Using the Leadership Pattern as a Learning Tool

Consider this painting of the Savior by Heinrich Hofmann. In your learner’s journal, write a portrait of the Savior describing His moral, intellectual, and spiritual attributes. Instead of drawing what He may look like, focus on writing about His character and qualities you personally admire in Him. Use scriptures, quotes, or your personal experiences, as well as more general impressions or feelings.

As a group, share your portraits of the Savior. Then discuss the following questions:

• Are any of the attributes you described included in the Leadership Pattern? Explain.
• Consider the painting by Heinrich Hofmann, your own description of the Savior, and the Leadership Pattern. What do each of these tools teach about the Savior?

As part of this discussion, refer to the statement by Marshall McLuhan in the lesson preparation materials: “We shape our tools and then our tools shape us.” Discuss the following questions:

• How can you use the Leadership Pattern as a tool to become like the Savior?
• How does Marshall’s statement apply to the Leadership Pattern?

Take a few minutes to ponder the following questions individually. You could write some notes in your learner’s journal.

• What is a tool?
• What is the purpose of a tool?

Identify a tool you regularly use and ponder the following:

• When did you start using this tool?
• How long ago did you start using it?
• How good were you when you first used it?
• How good are your skills now when you use it?
• How long did it take you to learn how to use this tool?
• What does the tool allow you to accomplish?
• How much does this tool influence your life?
• Has learning how to use this tool help you to benefit others? Explain.

Pair up and share with your partner your answers to these questions.

Then review the Leadership Pattern with your partner and read the following description:

“The Leadership Pattern presents 9 talents and 48 behaviors. Its purpose is to help ‘the Church workforce know how to do the Lord’s work in the Lord’s way. [ . . . ] It brings together the best of doctrine, principles, and applications—guiding us to a higher level of behavior and performance and helping each of us to become more Christlike’” (Leadership Pattern website).

With your partner discuss the following:

• Consider your previous discussion about a tool you use frequently in your work. How is the Leadership Pattern a tool and what is its purpose and function?
• How long have you been using the Leadership Pattern?
• What have you learned about applying the Leadership Patter to your personal and professional life?
• What has the Leadership Pattern helped you to accomplish?
• What improvements have you seen in your life as you have used the Leadership Pattern?
• How has working with the Leadership Pattern helped you to benefit others (family, associates, coworkers, etc.)?

Look at the following tools and discuss as a group:

• What do each of these tools allow people to do?
• What do these tools have in common?
• What have you or others you know accomplished by using these tools?

Discuss how these tools would help an architect, chef, health care professional, educator, customer service professional, and personal fitness trainer. In your work, you have been given several tools to help you develop and succeed. The Leadership Pattern is key to your development and success. Just as a measuring tape is essential to building and reshaping a house and a measuring cup is essential for a chef’s success, the Leadership Pattern is essential for your work at Deseret Industries. As you seek to apply this tool, it will bless your life and the lives of those around you.

Browse through the Leadership Pattern Self-Inventory found in the “Lesson Resources” section, resource 1, then choose three to four talents and answer their questions.

Join with the rest of the group and discuss the following:

• How is the Leadership Pattern a tool?
• In what ways does this tool allow you to measure, assess, and evaluate yourself?
• What have you accomplished (or can you accomplish) by using this tool in your life?

Individually, take a moment to read the Your Learning Journey document in the “Lesson Resources,” resource 2. After reading it, choose the one of the three questions—What lack I yet? What must I do? Therefore, what? —that interests you the most. Divide in three groups, according to which question you chose.

With your group, read the following questions and the scriptures provided. Discuss how these scriptures and the information under Your Learning Journey answer your question.

• How can you prepare yourself for the answer to the question “What lack I yet”? Read the account of the rich young ruler in Matthew 19:16–24.
• What must you do to close the gap between where you are and where you need to be? Read the account of the ark of the covenant in Joshua 3:9–17, 4:18.
• How does the question “Therefore, what?” deepen your learning and increase your abilities? Read Ether 2:5–7, 13–17.

