Are Mormon Men Unintentionally Discriminating at Work

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by Alex Fuller:

I recently attended a seminar on gender discrimination in the workplace and was surprisingly conflicted afterwards. I had begun the seminar thinking, "Of course I treat men and women equally." After, however, I was left wondering if I regularly discriminate without realizing it.

This seminar happened the same week that I heard a comment that equally surprised me. The comment came from a LDS female coworker who observed that LDS men are often less inclusive and less open with women in the workplace. She was the only woman in a small minority of Mormons in the organization. Despite her shared beliefs, she often felt excluded by her male LDS coworkers. They were tackling similar projects, but she frequently had to find her own support group.

How could this happen?

Although I don't think most LDS men discriminate on purpose, I wonder how many times we shy away from women either unconsciously or deliberately.

Duty and Passion Can Co-Exist

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by Dustin:

In 2006 while attending grad school I stumbled upon an interesting phenomenon gripping the Elder's Quorum of the Ward: a belief that duty and passion can't co-exist in career.

A year earlier I had quit my job in public relations to figure out my passion and follow it. My wife, one-year-old daughter, and I packed up a moving truck and set out into the great unknown. We carried no debt which made the leap easier and we had calculated the bare minimum we could live off of to sustain us while I explored career paths. It was shockingly little.

I landed in a degree program that was aligned with my passion -- educational leadership -- and was knee deep in it in 2006 when we invited a family from the Ward over for dinner. He was in law school and I asked him to tell me about the day when he woke up and said, "I'm going to be a lawyer." His wife was deep in conversation with my wife and he hushed his voice and leaned in to answer my question.

"I don't actually want to be a lawyer."

Whoa. What?! Then why in the world ...

"I just didn't know what else to do when I graduated and it seemed like a viable option."

So why don't you do something else?

"I can't. I'm in deep. I figure I've just got to buckle down and earn a living. Support the fam."

Why can't you do both? Do something else and still earn a living?

"Too much unknown. It's probably not feasible anyway. Better to just do this for a decade or two and then do what I really want."

A decade. Or two. That's a long time.

Over the next year as we invited others over I heard the same story over and over again. Guy doesn't know what to do when he graduates. Driven by a sense of duty, he enrolls in a degree program to take his place in society working a job he lacks passion for but with the hope that one day he can quit and do what he really wants.

This post has a high risk of sounding judgy, so let me pause and simply state my belief. You can do both. You can both pursue your passion and bring home the bacon. They aren't mutually exclusive. In fact, we need you to do it. The world needs it. Positive change is made when people pursue passion with purpose.

There's nothing wrong with being duty-driven. That's not my angle. And if passion isn't important and duty is, that's okay too. But if you want to pursue passion AND you feel a sense of duty to provide for your family, this post is for you. It's possible, and as with anything unconventional it takes effort, intentional work, and focus. It may take some sacrifices -- the kind that the whole family has to be behind -- and you may not succeed right away. But it can happen.

I can't tell you how to do it in a 300-word post. There's simply too much to cover. But if you need some guidance start here and here. You may also want to read Seth Godin, Steven Pressfield, and Chris Guillenbeau to name a few. I also write about the topic on my blog and, in the spirit of pursuing passion and purpose, am aiming to publish a book in October to help clarify the process.

The blessing of agency is that we get to choose what we do. We choose our work. I love this advice from President Eyring's father: "You ought to find something that you love so much that when you don't have to think about anything, that's what you think about." It's never too late to choose your work.


Dustin currently lives in Houston, Texas with his wife and four children. After serving a mission in Puerto Rico, he set the tone for a happy marriage by failing Dating and Marriage Prep at BYU-Idaho. He then showed why this happened, dragging his family around the nation with nine moves in seven years, all in the name of figuring out what to do with his life. He found his way into leadership development and now works at YES Prep Public Schools training teachers to be leaders and as a private consultant for businesses and non-profits. He especially enjoys helping people figure out their best-fit career and get into it and spits serious game on the topic at www.dustinpeterson.me. He loves bacon, Dallas sports teams, and long walks on the beach. Email him at dustin (at) dustinpeterson (dot) me. Twitter: @dustin_lead.
Image credit: Czarina Cleopatra Mendoza (used with permission).

