Growing moral and ethical leadership around the world

In recent public and private conversations I've had with members of the BYU Management Society, I have detected some divergence in opinions about what our primary purpose(s) should be. In the interest of oversimplifying, I would suggest that there are two general camps or schools of thought as to what our primary purpose is or should be:

1. General Networking. This group's primary purpose is to get together with other business people who share our values, learn from good speakers on current business topics, meet new people, generally socialize in a business setting that is not filled with alcohol, smoking, coffee, off-color jokes, foul language, etc.
2. Specific Networking. This group's primary purpose is to network to grow their business in both the short term and long term. If they are not finding new customers or people who can refer them to customers, coming to a monthly breakfast meeting is not worth the time and fee for the breakfast.

I think each chapter should have a very good discussion (and I would like to have an open dialogue here) on the following questions:

• Which of the two above purposes is our primary one?
• Can we hold out both purposes as equally important and remain a viable organization?
• Can we put one of the two purposes above as the primary one, but keep both purposes as priorities, and remain a viable organization?
• Should we give up one of the above purposes and focus exclusively on the other?

Please leave your comments on this blog so that we can keep all of our thoughts in one place.  (To see this same post with comments from other chapters, go to the Orange County Management Society blog and the Rancho Santa Margarita Management Society blog.)

Bill Chapman

Orange County Attorney 

SCORE Workshop in Fullerton -No Charge- "Demystifying Commercial Leasing" Where & When Date: Thursday April 10, 2008 Time: 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM Location: Fullerton Public Library 353 W. Commonwealth Fullerton, CA 92832 A no-charge event   Limited seating - save your seat by pre-registering at www.score114.org Sponsored by: Fullerton Public Library Free Biz Plan CD All attendees will receive a free business plan CD with business plan templates and Excel spread sheets. A $24.95 value. "Commercial Leasing"       Are you confused when looking at your commercial lease? Afraid of what the "small print' might say?  Do you know what is negotiable and what isn't?    Commercial building owners & their agents each have a strong background in negotiating leases, which most commercial tenants lack. This course can help equalize the situation by showing you what to do and how to proceed when you find an office, industrial or retail space to lease. Leasing commercial property is not overly complex, but it does take knowledge and skill. Whether you are planning to lease a commercial property on your own or use the services of a qualified broker, this seminar is designed to take you through the steps of the process and by doing so level the playing field.   Jim Resha of Integrity Real Estate and Investment Group, Inc. presents this workshop.  For more than 20 years, Jim has excelled in commercial and industrial real estate, finance and senior management.  He is President of Integrity Real Estate & Investment Group, Inc.  He is a licensed real estate agent, a licensed broker and a CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member).  CCIM's are recognized experts in commercial real estate brokerage, leasing, asset management, valuation & investment analysis.  Bring your questions to the pro. ___________________________________________________ There is no charge for this event.  The event is underwritten by our sponsors. Please pre-register by going to www.score114.org   SBA/SCORE 200 W. Santa Ana Blvd., Suite 700 Santa Ana, California 92701 www.score114.org

The cover story of today's online issue of Meridian Magazine (500,000 circulation) is about the Rancho Santa Margarita chapter. To see the cover of the magazine click here . To read the article, click here or on the link below.

We would appreciate it very much if you would forward the article to your friends and submit a comment online. To submit a comment online, simply click on the yellow box on the right-hand side of the article where it says "What do you think?" and type a short comment.

Submitting a comment will help us get our message of "growing moral and ethical leadership" out to the online community. Thank you for your support and help on this.

Beginning with a Bang: Rancho Santa Margarita Management Society Chapter Partners with City

The City of Rancho Santa Margarita knows that unethical businesses will drive away good businesses and consumers — and recognizes that the Rancho Santa Margarita Management Society can help promote good business practices.
By Bill Chapman

A working paper recently published by the Harvard Business School, "See No Evil: When We Overlook Other People's Unethical Behavior," analyzes why we sometimes condone unethical behavior by overlooking it.  This is an outstanding article by one of our country's best business schools.  It is supportive of the vision of the BYU Management Society of "growing moral and ethical leadership around the world."

I was given the assignment to plan our Dean's Seminar for October 16, 2008.  I recommend we invite Dean Ned Hill to give his presentation on "Business with Integrity" for the seminar.  I have heard him give this presentation and it is outstanding and right in line with our mission of "growing moral and ethical leaders around the world." 

