Thanks to everyone who put so much time and attention into making this our most successful conference ever.  I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did.  

What impressed you the most?  And, what would  you like to see more of or less of durring next year’s conference?  Lastly, what would you love to see presented or introduced from a content perspective that we’ve never done before?  Any new topics, issues, or trainings?  Remember, we have the whole Marriott School at our disposal.  Lots of smart people to draw from.

Go ahead and reply to this post while your experience is fresh and let’s start some discussion. 

Joel Deceuster – Chair-Elect, International Steering Committee

Below are some rough interview questions for those who are sharing stories for the Video Project (see prior post).

Cultural Beliefs

1. Focus Efforts

Tell us about a Management Society member who has personally influenced you because of their focus on growing moral and ethical leadership.

• What is the name of the person, what is their occupation, where do they live?
• How did you get to know this person?
• What did this person specifically do relating to moral and ethical leadership that influenced you?
• How did you feel when you saw this kind of example?
• Have you seen other people handle this situation differently? Describe.
• When and where did this take place?
• What do you do differently now because of this experience?
• Does seeing someone else live up to these standards make it easier for you to follow their example? Why?
• How does being a member of the Management Society help you to focus on moral and ethical leadership?

2. Meet Purposefully

Describe a Management Society event you attended that caused you to see more clearly the vision of growing moral and ethical leadership around the world.

• When and where was the event?
• If the event included a speaker, who was the speaker and what did he or she say that so moved you?
• How did this event help you see the vision more clearly?
• What was different about this event than other business events you attended?
• How have you incorporated the things that you heard into your personal and/or business life?

3. Grow People

Share a story about a Management Society member who helped you in your professional progress and the influence this nurturing has had on you.

• Who was the person that mentored you? Has a member of the Management Society helped you in some other way?
• How? When and where did this take place?
• Did you have a problem that you needed help solving? How did this person help?
• Was it awkward or embarrassing asking someone you respect to spend some of their valuable time helping you? What was your friend’s reaction?
• Did being a member of t he Management Society make it easier for you to find someone who could help you? Did your membership facilitate the relationship?
• How important was this help to you in your career?

4. Act Professionally

Tell about a Management Society member you know who exemplifies the highest ideals of professionalism by the way they treat other people of a different age, gender, nationality ethnicity, career path, alma mater, religious affiliation etc. Or, describe a Management Society event which promoted this kind of professionalism.

• What is the name of the person, what is their occupation, where do they live?
• How did you get to know this person?
• What does this person specifically do that exemplifies a high level of professionalism?
• How do you feel when you see this kind of example?
• When and where did this take place?
• What do you do differently now because of this experience?
• Does seeing someone else live up to these standards make it easier for you to follow their example? Why?
• How does being a member of the Management Society help you to focus on moral and ethical leadership?

 5. Think Globally

Discuss one of the following:

• What BYU Management Society event have you attended that demonstrated the global reach of the Society?
• Talk about a Management Society member you know who exemplifies this global vision, including a love for and knowledge of other cultures and languages.
• How does it make you feel to be a part of an organization that has members all over the world who share the same values of moral and ethical leadership?
• How have you benefited professionally or personally from a chapter outside of your own country?

6. Align with BYU and the Marriott School

How has your membership in the BYU Management Society helped you stay connected to and aligned with the mission of the Brigham Young University and the Marriott School?

• What has your chapter done to help you stay connected to BYU and the Marriott School and its mission?
• What does that mission mean to you?
• How has a connection to BYU and the Marriott School affected your career?
• Describe how you have personally benefited professionally from your association with the BYU brand.
• What does that brand mean to you and how has it changed your life?

 7. Live the Vision

Please share a personal experience or experiences where the BYU Management Society vision of “growing moral and ethical leadership around the world” has changed how you would otherwise handle a difficult situation or problem.

• Describe a specific situation in business where your vision of “growing moral and ethical leadership” was challenged and how you overcame it. Or, describe someone you know overcoming such as challenge.
• When, where and what were the circumstances?
• What was the challenge and why was it hard to do what was right?
• What risks did you take in making the right decision?
• How has the vision of “growing moral and ethical leadership” changed your life?
• How has membership in the Society helped you live this vision?