Dream Jobs

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by Eliana:

A few days ago I caught the end of a story on the NPR program All Things Considered. Apparently there's been some confusion about the North Carolina/South Carolina state line. You can probably imagine the bureaucratic nightmare of having your home or business in a different jurisdiction than you thought. 

The five second transition after the story is what caught my attention: a music clip of the Robin Thicke song Blurred Lines. See? The story is about lines and they aren't clear … which is another way to say blurred? Genius.

My dream job is to be the NPR music person—not doing stories about celebrities or albums. I just want to be in charge of the sneaky snippets of music serving as an inside joke if you can place the song and figure out it's connection to the story. When done well, these brief moments elevate my enjoyment of a piece to a whole new level.

Other dream jobs:

• The one I already have, teaching community college without dealing with politics, but in my fantasy there's an entirely different pay structure involved.
• Back-up dancer for a big concert act. 
• Researcher, primarily for a quirky billionaire with flexible deadlines.

And you? What's your dream job? 

*It goes without saying that if you have influence regarding hiring for any of my dream jobs, I fully expect you to pull some strings for me.


Eliana Osborn was raised on cold weather and wild animals in Anchorage, Alaska, setting the stage for her adult life in the Sunniest Place on Earth in Arizona. She grew up in the church and didn't know there were places where conformity was preached. She has degrees. She writes. She teaches. She has some kids. She even has a husband. She's trying to do her best.
Image credit: Atsuke (used with permission).

Why Can't I Get It Right?

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by Bradly Baird:

I cannot seem to get my career right. Why?

Every job that I have had since I finished my undergraduate work in 1990s has been an unhappy experience. I worked hard at these jobs, accomplished many things, and still felt at the end of the day as though I wasted my time or just felt empty about the work that I completed (zero satisfaction by any of it). I am now in that same position with my current employer. I come home at the end of everyday completely exhausted - feeling as though I am just making money for someone else - and I am at the end of my rope.

All of my friends and acquaintances from college have found stable careers and seem to derive at least a little bit of satisfaction from their work; many even seem to enjoy it. So, what is my problem? Where does my inability to find this satisfaction come from? I am unable to answer either of these questions and now I am thinking that perhaps I need some sort of therapy.

I maintain an incredibly fulfilling religious and spiritual life, enjoy a fulfilling life at home with my family, and experience hobbies and interests that endlessly fascinate and interest me (not to mention the fun of writing every month for Trip M). If I can get the personal aspects correct and feel a tremendous sense of peace and joy therein, where am I getting it wrong with the professional? I just don't know.

I thought last week that I might not be cut out for the regular business life and started looking around at homesteads in Utah that I might purchase and try to become self-sufficient (like those nutzos on the "reality" show, Alaska: The Final Frontier). But, after a few minutes I came to my senses and realized that I couldn't do something like that to my family.

So, blogosphere, I put it to you. How do I figure out this professional stuff? I am open to any sort of advice from anyone out there (especially if some of you might have a particular expertise in this field). You can put a comment on this post or, if you have something deeper to say, send me an email. I am open to any ideas and thoughts because everything I have attempted thus far has failed.


Bradly Allen Baird is the father of two amazing children and has been married for almost twenty years. He served a mission in Finland, though he was really supposed to serve in Uruguay. His professional meanderings include everything from education to economic development, to human capital management in the IT industry (hopefully this one sticks); and spends his Saturdays hanging out with the missionaries in Provo, or racing back and forth between his children's activities in tae kwon do and elite cheerleading. Bradly also survived an MBA program; developed a somewhat limited interest in music, theater, film, urban planning, judaica, liberation theology, politics, israel, and latin american history; studies the influence of graphic imagery on public space; wrote a thesis about Leonard Bernstein, is obsessed with the American Symphonists, and reads publications like The Tablet and the Jewish Daily Forward.
Image credit: James Yeung.

Would You Donate?

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by Seattle Jon:

Looks like the church's marketing department has not only been tasked with boosting conversions but with boosting donations as well - who else thinks this Deseret Industries ad is pretty slick?

