Before coming to your training, please do the following:
Think about all those people at Deseret Industries whose role it is to help the associates develop personally and professionally. Write the following in your learner's journal:
What have the Lord and Church leaders said about unity?
In this lesson you will (1) review different roles at Deseret Employment and how they complement one another, (2) discuss the importance of working in unity, and (3) consider what task, skill, or role you would like to master as a job coach trainer, development counselor, manager, assistant manager, administrative assistant, or missionary. Learning about different roles, fostering unity, and increasing your competence will create a positive environment and facilitate positive experiences for all those who work at Deseret Employment.
From the following list, choose and complete one or more activities that best apply to your situation.
Invite a class member to write this list of different roles on the board: job coach trainer, development counselor, store manager, assistant store manager, mentor, administrative assistant, and Church leaders. As a group, list and discuss the responsibilities attributed to each position or role. Then discuss the following:
“Every individual needs a support team,” according to Rich McKeena, former director of Deseret Industries (in “A Second Chance at a Future through Deseret Industries,” Oct. 14, 2008, mormonnewsroom.org).
Deseret Industries aims to help associates find hope and become self-reliant by providing them with a support system.
As a group, discuss the following questions:
Divide into groups. As a group, choose three of the following roles to write about:
Create a Venn diagram listing the unique and shared responsibilities of the three roles you chose. Then in your small group discuss:
From the following list, choose and complete one or more activities that best apply to your situation.
Break into small groups and read the following statement:
“In order to assist the Savior, we have to work together in unity and in harmony. Everyone, every position, and every calling is important. We have to be unified in our Lord Jesus Christ” (Chi Hong [Sam] Wong, “Rescue in Unity,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 15).
Once you finish your small group discussion, regroup with all attendees. Each small group will share a summary of each of the items discussed.
Read the following quote from Ken Thoreson, president at sales consulting company Acumen Management Group:
“When an organization is fully aligned with a shared vision, a common goal and a set of operating principles for which they hold each other accountable and use to make business decisions, you’ll see a fully engaged team. You see everyone in the same boat, facing the same direction, with the same sized oars, pulling the oars in perfect synchronization, and all the leader needs to do is count the beats to achieve perfect precision, teamwork, and business results.
“In too many organizations today you find a variety of people working together and still not reaching their full potential as a high performance team. Here is what is happening in many organizations: You have some people in the boat with very short oars rowing very fast but not fully contributing. You have another group of people in the boat with very long oars, pulling deep in the water and feeling like they are the ones ‘holding up the team.’ You see some people in the boat facing the wrong direction and actually working against the team. And you have a few people standing on the dock and wondering where the boat is going.
“The power of teams and teamwork is having everyone in the boat, facing in the same direction with the same sized oars. It is pure beauty in motion to see a high performance rowing team, sports team, orchestra, or a work team pulling together to achieve their shared vision and fulfill their mission” (“Leadership and Teamwork—Pull the Oars,” Microsoft Dynamics Community website, May 20, 2013; spelling and punctuation standardized).
As a group, discuss the following questions:
Take a minute to ponder the following question individually:
Read the following scriptures:
“And he commanded them that there should be no contention one with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another” (Mosiah 18:21).
“Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work;...“And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work” (D&C 4:3, 5).
“Behold, blessed, saith the Lord, are they who have come up unto this land with an eye single to my glory, according to my commandments” (D&C 59:1).
“Every man seeking the interest of his neighbor, and doing all things with an eye single to the glory of God” (D&C 82:19).
As a group, discuss the following:
From the following list, choose and complete one or more activities that best apply to your situation.
Read the following statement:
“You and I are to act and be doers of the word and not simply hearers who are only acted upon. Are you and I agents who act and seek learning by faith, or are we waiting to be taught and acted upon? . . . We are all to be anxiously engaged in asking, seeking, and knocking (see 3 Nephi 14:7)” (David A. Bednar, “Seek Learning by Faith,” Ensign, Sept. 2007, 64).
You have the power and ability to master your role through faith, diligence, and willingness to act. As a group, discuss the following questions:
In your learner’s journal, write down a skill, task, or role you would like to master as a job coach trainer. Also write down a plan that includes ideas and resources you can use to master it.
Break into small groups. Take turns sharing examples from your life when you mastered a task, skill, or role. Share answers to the following questions:
After all group members have shared their experiences, discuss what it takes to master a skill, task, or role. Then take a minute to ponder the following:
Share your insights with the rest of the group if you feel inclined to do so.
In order to improve a skill, we must first assess our current skill level. Complete the "Master Your Role" worksheet individually, which is included in the “Lesson Resources” section, Resource 1.
Then discuss the following questions as a group:
Seek to identify a personal or business gap or need.
Spend a few minutes silently pondering what you've discussed during this lesson. Listen as the Holy Ghost helps you identify areas where you can improve. Record your impressions in your learner's journal under the question “What Lack I Yet?”
Seek ways to close the gap or develop the required talent(s) to meet the need.
With the guidance of the Spirit, create your plan of how you will improve and close the gap(s) you have identified. You may use one or more of the exercises below, your own strategy, or a combination of both. Record this plan in your learner's journal under “What Must I Do?”
After a few minutes, those who are comfortable doing so can share their impressions with the group.
Seek understanding, and then share what you learned.
During the week, focus on implementing the plan you created. Record your impressions or lessons learned in your learner's journal under “Therefore, What?” You will be given time at the beginning of next week's lesson to share your experience with the group.
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