OBHR Conference

Last week I attended a the OBHR conference on managing change. I think I got as much out of the 3 day conference as I did out from some of the MBA classes I've taken. We heard from Kerry Patterson who talked about his book "The Influencer." Bronco Mendenhall and Paul Gustavson talked about how the ultimate goal of BYU football is not necessarily to win games but to surpass the Mormon Tabernacle Choir as the #2 missionary tool of the LDS church. The best way to do that is to win football games as a team while giving back to the community.
The final key speaker was Steven Covey. I don't know why I have never read the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People but as of this weekend, I now own it. I have a picture of myself with Mr. Covey. His answer to how to get my boss to listen to what I have to say was to listen to them first and then when they ignore me or cut me off, ask if they feel I've been fair to listening to their point of view and ask if I deserve the same courtesy. The talk Mr. Covey gave could only have been given in an LDS setting. He talked mainly about how to move business from a telestial level to a terrestial level through trust and helping people find their voice, what do they have a passion for doing that they do well and at which there is an economic benefit. Sounds a lot like the three circles from Kerry Patterson's book and like the Hedgehog concept from Good to Great.