Seattle Jon is a family man, little league coach, urban farmer and businessman living in Seattle. He currently gets up early with the markets to trade bonds for a living. In his spare time he enjoys movies, thrifting and is an avid reader. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University and the Japan Fukuoka mission field. He has one wife, four kids and three chickens.

Three Keys to Resolving Your Energy Crisis

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by Dustin (bio)

If you pictured Al Gore when you read the title of this post, I apologize. This isn't about THAT kind of energy crisis. This is more about the kind of crisis that has a deep impact on your productivity, peace, and the contribution you make to the lives of those around you. Your personal energy crisis. Most of us have experienced an energy crisis and according to research (1) many of us experience one every day. Let me illustrate with one of my own.

There was a time early in my career when I would come home from my job in public relations and be a shell of myself. I would walk in the door, drop my stuff, and fall face down on the couch or bed. My wife and I were newly married and I undoubtedly freaked her out. Once I recovered enough energy from planking on the couch, I'd physically "clock in" to the relationships at home but feel mentally checked out. I couldn't pinpoint why I felt disconnected with reality but I didn't feel like I had much to give. I was running on fumes and everyone around me could tell. My wife used to tease me for going into "Dustin World" which consisted of pulling on a hoodie and cinching the hood around my face so tight that I looked like I was living in a Q*bert costume.

Alternately, I would wake up in the morning and pull the sheet over my head like Bubble Boy, resisting the desire to get out of bed and on to my soul-sucking job. After a year in PR I quit and tried many, many other jobs before landing in an immensely fulfilling career. Although the jobs improved, there were still times when energy crises would loom. Some days I had more energy than others and I just figured it was the ebb and flow of being a human. This energy roller coaster finally made sense to me when I came across a concept early in my study of leadership development that released the tension on my hood strings and pulled back the sheet, so to speak.

The Energy Account

All day every day we are doing one of two things: either making a deposit in our personal energy account or making a withdrawal. There is no gray area. No one is ever simply status quo in their energy account. You're either filling it or draining it. Some things give energy and other things take it away, and it's different person-to-person. Right now, writing this post, I can literally feel myself getting more energy, which to me feels like lightness, excitement, flow, creativity, and so on. That's because I get energy from taking concepts or ideas and breaking them down into practical solutions to help people improve their lives. (2)

How to Choose a Career: A Non-Lame Guide to Finding More Joy in What You Do Every Day -- Part 3

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by Dustin (bio)

NOTE: This is the third installment in a series of posts that piece together things I've learned over the last eight years of using my life like a lab rat to figure out the question "what should I do with my life?" This series is aimed at those who are exploring career, looking to change jobs, or who are simply searching for more happiness in their daily work regardless of what that work entails. Read Part 1 or Part 2.

Image via Richard Blank

Yesterday I ate lunch with a friend and we were talking about what in the world drove him to major in bio-engineering. He said he showed up at Rice University and asked around to find out what the hardest major was and then signed up for that. He's obviously driven by different values than I am. Pretty much any hard class or major I ever came across at BYU-Idaho got the ol' "sayonara." But he illustrates an interesting point: People land in majors and careers for really random reasons. You might be able to relate. I know I can.

I chose public relations as a sophomore because I met with a career counselor who asked me what I like to do and I said "work with people" (just like virtually every other human being on planet earth). He said, "Do you feel like you can relate well with them?" I thought about it and said, "Oh yeah. Actually I do that really well." "Then you should go into public relations," was the reply. So I went into PR. The joke was on me when two years later I was gainfully employed at a top-tier PR firm in Dallas sitting in a "call booth" cold-calling media from wellness magazines to pitch them my client, Beano, and it's discovery of Complex Carbohydrate Intolerance (aka stinky toots). Choosing a major or career is tricky because we don't know how to approach it and our default strategy is random.

