Alumni Achievement Lecture

Abby Haralson



Why You Need a Mission Statement

Honored Alumni Lecture from Leslie Hinchcliff Edwards

Living in Saudi Arabia during the first Gulf War will undoubtedly presents opportunities that are never to be forgotten. Leslie Hinchcliff Edwards, the 2021 Honored Alumni from the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences, graduated from BYU in 1971 with a BS in social work and teaching certificates in history and sociology. But her work in Saudi Arabia was with TV and radio as an NBC on-site coordinator. 

Edwards and her husband Jack were given the chance to leave Saudi Arabia with their three children as tension thickened, but each of the family members received a distinct impression to stay and be of service. 

“How to serve in a potential warzone?” Edwards mused. “We had no idea, but we packed and returned to the Kingdom, led by faith and sure answer to prayer.” 

And serve they did. The family offered refuge to the U.S. soldiers, whether a much-needed hot shower, freshly baked cookies, or a phone call home. Edwards shared that when their time in Saudi Arabia was complete they didn’t have a church magazine or book left in their home because the soldiers were desparate for any reading material they could get their hands on. The Edwards family had a mission there that was created by a spiritual experience that gave them purpose and direction. 

Speaking to students last week, Edwards taught the importance of identifying your purpose through a mission statement. She taught about three principles in the mission statement from the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences that could help students identify purpose and direction, much like her family’s spiritual experience did for them during wartime. 

Part of the mission statement is here for reference, with Edwards’ principles in bold: “Through exacting research and dedicated teaching, that integrate the values and doctrines of the restored Gospel, we hope to provide an education that helps students become informed citizens and thoughtful leaders who make the communities and families in which we live more just, equitable, and happy.”

Edwards touched on each principle with examples from her own life and the lives of her family members. She encouraged listeners to be informed, identify values that are important to them, and lead with care and compassion. 

On being informed, Edwards shared, “As a former journalist and very judicious American citizen, let me tell you that if you do not operate on a foundation of facts, no one is going to take you seriously… If you don’t know something, it’s okay! Be teachable and use your knowledge for good.” 

Edwards’ daughter Kristin has had a decorated career with the U.S. government, especially with counter-terrorism work. Kristin has faced some difficult decisions in her line of work but in speaking to a group of students a few years ago, she said, “You’ve been taught your entire lives about setting goals, working for something important, and having a plan. That’s part of life. But the other part of life is knowing that the plan is always going to change. Identify what matters most to you, establish the values you want to live by, and then life’s tough, pressure-filled decisions will be easier.” 

Each of us will face kinks in even the most well thought-out plan. But just as Edwards’ daughter taught, if we decide what is valuable to us, we will be able to stay true to ourselves when forks in the road do come. 

The last principle Edwards touched on was the goal to be “thoughtful leaders.” She asked a series of questions to help reflect on your leadership style. She asked, “Are you collaborative? Are you action-oriented? Do you serve? How do you communicate? Are you resilient?”

Edwards ended her lecture with the story of the Ubuntu tribe of South Africa. When a tribe member does something wrong, that member is taken to the center of the village, where the tribe surrounds them. For two days, the tribe will remind the wrongdoer of all the good he or she has done. The tribe believes that each person comes into the world only desiring safety, love, peace, and happiness. They recognize that people make mistakes and that these mistakes are a cry for help. So, the tribe recounts all the good the wrongdoer has done to reconnect them back to their true nature. 

How different would our lives be if we were constantly reminding those around us of the good they’ve done? Edwards shared that, “if we look for the good, we will find it,” and that our personal mission statement can help us want to find the good in ourselves and others. 

To develop your personal mission statement, Edwards encouraged the following: Think about your most formative life experiences and how they have shaped you, “craft a concise purpose statement that leaves you energized, and finally, develop a purposeful plan.” 

Take some time this week to think about what’s important to you and how you’re going to get there! Rest assured, plans will change, but a mission statement can remind you of why you started your educational journey and where you want it to take you. 

For more about Leslie Hinchcliff Edwards and her career supported by a social science degree, check out this Y Magazine article. 

Watch more honored alumni lectures.

BYU College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Think, Pray, Don’t Forget Your GPS – The Recipe for Life by Alumni Achievement Recipient Clayton Brough

Photo by Tabea Damm on Unsplash

Last Thursday, the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences awarded Geography Alum R. Clayton Brough with the Alumni Achievement Award. Brough is a graduate of the College’s bachelor (‘73) and masters (‘75) programs of geography, though with the ease and eloquence that he delivered his lecture it was evident that he’d had many years of practice in front of cameras and crowds as a schoolteacher and weekend climatologist for ABC 4. Brough shared with us valuable lessons accompanied by entertaining anecdotes of his life, while bringing an encouraging spirit into the room during his lecture “5 Lessons I’ve Learned in 50 Years.”

Lesson 1: Think Carefully before You Agree to the Wishes of Others

In opposition to the culture of ‘sending it,’ Brough encourages his listeners to “not push send until you’ve thought of the end.” Giving us a very real and very comical example of a mistake he made while here at BYU that led to people believing he had married his sister, Brough reminded us that even innocent good deeds could not end well if the end is not thought through first.

Lesson 2: Don’t Leave Home without a GPS Receiver

Throwing it back to the good ol’ days of no Google, no Siri, and a hard-to-read paper map, Brough related his experience as a young Geography student to the importance of remembering to take our spiritual guides with us wherever we go.  On an assignment to map Utah County, Brough and partner accidentally found themselves in the middle of the Dugway Proving Ground, a military training area where new tactics and technology are tested. Whether it be the still small voice or the strict direction of Siri, sometimes in life it takes a couple of wrong turns in life to realize how important it is to have a way to get back to the right place.

