect, no admiration, other than fulfilling the work of the Lord.
5. “Clearly defining what you do provides focus.” We teach them correct principles and let them govern themselves.

Tom’s takeaways

1. People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill, they want a quarter-inch hole.” —Theodore Levitt I’d say most people don’t want a church, they want peace, control, and direction in their lives. They want meaningful relationships.
2. “You don’t have to tell your customers why they should buy. Let them make up their own minds.” If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. James 1:5
3. “An effective way to engage your entire market is to engage people in a conversation. Instead of marketing to them, speak with them. Share ideas. Find common ground. Have a conversation and engage as much of your market as possible in topics that will motivate them to say, ‘That’s interesting. Tell me more.’ Conversations start with you. How can you spark a discussion? How can you get your customers to engage with you even if they’re not buying right now?” “Brands Are Built in the Lower 90 Percent… If you build and scale relationships with the Lower 90 Percent they will call you first when they are ready to buy” Member missionary work!
4. Branding from the inside out. Bake Values into Your Brand. Happy employees create happy customers. How effective would the Lord’s work be if His church was full of unhappy people?
5. “Sticky Brands are driven by Big Goals and Bold Actions — they have a purpose to be something greater than they are.” “…shall the gospel roll forth unto the ends of the earth, as the stone which is cut out of the mountain without hands shall roll forth, until it has filled the whole earth.” D&C 65:2 Moses 1:39 Daniel’s interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s dream Temples dotting the Earth (Bruce R McConkie?)

Next book: Everyone Communicates, Few Connect

Welcome to Learned in Primary, where we discuss that everything we know we learned in primary. This podcast focuses on the things that we are learning as adults that remind us of what we learned as children growing up in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Join hosts Jethro Jones and Tom Bay as they discuss the current hot topics in thought leadership and how they relate to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

You can follow the show on twitter @learnedprimary and follow the hosts @tommybay and @jethrojones. If you like what you are hearing, please subscribe to the podcast in iTunes and share it with your friends.

In this episode we discuss “Influencer: The New Science of Leading Change” by Joseph Grenny, David Maxfield, Kerry Patterson, Ron McMilian, Al Switzler. This podcast is not affiliated with the author of the book or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Overarching Theme: Influencers do three things better than others. They are clearer about the results they want to achieve and how they will measure them. They focus on a small number of vital behaviors that will help them achieve those results. They over-determine change by amassing six sources of influence that both motivate and enable the vital behaviors.

Jethro’s takeaways

“Actually, people do learn ways to take pleasure from almost any activity, even if the activity isn’t inherently satisfying. Psychiatrist M. Scott Peck makes this point rather bluntly: “Just because a desire or behavior is natural, does not mean it is … unchangeable.… It is also natural… to never brush our teeth. Yet we teach ourselves to do the unnatural. Another characteristic of human nature—perhaps the one that makes us more human—is our capacity to do the unnatural, to transcend and hence transform our own nature.”

“These are times when someone’s choices either lead toward great results or set up a cascade of negative behaviors that create and perpetuate problems.” - Make choices -early on. Don’t wait for the last minute to make a choice that will impact you into eternity. “No one has ever come up with a more efficient way to raise the next generation than a household of married parents with children.” Why Marriage and Family Matter–Everywhere in the World - crucial moments

This is exactly why Christ spoke in Parables.

“With the new question, Miller discovered that the best way to help individuals align their behavior with their deepest motives was to stop trying to control their thoughts and behaviors. You must replace judgment with empathy, and lectures with questions. If you do so, you gain influence. The instant you stop trying to impose your agenda on others, you eliminate the fight for control. You end unnecessary battles over whose view of the world is correct.”

We often don’t act in our long-term best interest because the short-term actions we currently enjoy are far more motivating than the remote and distant likelihood of suffering in the future. With persistent influence challenges, bad actions are generally real, fun, and now, whereas negative consequences are often fuzzy, maybe not so bad after all, and most certainly a long time off.

Tom’s takeaways

“At the end of the day, what qualifies people to be called ‘leaders’ is their capacity to influence others to change their behavior in order to achieve important results.” “…success relies on the capacity to systematically create rapid, profound, and sustainable changes in a handful of key behaviors.” “…the short explanation for why they’re successful is that they see themselves not simply as owners, managers, or leaders but as full-time influencers.” Christ, Joseph of Egypt, Moses, Peter, Joseph Smith “If you’re looking to reach rather modest goals by stealthily exerting your will over others, this book is not for you.”… Lucifer.