From what I have observed over the past ten years, there are really two ways to go about choosing your career path, the Outside/In Model or the Inside/Out Model (trademark pending for the super creative names). Most people choose this one:

Outside/In Model

You begin your career search by looking at all of the options "out there" and then fitting yourself into the one that most peaks your interest. You use what I call Outside/In Model, looking at what is available and then deciding if you fit in one of those options. From the 200+ individuals I've interviewed, the consensus is that most people choose a major or career based on at least one of the following:

• My dad was a _____ so I will be too (as if career is consistently passed through the blood line).
• XYZ career path pays really well so I'll do that.
• XYZ major only takes _____ credits to graduate. Let's do this!
• I really liked studying the Renaissance in high school, so I'll be an English major.
• I loved Mr. Jones, my high school math teacher. He changed my life. I'll be a math major.
• My parents are paying for my schooling and they said, "We're not paying for you to go to ABC school to get a degree in that!"

In other words, when people choose a major they typically follow a relatively arbitrary and ineffective model of looking at all of the options they perceive to be available to them "out there" and then fitting themselves into one of them, much like fitting a round peg into a square hole. A graduating college senior might say, "Well, I can go into teaching, consulting, or pursue graduate school," pick one, and go with it. I did this when I graduated and most of the individuals I career coach do a similar thing. When I graduated with a degree in public relations my first Google search was for "jobs" in "public relations" in "Dallas." Likewise, when I initially selected my major I chose it based on super limited information. There are really three problems with this method:

1. It takes a lot of time to find a job you love. The common refrain is, "You can do anything for a year." While this is true, and I've definitely had my fair share of one-year jobs, an accumulation of one-year positions over a career can be detrimental because you may never get very much depth in any one career. You may select a major or career path, try it out for a year, bail and move on the next, try it for a year, and so on. People say, "Just dive in. You'll figure it out." While true, it's also very time-consuming and frustrating.

How to Choose a Career: A Non-Lame Guide to Finding More Joy in What You Do Every Day -- Part 2

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by Dustin (bio)

NOTE: This is the second in a series of posts that piece together things I've learned over the last eight years of using my life like a lab rat to figure out the question "what should I do with my life?" This series is aimed at those who are exploring career, looking to change jobs, or who are simply searching for more happiness in their daily work regardless of what that work entails. Read Part 1 here.

In Part 1, we figured out that doing what you love and loving what you do are both possible if you change the way you look at "what you love." Quick anecdote to drive home this idea: My wife is a master at diving into stressful situations and arranging people and things to achieve an outcome, particularly when everyone else is freaking out. As you can imagine, this happens all the time in a house of six people, two cats and a dog. She skillfully manages the chaos and actually gets energy from doing it! She loves using this talent prior to having visitors stay with us or preparing for guests. So how does she take what she loves and transfer it or replicate it outside of the home to get that same energy high, satisfaction, and results?

Two weeks ago we attended a youth fundraiser at the church, a spaghetti dinner and auction. As the new second counselor in the Young Women's presidency, my wife didn't have any direct oversight over the fundraiser but showed up to be supportive and lend a hand. I arrived to the church 30 minutes before start time to help out and chaos was in full effect. Women were racing around the church slinging spaghetti and sauce on plates and setting up tables in the gym. Each of them had brought their children and the kids were running rampant through the church. Lord of the Flies had ensued. As I walked the halls I saw kids standing on the metal chalkboard trays scribbling on boards and setting up rows of chairs and leaping off of them at full speed. My natural instinct was to cower in the corner in the fetal position and protect myself and my children but then I came across my wife in the kitchen. She had immediately jumped in and organized the insanity. She deftly delegated responsibilities to some of the young women and organized the supply chain. More importantly, you could tell she was at her best doing it. Her energy was high, she was calm, and she had that "in the groove" look in her eyes (which is scary because it often ends in me vacuuming the whole house or building something). I, on the other hand, faded into the background and rocked quietly in the corner.

Now imagine if she decided to enter the workforce and showed up at a company with this talent: organizing and arranging people, things, and responsibilities to achieve an outcome on a deadline. It wouldn't take long for this skill-set to manifest and my guess is she would be favorably recognized and compensated for it. The talents we use in the home and in our callings that yield high energy and satisfaction can be replicated in the workplace to our benefit (and vice versa) and the result will likely be more joy from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., a feeling of living in harmony with who we are, and perhaps even recognition and more financial security.