Due to popular demand we are once again offering a series of live training webinars for chapter leaders to create  One Page Business Plans for their chapters.  And with increased webinar capabilities we can now offer this opportunity to an unlimited number of chapter members as well.  Our hope is that every chapter develops a One Page Business Plan to accelerate and focus their achievements for the upcoming year. 

 This training can also be applied to our member’s businesses and work environments.  Wouldn’t you like to have a One Page Business Plan for your company, department or profession?  It’s just one more benefit of membership.  To learn more about the One Page Business Plan visit their web site at www.OnePageBusinessPlan.com  Joel Deceuster, a member of the Marriott School NAC and our International Steering Committee is one of the nation’s  leading OPBP consultants and will lead the training program in support of one of our committee’s key objectives for 2009.  

Training Dates (It’s the same training material being presented on three different dates)

• Friday, April 24, 2009                8:00 AM PST – 9:30 AM PST
• Thursday, May 7, 2009              8:00 AM PST – 9:30 AM PST
• Wednesday, May 20, 2009        8:00 AM PST – 9:30 AM PST

How To Register

It’s easy and it’s free to register for the webinar at our website.  The Silicon Valley Chapter uses the website provided by the Marriott School for all management chapters.  So, you’ll go to our web site at  http://ms.byu.edu/siliconvalley and select the events calendar on the top navigation bar.  Simply look for the date of the event you’d like to attend and click it to be led to registration.  You may register for yourself and an unlimited number of guests.    See how easy it is to organize your chapter events and manage registration when you use the Marriott School website?  I set up these events in less than five minutes – it’s that easy! 

Two days prior to each event I’ll email the call-in instructions to all those who have registered.  We’ll be using GoToMeeting.com as our online meeting platform.  Instructions for connecting to GoToMeeting.com will also be included.  You’ll be able to listen, ask questions and see the presentation from my desktop on your very own computer.  It’s way too easy to participate and learn this amazing strategic planning process and accountability system. 

Attached is the Steering Committee’s One Page Business Plan for 2009.  We hope all of you will align your chapter plans to support it.  Joel

If you have any quesitons contact Joel Deceuster at Joel@FocusYourBusinessNow.com 

 But that’s just the start.  Do you want to know the real secret sauce for productivity?  Setting  goals is the easy part.  The hard part is executing them.  If you can execute, you can realize the results you want most in your life and business.  So, without further delay here’s my three-step system for getting things done.

The One, Two, Three of Getting Things Done

1.  Use monthly goals to achieve your annual goals.  That’s right, chunk those annual mountains into monthly hills.  By plotting out a monthly implementation plan for each annual goal you’ll always see what comes next.  And, as long as you know what comes next you’ll know what to do.  No anlysis paralysis, no delays.  Just take action on what comes next month by month.  List each goal and directly next to each create a list of monthly milestones that need to be achieved in order of priority.  It’s much less daunting to look at what’s next versus the whole enchilada all at once.  You can see yourself walking up a hill more easily than scaling a mountainside in one fell swoop. 

2.  Weekly planning every day.  What?  Does that make sense?  In my world it sure does.  I’m a big believer that you MUST create a strategic weekly plan at the start of each and every week.  And then, you must review that weekly plan each and every day.  Without such a plan and review you are vulnerable to the whims and wills of others and worst of all to circumstances that you think are beyond your control.  But a weekly plan is not just a list of apointments and tasks.  To be truly strategic I suggest you add the following components to your plan:  1) Your TOP THREE RESULTS to produce this week; 2)Your TOP 20 PHONE CALLS or connections that will produce revenue or move your business forward this week; 3) Your TOP TEN STRATEGIC PROJECTS for the week; 4) Your WEEKLY ACHIEVEMENT LOG where you list your weekly achievements so you can celebrate them at week’s end.  The last component to record on your weekly plan is the next step listed below. 

