Principles learned on January 10th

1) The importance of being trustworthy. In addition to being a principle of the gospel being trustworthy is an important part of an organization. An organization can not function successfully if the individuals don't trust one another. This really works on all levels. A major problem in most 3rd world countries is corruption. Corruption exists because people are dishonest. If no one trusts anyone an organization is severely crippled in what it can do. Corruption played a significant role in the destruction of every civilization in the Book of Mormon.

2) Empowerment, the term became derogatory in the 80's but it shouldn't be. Organizations are not capable of creating rules and procedures for every possible situation. That's where empowered individuals can make a difference. The individual on the front lines who deals with the situations everyday is best equipped to handle them. The danger with empowerment is if the empowered individual doesn't receive any support for what they're trying to do. Empowerment is the idea of giving someone ownership. In Seven Habits Steven Covey talks about putting his son in charge of the lawn. Steven's son was empowered and took ownership of the task.

3) Keeping up communication within the group is essential. Part of the genius of the organization of the LDS church is that people are so interconnected. I sincerely believe that people work better and harder when they know who they're working with. In Malcolm Gladwell's book the Tipping Point he talks about how a certain company would limited their offices to 150 people. They would build another building only a few blocks away rather then add to the same location. They had discovered that most people were able to remember and be familiar with about 150 people. Beyond 150 people didn't know each other as well. Going back to the first principle how can you trust someone you don't know?