Now let's dive in with three myths about career that I've learned over the past decade:

MYTH 1: Career is linear, or in other words, where I think I will be in 10 years is exactly where I will end up. If you think about this for a second, the probability is totally unrealistic. Ten years ago today I was kneeling on a tile floor in Puerto Rico installing an alarm system as a technician for an alarm company. I never could have imagined where I would be now because this career path was not part of my paradigm. A lot can happen in 10 years, and to land precisely where you thought you would 10 years from now would mean that you have total control over the universe around you and any element that could potentially shake you from your path. I was talking with a friend the other day who said that her goal was to get a job at IDEO in 6-8 years. She had seen a video about them at the beginning of her Rice career and loved the environment they fostered and so she would end up there. The plan upon arriving to Rice was to study mechanical engineering for four years, get into Stanford, complete her master's in two years, and get a job at IDEO. I asked her how the plan was progressing and she admitted it was a little shaky.

How to Choose a Career: A Non-Lame Guide to Finding More Joy in What You Do Every Day -- Part 1

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by Dustin (bio)

NOTE: This is the first in a series of posts that piece together things I've learned over the last eight years of using my life like a lab rat to figure out the question "what should I do with my life?" This series is aimed at those who are exploring career, looking to change jobs, or who are simply searching for more happiness in their daily work regardless of what that work entails.

Image by Thomas Leuthard

This time of year makes me nauseous, mostly because I have flashbacks to my time as a graduating senior from BYU-Idaho almost 10 years ago. For some, graduation was an epic day because they transitioned smoothly into ready-made jobs with benefits. For me, an educational drifter who dabbled in seven majors in college, graduation marked the end of procrastinating one big, universal question -- what should I do with my life?

I graduated in public relations and spent one year in a job that drained my energy before I abruptly quit and devoted the next eight years to figuring out how to figure out what to do with my life and find more joy from 8am-5pm. I worked 8 jobs in 6 states in those eight years including stints as an alarm system salesman, corporate relations specialist, large appliance delivery man, program adviser at a university, community service intern, and a leadership development coordinator. I interviewed more than 200 people, read countless books and articles, and researched career exploration like it was my job. From all of this, two things happened: 1) I found a dream job that I get paid above average to do and 2) I figured out how to figure it out. I put everything I learned into a massive 98-page Google doc on my Gmail account and have spent the last few years teaching the concepts to every person who would listen, particularly to college kids at UNLV and Rice, to do my part to alleviate world suffering and global warming. I've coached hundreds of people through career exploration and believe the things I've learned in my journey can blow the lid off choosing a best-fit career and enjoying what you do. In this series of posts, I'll start with some basic things you need to know to figure it out. I'll then give three simple strategies to get you started. If after all this you need more help let me know by contacting me at dustin (at) petersonleadership (dot) com. No spam or Canadian drug offers, please. I am, however, open to wire transferring money to Nigerian kings or old ladies with big inheritances.

Know This First
It's important to understand at the outset that when people tell you to "just do what you love" they are both right and wrong. Yes, you should pursue something you love because you are more invested in things you love and you get more return on your investment. Think puppies. Or your family. But they may be wrong in suggesting that if you love singing you should be a singer. Or if you love basketball you should head for the NBA. I made the mistake of charting a course to a career in professional basketball that ended when I was 14 and got cut in tryouts. I didn't get far. All my life when people suggested I should just do what I love for a living I poo-pooed them, feeling like I had missed my calling in basketball and was forever doomed to just work out the rest of my days in job purgatory. "Well, if I failed at doing what I love I guess I should fall back into line with the day laborers."

Guest Post: Clayton Christensen on Asking Questions

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It doesn’t matter if you’re man or woman, gay or straight, dark- or light-skinned. All can equally submit guest posts to Modern Mormon Men. Write something now and submit via email.

Theric Jepson writes about Mormon literature at A Motley Vision and other stuff at Thutopia. He co-edited Monsters & Mormons, recently finsihed his debut novel Byuck and can be blamed for other acts of wickedness as well. He lives in El Cerrito, California, with his wife.