3.  Do your dials daily!  That’s right, do the things that you know will lead you to success each and every day.  Everyone’s dials differ from one another but at the end of the day everyone has a list of 3 to 5 “things” that need to be done on a daily basis in order to fill the pipeline, stay in business, produce revenue or futher the cause.  If you pay attention and measure your progress with these dials every day you’ll be doing what it takes to keep your annual plan fueled and flourishing.  Just as an airplane pilot focuses on 3 to 5 dials in his cockpit to stay on course, so you must also if you want to land your goals according to plan. 

There you have it.  The one, two, three of productivity.  Now, get busy!   

Joel Deceuster  (Chapter Trainer for the One Page Business Plan)

At long last we’re ready to help our chapters create their own One Page Business Plan. To do so we’re going to use Go To Meeting – a web based virtual meeting service that allows everyone to view the same documents at the same time and speak/listen in a teleconference setting.  This virtual training meeting will be conducted in English only and is meant for US Chapters. 

Training Date: Thursday, January 29, 2009   8:00AM – 9:00AM Pacific Time

How To Register:

We are limited to 15 participants.  The first 15 to contact Joel Deceuster will be permitted to register. 

Please contact our One Page Business Plan Trainer, Joel Deceuster, and he’ll send you the Go To Meeting information and phone number to dial in.  Joel@FocusYourBusinessNow.com  Be sure to tell him which session you will attend.  There is no cost for the training but each chapter will be required to purchase a book.  The book is called, The One Page Business Plan for Non-Profit Organizations.  You can get it for about $23.00 through Amazon.  Be sure to get the “Non-Profit” edition of the book since there are editions created for Entrepreneurs, Financial Services and Professional Consultants.  The book has a CD in the back with contains all the digital tools we’ll use to implement the plan. 

How to Prepare:

Participants will be sent a copy of the master One Page Business Plan for the BYU Management Society.  We suggest you review it and seek to align your chapter goals with those of the World-Wide Management Society.   The Steering Committee enjoyed great success in 2008 because of this plan and have updated it by creating a new One Page Business Plan for 2009.   We’d also recommend that you read the book, The One Page Business Plan for Non-Profit Organizations.  It’s an easy read and will help you to prepare your understanding for the 5 simple steps for creating a plan.  It’s not essential to read the book in advance.  We realize the time is short until our training session and you might not be able to have it delivered in a sufficient amount of time to read. 

About Our Trainer/Facilitator

Joel Deceuster is a certified consultant/coach for the One Page Business Plan and has his own business coaching/consulting company in San Jose, CA.  He specializes in focusing business owners and managers to develop their annual strategies for business and bottom-line growth.  Joel is a past president of the Silicon Valley Chapter.  In 2007 he was invited to become a member of the International Steering Committee where he introduced the concept of the One Page Business Plan as a means of helping the society  achieve its goals and objectives.  Joel was also inducted into the National Advisory Council (NAC) of the Marriott School of Management at BYU in the Fall fo 2007.   Joel and his wife Madeline graduated from BYU and  raised six children, five of which attended BYU.  He currently serves as Ward Executive Secretary.  Joel is an avid rosarian and active in his local Rotary club.  To learn more about Joel and his program for focused business growth and development visit his web site at:  www.FocusYourBusinessNow.com

Training Dates:

There will be two identical virtual training meetings.  We hope that by providing two sessions our chapters will be able to fit one into their schedule.  We ask that only one or two people from each chapter attend.  Perhaps you can have your chapter president and a board member participate.  Copies of the presentation will be made available through those who attend.  The training will be one hour in length. 

Once the initial training has taken place and chapters have had an opportunity to create their plan we’ll have  follow up training sessions in early January to instruct chapters how to use the One Page Business Plan as a planning and accountability tool to measure their progress.  In summary, the December training will focus on plan creation; the January training will focus on plan implementation. 

Sign up for one of two identical training sessions:

December 15, 2008   from 9AM – 10AM Pacific Time

December 16, 2008   from 5PM – 6PM Pacific Time

How To Register:

Please contact our One Page Business Plan Trainer, Joel Deceuster, and he’ll send you the Go To Meeting information and phone number to dial in.  Joel@FocusYourBusinessNow.com  Be sure to tell him which session you will attend.  There is no cost for the training but each chapter will be required to purchase a book.  The book is called, The One Page Business Plan for Non-Profit Organizations.  You can get it for about $23.00 through Amazon.  Be sure to get the “Non-Profit” edition of the book since there are editions created for Entrepreneurs, Financial Services and Professional Consultants.  The book has a CD in the back with contains all the digital tools we’ll use to implement the plan in January. 