Dean Hill is completing his 10th and final year as Dean of the Marriott School of Management this July.  He has led the Marriott School to great heights under his tenure.  Unless I hear back to the contrary by next Wednesday, January 2, 2008, I will move forward on this proposal. 

The following is a status on the rest of the assignments:

• February 21: Kim Tobler (I called and left a message for Kim today)
• April 17: Marian Bergeson (Joe Bentley) - Confirmed
  
• June 19: Dick Marriott (Ralph Neilsen) - I will check with Ralph tomorrow
  
• July 17: Career Night (Mike Robinson/Paul Hoffman) -  Confirmed
  
• October 16: Dean's Seminar (Bill Chapman) - see above
  
• November: Entrepreneur's Conference (Hal Halliday/Shane Kennedy) - Carol Pearson to clear a specific date with Chapman University
  

I will also call tomorrow to find out if we can use Knobbe, Martens' Conference Room for our luncheons.  I suggest we hold a Board Meeting on the second Wednesday of every other month, starting with January 9, 2008, so that we can finalize plans for the February 21 luncheon.  Please RSVP by next Wednesday, January 2, 2008.  Thanks.
--
Bill Chapman

At our Board meeting today, the following calendar was proposed for 2008 with chairperson(s) as follows:

• February 21: Kim Tobler, CFO, The Irvine Company, and Forecaster for the Irvine Company (Dyke Huish)
• April 17: Marian Bergeson, first Republican woman elected to the state Senate and to the Assembly, former head of Cal Transportation Committee (in charge of allocating some $33 Billion in bond proceeds), CA Supt. Of Education and Bd of Education and Orange County Supervisor (Joe Bentley)
  
• June 19: Dick Marriott (Ralph Neilsen)
• July 17: Career Night (Mike Robinson/Paul Hoffman)
  
• October 16: Dean's Seminar (Bill Chapman)
• November: Entrepreneur's Conference (Hal Halliday/Shane Kennedy)

Jeff Shields agreed to contact Knobbe, Martens about using their conference room for our luncheons.  The Entrepreneurs Conference will be held at Chapman University and the date will have to be selected after coordinating with them.  The Career Night will be held at the Newport Beach Stake Center.

The OCMA Board and planning committee members will meet on December 12, 2007 from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Latham & Watkins Orange County office,650 Town Center Drive,20th Floor,Costa Mesa CA 92626, phone 714.540.1235.  The following are topics we would like to discuss:

1. Speakers: status of efforts to line up speakers for 2008.  We hope to focus on local business and government leaders who share and can incorporate into their speeches our vision of "growing moral and ethical leadership around the world.  The BYU Marriott School will fly in an MBA Professor once a year at no cost to us for a "Dean's Seminar."
2. E-Mail Lists: we would like to collect as many e-mail lists as we can to publicize our events.  Please e-mail your list to me in a spreadsheet format.
3. One Page Business Plan/Committee Chairs:
   
1. Luncheons;
2. Ward/Stake Chapters;
3. Career Night;
4. Entrepreneurs' Conference;
5. Employment;
6. Website/Photo Directory (JRCLS example);
7. Community Outreach (Inland Empire Chapter has co-hosted events with the University of Redlands Banta Center for Business, Ethics & Society, including having Dean Ned Hill and Associate Dean Steve Albrecht, who spoke on, "White Collar Crime and Fraud"
8. Sponsors (JRCLS examlpe);
9. Membership.
4. Committments: We need everyone who is going to be a board member to make a committment to either Chair a committee or be a Co-Chair.  Each Chair/Co-Chair needs to write a One Page Buesiness Plan (or their own alternative) on what their goals are for 2008 and how they will accomplish them.
5. Succession:  We not only need a new Chair, Chair-Elect, Secretary and Treasurer, we need to rotate those who have served two years or more to newer people over the next one year.  After a 2 year term, the Chair-Elect becomes the new Chair, the Secretary becomes the Chair-Elect, etc.  We should have a 2-year term for each position, including Board members and everyone needs to groom a successor.
6. Report Back and Next Meeting: I recommend we spend $250 for an official One Page Business Plan website (I will demonstrate this at the meeting) which allows for online tracking of progress towards our goals and full accountability.  We will review progress at each Board meeting.  If you are a Chair and cannot attend a Board meeting, you should either send a representative from your committee or provide a written report exlpaining progress and any obstacles and course corrections.  As President Monson says, "When performance is measured, performance improves. When performance is measured and reported, the rate of improvement accelerates."   June, 1977 New Era

Please leave a comment if you have any thoughts.  I subscribe to this blog and will get an email within 24 hours with a link to any comments.  To subscribe, go down the right column and type in your email address under the heading, "Subscribe."  I look forward to hearing from you.