Unlike Orson Scott Card, Clayton Christensen is not a "Mormon artist"---but he is a famous public figure who is very open about the Mormon part of his identity. And no one wants to lynch him, so let's take a look, shall we?

CC's on my mind for a few reasons. His latest book was just quoted in elders quorum by an artist, and his other latest book was just advertised to me via BYU Magazine. His most famous book is omnipresent and his BYU-I speech is one of my favorite sermons of the last decade.

But the reason I'm writing about him now is the interview in the latest issue of Wired, part of its ICONS series which started last year with Bill Gates. It's a great little read and a snapshot of why I, no fan of business, admire the man so much. But it's the final line of the interview that's relevant to our current discussion:

What's unique about the Mormon Church is that it encourages inquiry. I really do think my research and religion are all on the same page. I never could have come up with the notion of disruptive innovations, which went against a lot of conventional wisdom, if I hadn't been raised to always be asking questions.

This correlates astonishingly well with my feelings about our shared faith, but not well at all with our public perception (cf Matt and Trey).

Which, I think, is part of the reason the arts are treated so skeptically by many in the household of faith. CC can get away with saying a lot of what he says because he's a Proper Mormon Man: he's in business, he's rich, he's at Harvard, he's been an Area Seventy, he wears white shirts. The man has a credibility I'll never match. Not even a controversy-free Orson Scott Card could match that kind of credibility. Not even if he pulled a baby from a burning building on his way home from winning a Pulitzer.

Anyway, it's Christensen's attitude toward seeking for knowledge that attracts me. That is an aspect of Mormonism that I think the world at large, in 2013, would find valuable. And so, to have a public Mormon espouse it---and as a basic tenet of his personal faith---is a marvelous and beautiful thing.

The first Mormon man, may I remind you, became the first Mormon man by asking a question.

The Worst Thing in the World

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by Ben Johnson (bio)

In the book 1984 the protagonist is arrested and taken to the Ministry of Love to be tortured. Although he is subjected to all manner of physical and mental horrors he remains defiant. In the end, however, his spirit is broken when he is taken to Room 101. His torturer explains why Room 101 is so effective: "The thing that is in Room 101 is the worst thing in the world." You see, the reason Room 101 is the worst thing in the world is because there you are subject to your own greatest fear.

I know exactly what I would be confronted with in Room 101. Unemployment. Even before I was married and had kids I shuddered at the thought that I someday might be a husband and a father and unemployed. Now, with a family of my own, I am even more acutely aware of the possibility.

On Saturday during the priesthood session the topic of unemployment was mentioned. The following quote was shared and it was like a punch to my chest:

A man out of work is of special moment to the Church because, deprived of his inheritance, he is on trial as Job was on trial—for his integrity. As days lengthen into weeks and months and even years of adversity, the hurt grows deeper, and he is sorely tempted to "curse God and die." ... The Church cannot hope to save a man on Sunday if during the week it is a complacent witness to the crucifixion of his soul.

Two days after priesthood I saw this video. It hurt me. The thought of that scene playing out around my own dinner table shook me.

I've never been unemployed, but I have seen first-hand what can happen. My brother lost his job once. It was a good job with excellent benefits and he loved it. Then one day the word came down that he was on the cut list. Even with months of advance of notice, even with a generous severance package, and even with many job prospects, my brother was crushed. He lost something like 30 pounds because his mind was frenzied. He was in a bad way. Eventually he found another great job but that span of unemployment was rough.

I hope none of you reading this are unemployed, but if you are I want to help. I don't claim to know any great networking secrets, nor do I have big business hookups. My circle of friends is small and my professional success is meager. But I do work for a pretty big company and we always have job openings. I also have an email account, a phone, and some time. Maybe, just maybe, I might be able to help. If nothing else you can at least know someone is willing to listen if you want to vent. Perhaps among all the good folks on MMM we could do something? I sincerely hope I am not out of line here. I don't mean to be. I'm just offering to help in my own puny way.

From the depths of my soul I'm asking you not to give up. I feel for my unemployed brothers out there and I pray that I can help.