How to Prepare:

Participants will be sent a copy of the master One Page Business Plan for the BYU Management Society.  We suggest you review it and seek to align your chapter goals with those of the World-Wide Management Society.   The Steering Committee enjoyed great success in 2008 because of this plan and have updated it by creating a new One Page Business Plan for 2009.   We’d also recommend that you read the book, The One Page Business Plan for Non-Profit Organizations.  It’s an easy read and will help you to prepare your understanding for the 5 simple steps for creating a plan.  It’s not essential to read the book in advance.  We realize the time is short until our training sessions and you might not be able to have it delivered in a sufficient amount of time to read. 

About Our Trainer/Facilitator

Joel Deceuster is a certified consultant/coach for the One Page Business Plan and has his own business coaching/consulting company in San Jose, CA.  He specializes in focusing business owners and managers to develop their annual strategies for business and bottom-line growth.  Joel is a past president of the Silicon Valley Chapter.  In 2007 he was invited to become a member of the International Steering Committee where he introduced the concept of the One Page Business Plan as a means of helping the society  achieve its goals and objectives.  Joel was also inducted into the National Advisory Council (NAC) of the Marriott School of Management at BYU in the Fall fo 2007.   Joel and his wife Madeline graduated from BYU and  raised six children, five of which attended BYU.  He currently serves as Ward Executive Secretary.  Joel is an avid rosarian and active in his local Rotary club.  To learn more about Joel and his program for focused business growth and development visit his web site at:  www.FocusYourBusinessNow.com

BYU Management Society

Annual Leadership Conference

October 2-3, 2008

            By all accounts, the BYU Management Society Annual Leadership Conference, held October 2-3, 2008 on campus in Provo, Utah was a rousing success.  Over 100 participants from 11 countries enjoyed beautiful weather, surroundings, company and educational and motivational workshops, speeches and seminars.  The vision of the Management Society of “growing moral and ethical leadership around the world” was a focus of the entire event.

            The conference began with a day in the mountains at Aspen Grove.  The hills were on fire with the colors of fall in the mountains.  The opening sessions were held in the Emerald Lodge, with a breathtaking view of the Wasatch Mountains through a floor to ceiling glass window about 3 stories high. Gary Cornia, Dean of the Marriott School gave an update on accomplishments at the Marriott School and introduced the Lowell Bennion Award recipient and keynote speaker, former Dean Ned Hill.  Hill recognized the accomplishments of the namesake of the award, Lowell Bennion, reminisced on trips he made over the years to Management Society chapters all over the world during his 10 year tenure as Dean.  He also shared anecdotal experiences to drive home the vision of the Society, “growing moral and ethical leadership around the world.”

            Ron Malouf, National Advisory Council member and Chair of the NAC Management Society committee, addressed the importance of service to the community and Management Society members.  Chris Feinauer, Alumni Association Liaison, shared tips on “Board Structure, Recruiting and Use.”  Chet Harmer, new member of the International Steering Committee member over New Chapters, discussed successes in the Silicon Valley chapter, which in the last year included an astounding 96 events and 9,300 participants.  Perhaps more impressive is the focus on service to its members through business workshops which teach people how to get, keep and improve jobs..  Silicon Valley also works closely with the J. Reuben Clark Law Society in calendaring and publicizing events.

            A one-hour “Success-o-rama” was then held covering topics such as Golf tournaments, scholarships, breakfasts, employment councils, career fairs, surveys, Young Professionals, newsletters, the new Hispanic Chapter and big company involvement.  Concurrent sessions were then held for chapters at different stages in their development including: new, struggling and strong.  A dinner program featured music by a bluegrass group, “Brushfire,” and keynote speaker, Michael Webb, who addressed how to establish a strong network of business contacts to find a job at any stage in your career.