Meridian Magazine is looking for some business columnists who would write about important LDS figures in business, ethical questions, trends in business that would be particularly interesting to Latter-day Saints.  A columnist should be someone who not only can write, but write with some flair and style.  Contact Bill Chapman with inquiries.

I suggested that we form a Chapter of the BYU Management Society in my ward and believe those who join would enjoy the following benefits: 

• Breakfasts: meet together monthly or quarterly in our area for breakfast early enough not to interfere with regular business schedules;
  
• Networking: learn more about each other's business and professional lives and expertise;
• Speakers: invite local LDS or non-LDS leaders in business, government, the arts, etc. to speak to us;
• Recognition: give an award to or otherwise recognize non-LDS local individuals and businesses who exemplify high moral and ethical standards;
• Community: instead of being just a "bedroom" community, become connected with this wonderful area we live in;
  
• Employment: be a support to priesthood leaders in providing informal consulting to those seeking jobs or career development;
  
• Golf Tournament: hold an annual golf tournament to benefit a worthy charitable cause;
• Business Setting: invite our non-LDS friends and neighbors to get to know us in a non-Church business setting;
• Global: membership in this organization connects you with chapters of business professionals in 60 US cities and 18 countries worldwide who share our values;
  
• Diversity: you do not need to be a BYU alumnus or even LDS to belong to this organization.  The vision of the BYU Management Society is "growing moral and ethical leadership around the world."  Anyone who shares this vision may join.  We would especially encourage women, minorities and those of other faiths to join.
• "Standing for Something": our affiliation with the Marriott School at BYU is an internationally recognized "brand" which communicates the values to which we adhere without limiting membership.  The Wall Street Journal recently ranked the Marriott School #1 in regional MBA schools and #2 in ethics at MBA schools nationwide. 
  
• President Hinckley: at the Worldwide Alumni Gathering, November 7, 2003, President Hinckley encouraged us to use the BYU "brand" to build the Kingdom and stand up for moral and ethical values:
  
• Your alma mater will grow in the respect of leaders throughout the earth who will increasingly recognize the unique abilities and unusual qualities of BYU graduates. The stature of BYU graduates will enhance the good name of the Church wherever they go and do inestimable good in advancing the work of the Lord.  As moral and ethical values weaken and decline in societies worldwide, the gap between the world and this Church will widen. Those who live according to LDS standards will stand out from the crowd and receive recognition as those who can be counted on.
• Elder David B. Haight: encouraged members of the BYU Management Society as follows:
• We need members of the BYU Management Society to help build the moral base of our communities.  You have standards, ideals and values that will not only lead you to success, but will bless and strengthen this nation and all the world.
  

The idea of forming a chapter in my own ward came to me today, as noted above.  I talked to a few people and they were very excited.  Obviously, if this model works and can be applied elsewhere, this has the potential to grow our organization exponentially.  Maybe this is what we have been waiting for.

Any thoughts on forming ward or stake chapters?  Could this work in your area?  Is this too much, too quick?  For me, I am excited and think it will work.  Let me know your thoughts.

Below are the quotes I referred to at our meeting yesterday, taken from President Hinckley's November 7, 2003 address to the Worldwide Alumni Gathering, reported in the Summer 2007 issue of BYU Magazine and Elder David B. Haight's comments as recorded in the BYU Management Society brochure.  I believe President Hinckley's statement applies not only to BYU graduates, but members of the BYU Management Society chapters, such as the OCMA, whether BYU graduates or not who adhere to our values.

Your alma mater will grow in the respect of leaders throughout the earth who will increasingly recognize the unique abilities and unusual qualities of BYU graduates. The stature of BYU graduates will enhance the good name of the Church wherever they go and do inestimable good in advancing the work of the Lord.

As moral and ethical values weaken and decline in societies worldwide, the gap between the world and this Church will widen. Those who live according to LDS standards will stand out from the crowd and receive recognition as those who can be counted on.

 Elder Haight stated as follows:

We need members of the BYU Management Society to help build the moral base of our communities.  You have standards, ideals and values that will not only lead you to success, but will bless and strengthen this nation and all the world. 

Any thoughts on how we might use one or both of the quotes above to craft our "message"?