Here is my contact info:
benjohnson3478 [at] gmail dot com
(eight oh one) four four eight-seven one seven two

R.I.P. Stephen Covey

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by Seattle Jon (bio)

I was saddened today to read that Stephen Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, died at 79 due to complications from a bicycle accident in April. I hadn’t heard of Stephen Covey before my mission, but The Seven Habits was a book of scripture in the Japan Fukuoka Mission during the mid-90’s thanks to the Ammon Project (maybe Saint Mark and I will do a joint post on the AP someday). I internalized the habits to such an extent that I sought out and won an internship at Franklin Covey after I got home. I even dated his niece for awhile (I didn’t stalk seek her out, too, it happened naturally) and spent some time in his home. I clearly remember his living room wall – it was very tall and wide – covered floor to ceiling with hundreds of framed pictures, most of them filled with family and friends. I remember being overwhelmed by the memories contained on that wall and hoping that someday I would also have so many people to love and be loved by. I’m sure this is a sad day for the people in those photos, but the memories … those will never go away even if he has.

Financial Transparency & The LDS Church

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by Seattle Jon (bio)

As monthly contributors to the Open Stories Foundation (mormon-related podcasts), my wife and I recently received a donor letter for our tax return. The stated purposes of the letter were:

1) To provide an end-of-year donation report,
2) To review what Open Stories was able to accomplish during the year, and
3) To let donors know some of what was ahead.

The summary of the foundation’s accomplishments and preview of what was ahead were nice, but what really caught my eye was the report on the foundation’s finances, including a profit and loss statement and a balance sheet. I have to say, the financial transparency was refreshing.

For years, I've been sending tithing directly to The Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the corporation that receives and manages money and church donations) and declining the annual tithing settlement in silent protest of the lack of financial transparency in the church. I’m not trying to start a movement or anything, it’s just that I've spent my entire career in the financial services industry and I think transparency is good business … and good religion.

Annoying Business Jargon

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by Seattle Jon (bio)

I was talking to a long-time friend the other day about annoying business jargon. He's in sales, I'm in finance. Both industries are heavy abusers of jargon, and we laughed as we shared with each other the phrases we found most annoying. Here are some of the phrases mentioned (definitions via Forbes):

• Leverage: The granddaddy of nouns converted to verbs, 'leverage’ is mercilessly used to describe how a situation or environment can be manipulated or controlled.
• It is what it is: No kidding. Thanks for the insight.
• Ducks in a row: The saying apparently comes from the earlier days of bowling before machines set pins automatically. One needed to get his ducks in a row before, invariably, hurling a weighty ball down the alley to blast the poor ducks into a pathetic, unorganized flock.
• Hard stop: An executive with a "hard stop" at 3 p.m. is serious about stopping at 3 p.m. Very serious.
• Synergize: This word has infiltrated nearly every cube and conference room in the country. The fault here can largely be placed on Stephen Covey's No. 6 habit.
• Move the needle: This beauty, which has nothing to do with heroin, is a favorite of venture capitalists. If something doesn't move the needle, they don't like it much.
• Take it to the next level: In theory this means to make something better. In practice, nobody knows what the next level actually looks like, so how am I supposed to know when I've reached it?
• Low-hanging fruit: The phrase has become a catch-all for managerial types who are trying to say "do the easy things first." Perhaps they should just say that.

If you find yourself talking with someone who abuses business jargon, fight back. For example, impress your stock broker by using this Financial Advice Generator. Or, simply don't participate by not incorporating annoying jargon into your own vocabulary.

What business jargon do you find annoying?

The Tree

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by Seattle Jon (bio)

My boss sent this to me the other day. The explanations under each picture certainly relate to business, but how can we relate it to life and religion?

Giveaway 5: Winners!

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Congratulations to the following MMM readers, you each win a 30-piece box of assorted dark and milk chocolates delivered straight to your door, courtesy of Lula's Chocolates! Don't let all the football and turkey distract you from remembering to send us your address by Friday, November 25th to claim your chocolates.