“Clear goals aimed at a compelling target can have an enormous impact on behavior because they engage more than simply the brain. They also engage the heart.” Plan of salvation; Proclaim the gospel, Perfect the saints, Redeem the dead

“A measure won’t drive behavior if it doesn’t maintain attention, and it certainly won’t maintain attention if it’s rarely assessed— especially if other measures are taken, discussed, and fretted over a hundred times more frequently.” “Measurement is an integral part of the change effort, and done correctly, it informs and drives behavior.” > “Where performance is measured, performance improves. Where performance is measured and reported, the rate of improvement accelerates.” — Thomas S Monson

“It is not enough to do your best; you must know what to do, and THEN do your best.” > “Do [your] duty; that is best; Leave unto [the] Lord the rest!“—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Handbook, Priesthood responsibilities, General conference

“Remember the good news here. Overcoming habits or developing complex athletic, intellectual, and interpersonal skills are not merely functions of motivation, personality traits, or even character. They all tie back to ability. Develop greater proficiency at deliberate practice as well as the ability to manage your emotions, and you significantly increase your chances for turning vital behaviors into vital habits.” Attend the temple, read scriptures, be industrious

Next book: Sticky Branding: 12.5 Principles to Stand Out, Attract Customers, and Grow an Incredible Brand

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Welcome to Learned in Primary, where we discuss that everything we know we learned in primary. This podcast focuses on the things that we are learning as adults that remind us of what we learned as children growing up in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Join hosts Jethro Jones and Tom Bay as they discuss the current hot topics in thought leadership and how they relate to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

You can follow the show on twitter @learnedprimary and follow the hosts @tommybay and @jethrojones. If you like what you are hearing, please subscribe to the podcast in iTunes and share it with your friends.

In this episode we discuss “Built to Lead: 7 Management R.E.W.A.R.D.S Principles for Becoming a Top 10% Manager” by David Long. This podcast is not affiliated with the author of the book or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Recognize and reward your employees to make your company successful. By making sure others are successful, you will become even more successful.

1. “The beauty of using motivation: you don’t need to use a cattle prod to get engaged employees to work, and work hard!” When people aren’t performing in their callings, we don’t need to focus on the calling, we need to focus on the testimony. “The Power of  Personal Testimony” by Dieter F. Uchtdorf “Our testimony motivates us to live righteously, and righteous living will cause our testimony to grow stronger.”
2. “Success… is Making a Difference in the Lives of Others. Happiness… is Watching them Grow Because of It.” Mosiah 2:17 - “When ye are in the service of your fellow beings, you are only in the service of your God”
3. “Leaders don’t beat around the bush, son. They do what needs to be done immediately!” - Example of Jesus and personal leaders I have known that told it like it is.
4. You, as the manager, are only as good as your people. Understand this too: Your people are a direct reflection of you as their manager.
5. Shark tooth strategy of leadership development. - This is exactly how callings work.

1. Attitude is everything | Jesus had a good attitude “NOTHING can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; NOTHING on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.” — Thomas Jefferson Agency
2. Everyone wants and needs recognition and praise Matthew 16:18 18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
3. Not all readers are leaders, but ALL [church] Leaders are [scripture] Readers Dave’s “book club” could be a “scripture club” — “YOU simply must become involved, personally, in each of your employees’ education.”
4. These troublesome times molded me and I thank God I was fortunate enough to learn valuable lessons from going through each of them. “My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.” — D&C 121:7–8

5. Success is making a difference in the lives of others… Happiness is watching them grow because of it. By this definition, Christ is the most successful person to have ever lived… and potentially the happiest

   “Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look on them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death.” — Sun Tzu, The Art of War - Captain Moroni!

Influencer: The New Science of Leading Change, Second Edition

Why we are doing this podcast?

Remember that saying, “Everything I need to know I learned in Kindergarten”? The saying “Everything I need to know, I learned in Primary” is also true. Primary is Sunday school for children who belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church or Mormons). Every doctrine of the church is touched on in Primary, so it stands as the basis for children to have all the knowledge necessary to be baptized when they are eight years old. It doesn’t mean that every 8-year-old is a scriptorian, but they do know enough to help them make choices that will lead them back to God.

As long as men have been thinking, they have been trying to communicate their ideas and thoughts and make sense of why we do things, how we live, etc. The following two links are some of the most popular ideas men and women have come up with recently:

New York Times top 10 nonfiction

Amazon Bestsellers

We’ll be getting a lot of our material from those two lists. We’ll provide links to books on Amazon, which will give us a small kickback if you buy them. That way we can continue buying and reviewing more books.

We love reading these books. We think it is fun to learn about different things and become a better people. We also love being members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When we read things in these popular books that are typically not spiritual in nature, we can’t help but think of how we already learned that, years ago, in Primary.

Our first book will be:

About your hosts:

Tommy Bay: Tom is an executive secretary in his ward in South Jordan Utah.

Jethro Jones: Jethro is in the bishopric in his ward in Kodiak, Alaska.

Purchasing the book from this link will be a way to support this podcast. Thanks in advance for your support.