Divide in pairs and read the Your Learning Journey document found in the “Lesson Resources” section, resource 2. Then discuss the following questions:

• What stood out to you from this document?
• How could you use the Leadership Pattern to address the question “What lack I yet?”
• What do you think you will learn?

Take a few minutes to review the Leadership Pattern Self-Inventory in the “Lesson Resources” section, resource 1. Consider what you have read and discussed, and choose three to four talents for a self-evaluation. Then discuss the following with your partner:

• Consider the question “What lack I yet?” as you perform a self-evaluation with the Leadership Pattern Self-Inventory. How does this question help prepare you to identify opportunities for growth?
• How can the information on the Your Learning Journey document improve your use of the Leadership Pattern Self-Inventory? How do both of these tools improve your ability to use the Leadership Pattern?

Consult the Your Learning Journey document in the “Lesson Resources” section, resource 2. Then divide into small groups and read the following case studies. Use the information in the Your Learning Journey document to determine in which phase each individual appears to be. Answer the questions accompanying each case study. There may be more than one phase represented in each case study.

Jennifer has been speaking up more in her staff meetings, but she thinks she may be able to contribute more since she has been focused on improving in that area. She wants to use the momentum from her previous goals to keep improving in this area.

• Which phase most closely describes Jennifer? What details support your conclusion?

This is the third time Rachel has recognized that she has not held her associates accountable enough. She has finally decided to try some new ideas so that she can turn this weakness into more of a strength. Rachel plans to have her associates sign every single development plan, and she has a goal to set up a follow-up schedule with her associates. She believes these changes will help her change her own mindset so that her associates don’t miss any development opportunities.

• Which phase most closely describes Rachel? What details support your conclusion?

Tyrone never looks forward to staff meeting. The meetings take him away from his area and leave him playing catch up. He does not contribute much to the meeting, and any notes he writes are unrelated to meeting topics.

• Which phase most closely describes Tyrone? What details support your conclusion?

Watch the Mormon Messages for Youth video “A Work in Progress,” (LDS.org) as a class and then discuss the following questions:

• What role did consistency and repetition play in helping Tyler to achieve his sports goals?
• How can consistent and diligent work help you to be successful in meeting your goals in other areas of your life? Share an example.

The Leadership Pattern website describes the process of personal change as the “constant and deliberate application of Leadership Pattern talents to your work,” which is accomplished by “continually asking and seeking” ways to improve.

As a group discuss the following questions:

• What might change for the Lord’s work if every Church employee applied the Leadership Pattern more consistently and deliberately?
• What might change for your store if your staff applied the Leadership Pattern more consistently and deliberately to their work?
• What might change in your area if you and your associates applied the Leadership Pattern more consistently and deliberately to the work?
• What obstacles could prevent you from applying the Leadership Pattern more consistently and deliberately?
• How can you overcome these obstacles?

Using your non-dominant hand, write ten times the sentence “I can learn a new skill.” Evaluate your performance each time and think of ways to make your writing clearer.

After writing the sentence ten times, compare the clarity of your sentences with others in the group. Did your writing improve? As a group discuss the following questions:

• Did you see any improvement as you practiced writing the sentence?
• Did you have ideas for how to write specific letters so they would be clearer?
• How much would you need to practice each week to be able to write clearly with your non-dominant hand?
• How could mastering this sentence with your non-dominant hand give you the ability to write other sentences with your non-dominant hand? Explain.

Consider the following quotes:

“That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do—not that the nature of the thing is changed, but that our power to do is increased” (attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson, in Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant [2011], 34).

“Persistence in the pursuit of righteous desires can help us develop talents, attain our spiritual goals, and serve others” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant [2011], 33).

The Leadership Pattern describes the process of personal change as the “constant and deliberate application of Leadership Pattern talents to your work,” which is accomplished by “continually asking and seeking” for ways to improve (Leadership Pattern website).

As a group discuss the following questions:

• How can the consistent and deliberate application of the Leadership Pattern help you develop your talents?
• How can consistent and deliberate application of the Leadership Pattern talents increase your capacity to develop other talents?
• What obstacles could prevent you from applying the Leadership Pattern more consistently and deliberately?
• How can you overcome these obstacles?