Even if you didn't win the giveaway, you can still win. Head to Lula's online store where owner Scott Lund has generously offered MMM readers a 15% discount (use discount code MMM15) off their entire first order. Or click here for a list of the many retailers in California, Florida, Nevada, New York, Oregon and Washington who carry Lula's chocolates. We can say from personal experience that the chocolate is delicious and the wrapped caramels are heavenly (we have it on good authority they will be served in the celestial kingdom).

"Be true to your teeth, or they'll be false to you." - Lula

Giveaway 5: Lula's Chocolates

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A few months ago, the Marriott Alumni Magazine ran a feature article on Lula's Chocolates, a Utah-based family business turned high-end chocolate retailer in Monterey, California. The owner, Scott Lund, makes chocolates the "home-fashioned" way using techniques passed down to him from his grandmother, Lula. When we read what Lula would tell her grandchildren when placing a chocolate in their hand - "Be true to your teeth, or they'll be false to you." - we knew we needed to contact Scott about a giveaway.

For this giveaway, Scott is offering four lucky MMM readers a 30-piece box of assorted dark and milk chocolates delivered straight to your door, a $50+ value. According to Scott, these are the small-batch, hand-crafted butter crèmes, nut clusters and caramels that started it all.

To enter the giveaway, just follow the guidelines below. If you can't wait until Friday to see if you've won, head to Lula's online store (use discount code MMM15 for 15% off your entire first order) or click here for a list of the many retailers in California, Florida, Nevada, New York, Oregon and Washington who carry Lula's chocolates.

Giveaway Guidelines:
• You have 5 days to enter (closes Friday, November 18 at midnight).
• Make one comment on this post to enter (anonymous comments ignored).
• Four winners chosen via random.org will be announced November 21.
• Winners need to respond via email by November 25 to claim their chocolates.

MoronicScammersAndTheDumbThingsTheyTryToDo

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by Apparent Parent (bio)

Most classifieds websites warn users of scams when new posts come online. The deal just might be too good to be true, they are in essence saying. What they don't warn you about is all the moronic scammers that will contact you when you want to sell something. When I listed my car in the local classifieds, I got jokers trying to steal my car from me in all sorts of interesting ways, just because I listed my email address. The funny thing is, these people trying to steal my stuff, while making it look like they're going to buy it, are endearing to me in an odd way. They are so stupid and know so little English that it's cute. I actually humor them by sending them responses as quirky as their inquiries. My favorite such transaction I have included in its entirety below with director commentary.


Inquiry email from Mack John, original grammar left intact.

Hello Seller,

am an oceanographer and am interested in your item place for sale and will love to know the final price and I'm willing to purchase it. As for the price am pleased with it and the condition, so i want you to consider the item sold.I will like to ask you some questions:

1} Are you the original owner of the item?
2} Do i need to repair?
3} Will you accept PAYPAL as a payment
4} Will allow local pickup at your location?
5} Do you have more pics?
6} What is the weight?
7} And also get back to me with your paypal email account.

Freemasonry, Washington & The Church

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by Seattle Jon (bio)

In light of market volatility and the drag on the dollar, take a look at some of the fascinating aspects of the U.S. one-dollar bill. The numerous references to freemasonry are interesting, especially given our church's historical ties to the organization. If you're interested in a faithful take on how to reconcile the two - mormonism and freemasonry - check out one of Mormon Stories' earliest podcasts here, or attend an October 13th meeting at the Provo Library. While some in the church might find the parallels uncomfortable, I found and still find great comfort in the interviewee's (Greg Kearney, FAIR's masonry expert) view on reconciling the two.

Source: creditsesame.com

When One Dream Ends, Just Keep Dreaming

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by Eric Devericks (bio)


As the editorial cartoonist for The Seattle Times, I had carte blanche to mock anyone and anything. And although I often tried to make people laugh, I took my work seriously. From world leaders to ordinary citizens, no one was safe from the wrath of my brush pen.

It was my dream job. Really — sometimes I really felt as though I was dreaming.

After all, there are more blacksmiths in America than political cartoonists. There are more basketball players in the NBA. There are more prosthodontists (which The Huffington Post mistakenly called the “rarest job in America” last year.)

But against all odds — and to the surprise of many (including myself) — I had landed a staff position at one of the largest and most respected newspapers in the country.