            Friday began on campus in the new Tanner Building addition, with a hot breakfast, a “State of the Society” address by Chair Bill Chapman which reviewed the major events by chapters throughout the world during the last 12 months.  It was announced that the 2009 Regional Conference will be held in Europe at a specific loction to be determined.  Chair-Elect, Troy Romero, then gave a presentation on the One Page Business Plan, a new goal setting program introduced to the Society by Steering Committee member and NAC member, Joel Deceuster, of Silicon Valley.  Concurrent database training seminars were then conducted by Rixa Oman (beginning) and Robert Gardner (advanced).  A panel of Steering Committee members addressed each of the Society’s Cultural Beliefs.

            Bradley R. Agle, PhD and Associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh, led a thought-provoking discussion on a case study on ethics.  A luncheon was organized by region so that chapter leaders could share what they had learned and discuss local issues, unique to each geographic area.  Following the luncheon each country outside of the United States took a turn highlighting events and progress in each of those countries.  Gustavo Estrada next spoke on LDS Employment and networking.  The international and domestic chapters then separated to focus on topics pertaining to each of those types of chapters.  A closing session allowed participants to set goals based on things they learned at the conference, followed by an open discussion on highlights of what was most helpful.

            An added dimension to the Conference was a Friday night dinner meeting, first ever for the new Hispanic Management Society, with Elder Pingree giving the keynote address.  Over 100 were in attendance.

            A great deal of enthusiasm flowed through from the start to finish of the conference.  Interactive discussions allowed a liberal exchange of ideas and sharing of experiences.  Friendships were made or renewed and a new commitment seemed to be felt by all present. 

Elder Wickman stated that developing positive relationships with government officials “involves not just lawyers but also general authorities, area church leaders and Latter-day Saints who travel internationally in their private capacity.”  He called the BYU Law School annual symposium on international law and religion “certainly one of the most important diplomatic outreach efforts made by the church.”  Two questions came to mind as I read this comment:

1. What can the BYU Management Society do to help those who travel internationally on business develop positive relations with government officials; and
2. Is there some analogous symposium that relates to “growing moral and ethical leadership around the world” that the BYU Management Society could host in conjunction with the Marriott School?

Please share any thoughts you might have on the above.

To Develop “Moral and Ethical Leadership”

By Bill Chapman

City Embraces Vision of “Moral and Ethical Leadership”

The City of Rancho Santa Margarita knows that unethical businesses will drive away good businesses and consumers. One of the City’s objectives is to create a “small town feeling with the heart of a village.” But this South Orange County town of 50,000 people has no expertise and no resources for training and promoting “moral and ethical leadership.” At the same time the City was grappling with this issue, a new chapter of the BYU Management Society was trying to figure out how it could pursue its vision of “growing moral and ethical leadership” as a community service, not as a BYU alumni group or LDS business group. Once she heard about the group’s enthusiastic vision of “growing moral and ethical leadership,” it did not take Kathy Graham, City Consultant, long to extend an offer to the Management Society to partner with the City in that effort.

The BYU Management Society’s Vision: “Growing Moral and Ethical Leadership around the World”

The BYU Management Society has as its vision “growing moral and ethical leadership around the world.” The Society was founded in 1977 by then-BYU Business School Dean Merrill Bateman to “promote professional advancement, high ethical standards, career development, and continuing education.” That original objective evolved into the current vision statement of “growing moral and ethical leadership around the world” at an Annual Leadership Conference of the Society in 2005. The Society has 56 chapters and about 6,000 members throughout the US and in 18 countries worldwide.

Getting to Know Your Neighbors

Although “affiliated” with the BYU Marriott School, the BYU Management Society is not an alumni organization nor is membership limited to any particular religious denomination. Nonetheless, because of its “affiliation” with the BYU Marriott School, Society membership has been prominently LDS. Breaking out of that mold to be more inclusive of all individuals who support “moral and ethical leadership,” without regard to school affiliation, business background or creed, has always been a goal of the Society.

