Leading Saints Podcast

A quick lesson from President Kimball to Elder Hales.

I'm excited to announce a new segment on the LeadingLDS podcast. It is my goal to produce as much content to nourish the growing leader inside all of us. This segment will allow us to learn from some of the greatest and most inspired leaders to ever live--prophets, seers, and revelators. These will be a series of short episodes (about 5 minutes) that give you a daily leadership lesson from the gre...

Back in 2002 I was a missionary in the California Sacramento Mission. Nine months into my mission I was transferred to a small town called Tracy. My new companion was Elder Valdez from Houston Texas. From that day a strong friendship began and now Elder Valdez is Bishop Valdez in San Paulo Brazil. He has had an interesting experience being a bishop in a country he has only lived for 10 years. In t...

In this episode I had the opportunity to sit down with Ron McMillan. He is a four-time New York Times best-selling co-author of Crucial Conversations, Crucial Confrontations, Influencer, and Change Anything. He knows his stuff when it comes to creating lasting change. The interview answers a lot of questions, including: How do you create lasting change in Elder Quorum and Relief Society? How do yo...

I recently finished the book Quick and Nimble: Lessons from Leading CEOs on How to Create a Culture of Innovation by Adam Bryant. It was a though provoking read and I recommend it to all leaders. The book is based on 200 interviews with CEO. 80% of the book is quotations from these CEO on how they develop remarkable culture in their organizations. I went into the book not overly interested because...

In this episode of How I Lead, I talk with Marty Halverson who is currently serving as a Relief Society president in South Jordan, Utah. Marty shares her 5 keys of leadership and includes advice on choosing counselors when you don't know anyone in the ward, establishing unity in a ward, creating a mission statement, showing love at every opportunity, and leading how the Savior would lead. Marty's...

Lay leadership creates an interesting dynamic in the LDS Church. There are bishops that are Ivy League educated and other that are simple potato farmers. They are called of God and asked to manage an organization of people without any prior experience required. There are more positive outcomes to this approach than negative; however, it does lead to some head-scratching decisions. Leadership Counc...

Nathan Waldron has been in an elder's quorum presidency for a few years and has grown greatly as a leader. In this interview we learn about how he leads and some unique approaches he has to managing an elder's quorum and home teaching. President Waldron's 5 Keys of Leadership Love, lift, and care for the one Establish a vision and keep it in sight Emphases covenants and the associated responsibili...

In LDS meetings there is generally a presiding officer present. It is usually the bishop or member of the stake presidency that is highest in seniority. It is their duty to manage and direct the meeting as they see appropriate,"as they are lead by the Holy Ghost, according to the commandments and revelations of God" (D&C 20:45). The presiding officer is constantly measuring the time of the meeting...

Pamela Mills is currently serving in her fourth year as Relief Society President in Kirkland, Ohio. She is a convert to the church and has a deep testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I was so pleased to interview Pamela and learn from her leadership experience. She is the first (of many) Relief Society Presidents to be interview on the LeadingLDS Podcast. In this episode Pamela shares with us...

David Goates started The Goates Notes Blog as a suggestion from one of his children. Since then it has been growing in popularity and the content is very thought provoking. You will find a smorgasbord of topics on his blog, but many are focused around the doctrine of Jesus Christ, and very well researched. David is also the grandson of Harold B. Lee and has many fond memories of his time learning...

Many may classify 100% home teaching a fairy tale. Even 80% would be a modern day miracle. Like I mentioned here, home teaching is a unique challenge. It's hard to compare it to anything else in life. When a new elder's quorum president is called everything is new to that new leader--especially the problems. How does a quorum go from 40% home teaching up to 80%? I don't mean to group every new eld...

There is no better leadership training than reading about the life of great men. Recently I picked up President Henry B. Eyring's biography and was encompassed by his integrity, his spirituality, and his humility. I was a bit intimidated by the girth of the book but was soon surprised how quickly the pages turned. As I read biographies, certain details always capture my attention. Details that are...

Are you familiar with #TwitterStake? If you are then you probably know @ldsEQpres who describes himself as, "One man doing the work of ten, because no one else volunteered. Please don't ask me to help you move." Even though he impersonates an elder's quorum president on Twitter he is an actual, priesthood key-holding, elder's quorum president in real life. Like other "callings" in the #TwitterStak...

In this episode I talk with Bill Reel from the Mormon Discussion Podcast. Bill is always a wonderful guest and I hope to have him on the podcast many more times in the future. Bill has served in many callings including: bishop, elder’s quorum president, and ward mission leader. I took the time to ask […]

Is asking people to help with a move like pulling teeth? It's all in the invite...

Do you remember the euphoria you felt when you were extended the call to serve in a leadership position? You finally get to pick the counselors you want and you can finally apply your ideas. You feel like you are going to make a real difference as you serve with extra vigor. Whatever problem the quorum has, you will fix it. After a few months, mediocrity resurfaces, and your plan of a cultural ove...

Bill Reel is the creator of Mormon Discussion; a podcast striving to help those in the midst of a faith crisis. He is also a former elder’s quorum president and bishop. I highly recommend you spend some time in his podcast archives listening to the experiences of others leaving and then later returning to the […]

I have written in the past with regards to public speaking. It's a core competency of being a great leader. It's a skill that takes refining, but can be powerful when mastered. Every leader that wants to have a greater impact should study public speaking. One way to do so is to analyze how others excel and what tactics they use. I recently came across a video with great public speaking tips by Phi...

Six months ago I found myself sitting in a stake meeting with other members of bishoprics. One counselor from a neighboring ward shared a spiritual thought and quoted a man by the name of Sterling W. Sill. Not only was the quote he shared inspiring but I was also shocked I had never heard of Elder Sill before.  Upon returning home a quick Google search gave basic information that you would find on...

Preparing to go to the temple for your first time can be an experience like none other. Many have complained that their first experience left them a bit stunned and confused (count me among them). Comprehensive preparation is a must and can be difficult at times when we must be careful to keep sacred things sacred. Nobody wants to say too much and many temple prep teachers simple don't know what c...