Today, I studied all 56 passages in the Book of Mormon which use some form of the word "diligent." To be diligent is to "[show] care and conscientiousness in one's work or duties" (Oxford English Dictionary). The word also carries a connotation of eagerness. It comes from the Latin word diligere, which means to "esteem,"... Continue Reading →
How Can I Be a Better Employee?
Many of us spend a large amount of time at work, contributing to the goals of an organization and interacting with peers, subordinates, and managers. Today, I found the following principles in the Book of Mormon to help me be a better employee: Principle #1: Take ownership. Three days after Ammon accepted the assignment to... Continue Reading →
What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Obedience?
Some form of the word "obey" appears 31 times in the Book of Mormon: Book # Occurences 1 Nephi 4 2 Nephi 6 Jacob 5 Mosiah 7 Alma 9 TOTAL 31 "I must obey." Obedience is a very important topic for Nephi, and he frames most of his story in terms of the response of... Continue Reading →
Counsel Me Not – Jacob 5:21-22
21 And it came to pass that the servant said unto his master: How comest thou hither to plant this tree, or this branch of the tree? For behold, it was the poorest spot in all the land of thy vineyard. 22 And the Lord of the vineyard said unto him: Counsel me not; I... Continue Reading →
That We May Labor – Jacob 5:15
15 And it came to pass that a long time passed away, and the Lord of the vineyard said unto his servant: Come, let us go down into the vineyard, that we may labor in the vineyard.(Jacob 5:15)There are a number of leadership lessons in Zenos's allegory of the olive trees. One of those lessons... Continue Reading →
Leadership Principles from Jacob 5
We can learn at least four leadership principles from the Allegory of the Olive Tree:Principle #1: Be patient. Make a plan, communicate it clearly, and then give it some time before evaluating whether it is working or not. Don't micromanage, and don't constantly check to see if the plan is working, or worse, constantly revise... Continue Reading →
The Allegory of the Olive Tree – Jacob 5
Jacob chapter 5 is known as the Allegory of the Olive Tree. Here's a summary of the allegory:CharactersThe Lord of the vineyard, who represents Jesus ChristA servantA tame olive tree, representing IsraelThree other olive trees in distant parts of the vineyard:Tree 1 is in a "poor spot of ground."Tree 2 is in an even worse location.Tree... Continue Reading →
He Pruned It, and Digged About It, and Nourished It – Jacob 5:4-5
4 And it came to pass that the master of the vineyard went forth, and he saw that his olive tree began to decay; and he said: I will prune it, and dig about it, and nourish it, that perhaps it may shoot forth young and tender branches, and it perish not.5 And it came... Continue Reading →