Chapters of the BYU Management Society seek to serve local business communities by providing speakers, workshops and events that focus on “growing moral and ethical leadership” in those communities. However, this “community connection” has been elusive, at best. Some of those outside of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have described Latter-day Saints as “reserved, unapproachable, somewhat intolerant, clannish, closed and isolated.”[1] In contrast, Latter-day Saints have long been encouraged to be involved in their communities and be good neighbors. In his classic talk in October 2001 General Conference, “Doctrine of Inclusion,” Elder M. Russell Ballard gave three suggestions for being a more “inclusive” people, the first of which was to

[G]et to know your neighbors. Learn about their families, their work, their views. Get together with them, if they are willing, and do so without being pushy and without any ulterior motives. Friendship should never be offered as a means to an end; it can and should be an end unto itself.

The BYU Management Society believes that it is well-positioned to assist not only Latter-day Saints, but individuals of all faiths, to become better neighbors and develop a better sense of community.

What’s in a Name?

After a little discussion and debate, on December 13, 2007, the chapter in Rancho Santa Margarita decided to put less emphasis on its BYU affiliation and greater emphasis on its connection to the community. The name chosen by the chapter is “Rancho Santa Margarita Management Society, Affiliated with the BYU Marriott School.” The group also decided on a breakfast format as opposed to the more common lunch format because it was designed as a smaller, more community chapter. It was hoped that the breakfast format would allow those who commute out of town to participate before heading off to work.

“Lessons from Great Lives”

On January 16, 2008, the Chapter held its inaugural event, a breakfast featuring local resident, motivational speaker and author, Dan McCormick. His topic was taken from a recent book he co-authored, “Lessons from Great Lives” to a small but packed room of local, predominantly Latter-day Saint businesspeople. The book, and his speech, was a review of some of the highlights of great leaders in history. For the breakfast meeting, McCormick shared stories from the lives of Benjamin Franklin, Booker T. Washington and Sterling W. Sill and discussed how they exhibited “moral and ethical leadership.” (For more information about Dan McCormick and his book, click here.)

Inaugural Breakfast Meeting Draws a Crowd and the Media

The goal for attendance at this inaugural breakfast meeting was 30-35 people; about 65 attended. Two local newspapers covered the event and articles came out a in the online Local section of the Orange County Register (click here for a link to the article, with comments below the article) and the Coto News, both with very upbeat accounts of the meeting. The Coto News had already published one article announcing the group’s formation and upcoming breakfast meeting. It has proposed a monthly article featuring a local business that has exhibited “moral and ethical leadership.” Comments on blogs, social network sites and in emails regarding the group’s focus have been very positive. The Orange County Register has called back for a follow up story because of ongoing interest in the organization’s unique mission. Reporters have asked whether this group believes being moral and ethical is good for business, why there is such a strong response to the message of “moral and ethical leadership” and whether the initial enthusiasm can be sustained. Reporters have been referred to, among other things, the recent Christmas Day interview by Glenn Beck of Jon Huntsman on CNN Headline News and Mr. Huntsman’s book, “Winners Never Cheat.” (Click here for more information on the book.)

The City’s Desire to Teach “Moral and Ethical Leadership”

Nate Farnsworth, who is a Latter-day Saint and works for the City of Rancho Santa Margarita’s Planning Department and attended the breakfast on January 26, told his co-workers about the group and its vision. Kathryn Graham, City Consultant for Development Services for the City was very excited about a possible partnership between the City and the Rancho Santa Margarita Management Society. In a meeting the day after the first breakfast, Ms. Graham stated that the City and Chamber of Commerce are concerned about unscrupulous businesses coming into the City and damaging the City’s reputation for honest and moral businesses. This would injure the City’s efforts to create the kind of small town “heart of a village” atmosphere that it is working so hard to foster. However, the City and Chamber did not have the resources to provide the kind of training and development to combat this problem. Ms. Graham asked whether the Rancho Santa Margarita Management Society would be willing to take on the role of teaching and promoting “moral and ethical” values to local businesses via the Chamber of Commerce. The Management Society quickly agreed to fill that role.

Two Specific Events Already Planned

With only one breakfast event under its belt and one day after that event, Ms. Graham requested the new Rancho Santa Margarita Management Society’s help on two specific upcoming events. First, the City and Chamber of Commerce are hosting a first-ever, “Business Resource Fair” on January 30, 2008, with workshops on a variety of business topics (for a link to information on the event, click here). Ms. Graham asked the Society to provide a speaker to lead a workshop at the Business Fair on “growing moral and ethical leadership” in the local business community. Dan McCormick, the speaker at the recent breakfast meeting, has agreed to lead that workshop. Second, the South Orange Counties Regional Chambers of Commerce is hosting a “Networkers’ Breakfast” on April 29, 2008 and Ms. Graham asked for a keynote speaker at that event. The Society has agreed to provide a speaker for that event, who will be introduced by the Mayor of the City of Rancho Santa Margarita and again focus on “growing moral and ethical leadership” in the City of Rancho Santa Margarita and the local business community.

Next Steps for the Rancho Santa Margarita Chapter

Much remains to be done for this new chapter to reach its goal of “growing moral and ethical leadership” in the Rancho Santa Margarita business area. “Reporters” are needed to seek out stories of local businesses that exhibit the group’s vision and mission statement and write about those stories, as well as bringing representatives of those businesses in to receive awards or speak about their businesses. Individuals who support this cause are being recruited for committees to provide the kind of training and support for which the City is looking. This chapter views its purpose as not to create another business breakfast group, but to be part of a world-wide movement for “growing moral and ethical leadership.”

How to Join or Start a Chapter in Your Area

There are existing chapters of the BYU Management Society in many areas of the United States and the world. To repeat, one does not have to be an alumnus of BYU or a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to join! If a chapter does not exist in your area, it is easy to start one. Start small with your own local neighborhood and community. Simply contact Rixa Oman, Executive Director of the BYU Management Society at (801) 422-6824 or email: management_society@byu.edu. Or, you can find out more by going to the BYU Management Society website (Click here).

Nancy:

This e-mail is in response to your request for a little background information on our organization, purpose for meeting and to confirm our request for a room rental at the Bell Tower Regional Community Center.

We are in the process of forming a new chapter of the BYU Management Society in Rancho Santa Margarita. The official chapter name will be the “Rancho Santa Margarita Management Society, Affiliated with the BYU Marriott School.” We operate under the 501(c)3 of Brigham Young University. If you need formal documentation, I will have to get that to you next week.

The mission statement of the BYU Management Society is “growing moral and ethical leadership around the world.” As stated on the BYU Management Society website,

The Management Society was founded in 1977 by Dean Merrill J. Bateman as an organization of alumni and friends of the BYU College of Business—now Marriott School of Management. Membership includes not only BYU and Marriott School alumni, but many other business professionals with the same desire for professional advancement, high ethical standards, career development, and continuing education. Twenty-Five years after its founding, the management society is an influential organization with about 6,000 members in 40 U.S. cities and 10 (now 18) countries.

With regard to your concern about whether this is a religious group and whether the purpose of the meeting will be religious in nature, you may want to look at the portion of the website dedicated to our Cultural Beliefs, which includes the following statement:

Act Professionally
I act with professional respect to include all.

• • Explanation: This is a professional society that addresses people and programs in a professional way. At the same time, the society is inclusive – of age, gender, nationality, ethnicity, career path, alma mater, religious affiliation etc. All members should clearly conduct themselves in a professional manner (not casual or ecclesiastical) through their dress, speech, meeting agendas, etc. Members (and particularly leaders) are culturally and socially aware of their differences and strive to make them strengths.

Although Brigham Young University is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the BYU Management Society is not a church entity nor is it an alumni group. As set forth above, membership is open to members of the community of any age, gender, nationality, ethnicity, career path, alma mater, religious affiliation etc.

As I indicated to you on the phone, we would like to reserve the La Mirada Multipurpose Room of the Bell Tower Regional Community Center for a meeting on Wednesday, January 16, 2008 from 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. We plan on serving a light, continental breakfast and will clean the room before we leave.

We understand that there are to be no prayers offered in the building and the facilities are not to be used for religious purposes. The purpose of our meetings will be to invite local business and government leaders to speak, as well as allow Society members to network and mentor each other.

Currently, we are planning on holding these meetings on the Third Wednesday of every month. However, as I get more feedback from our members, that may change. Please let me know if you have any further questions and whether you can confirm our use of the meeting room and how to proceed with payment. Thank you for your courtesy and corporation.
–
Bill Chapman