Lesson 3: Nourish a Good and Clean Sense of Humor

A good sense of humor is not just a fun personality trait, but was extremely beneficial for Brough when he dealt with negative comments during his time as a forecaster. Brough emphasized the importance of being nice, and, again, thinking before you send.

Lesson 4: Find Happiness through Serving Others Including Those on Both Sides of the Veil

The cheerful buzz in the room paused for just one moment as Brough recalled the cancer diagnosis of both he and his son. Brough, however, is grateful for the opportunity he had to reprioritize the things in his life. Cancer caused him to slow down and appreciate his family and the eternal significance of everything in this life. This focus sparked Brough’s passion for genealogy and family history work, something he and his wife Ethel Mickelson now do together.

Lesson 5: If You want to be Successful, Dream Big, Work Hard, and Pray Often

Brough spent 30 years working with students and in that time learned that we must allow even the youngest students to dream big and think outside the box. Students at Eisenhower Junior High proved to be a testament of that as the holders of seven world records. A feat made possible by a handful of creativity, a spoonful of studiousness, and a dash of daring dreams.

Clayton Brough ended as he started, encouraging us to keep a sense of humor and remember to serve. Brough has since retired and now works at the Counselling Center at Copper Hills High School in West Jordan, Utah.

BYU College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Geography Alum R. Clayton Brough is Recipient and Lecturer for Alumni Achievement Award

In 1975, when Robert Clayton Brough was graduating with his masters in geography, BYU was celebrating its centennial birthday. On October 17, BYU’s College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences will be celebrating the life and achievements of R. Clayton Brough. Though Brough will be receiving an award from the College for distinguished achievements in his studies of geography, majority of Brough’s career was spent as an educator. For over thirty years, Brough taught Taylorsville middle school students geography, journalism, and science. The David O. McKay School of Education has also recognized Brough for the lives he touched throughout his career as a teacher. Brough will be giving his lecture Thursday, October 17, 2019 at 11 a.m. in 250 KMBL.

Brough taught people both in and out of the classroom. While most people use the weekend to relax after a taxing 9-5 week, Brough spent his time out of the classroom informing the people of Utah of the weather. For twenty-eight years, Clayton Brough served the citizens of Utah with a sunny smile as the weekend broadcast climatologist for ABC 4. A bright and lovable TV personality elevated Brough to something of a local celebrity, known best for his weekend spots and special 8-14 day forecast. This two-week glance proved helpful for Utahns in seemingly unpredictable seasonal weather.

Brough’s geographic background no doubt contributed to his success as a meteorologist and climatologist. He has held numerous board positions as a climatologist including the Vice President of the American Geographical Research Corporation of Utah, an organization dedicated to studying regional climates. Brough credits Dr. Richard H. Jackson and Dr. Dale J. Stevens, two BYU alum and geography professors Brough had during his time here as a student, for teaching him how to successfully interact with his students and inspire them to achieve their goals and dreams. Though Brough attributes these professors for helping his teaching career, they’re influence undoubtedly contributed to Brough’s own dedication to scholarly excellence. Years after his graduation, Brough came back to school and researched Utah climate with faculty members at BYU and Utah State University. Since then, he has published multiple scientific articles discussing the climate and geography of Utah. Brough’s degree did not limit his interest to education and climate. With a passion for his faith and family history, Brough has also published more than thirty articles relating to genealogy.

Genealogy is truly a passion of Brough’s. He has served four different times as Chief Genealogist for the Brough Family Organization, one of the world’s largest and oldest non-profit ancestral family organizations and surname associations. Brough has also served as secretary of the LDS Ancestral Families Association and was a member of the International Genealogy Consumer Organization for fourteen years. Of course, Broughs own direct family is of the greatest importance to him. His last night on air he stated that his leaving would fulfil his wish to “conserve my energy, preserve my health, and spend more time with my wife, children, and grandchildren.” Broughs immediate family consists of over a dozen grandchildren, four children, and his wife, Ethel Mickelson, of over forty-five years.

The college is honoring Clayton Brough for his academic achievements, though the rest of his life has truly been a model of the age-old saying “life is what you make it. Not only is Brough a cancer survivor, returned missionary, and an Eagle Scout, his teaching career was uniquely filled with the breaking of numerous Guinness World Records that he achieved with his students and coworkers. Amongst Eisenhower Junior High’s collection of records were World’s Largest Pan Loaf, World’s Longest Paperclip Chain, and World’s Fastest and Largest Human Mattress Dominoes. Eisenhower also held the record for most records held by one group. These record-beating feats were not all fun and games, Eisenhower teachers reported that they taught “teamwork, logistics, [and] problem-solving” to the students. Join us Thursday, October 17 to listen to Clayton Brough discuss his studies, world records, and more in his lecture “5 things I’ve Learned in 50 Years”.

Grace Haggard Barrus

12 takeaways from FHSS Alumni Achievement lecturer Jack Zenger

Like most students on campus, College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences 2018 Alumni Achievement lecturer Jack Zenger also struggled with deciding what to major in and what to pursue after graduation.

Now a successful CEO and world-renown thought leader in leadership development, Zenger shared several pieces of advice on how to utilize psychology in the business world, how to succeed in life and business and how to become a powerful leader in your future organization in his recent lecture.

See his full lecture below.

Here are some takeaways from his impactful lecture:

1. Always ask (and accept) questions

This first takeaway comes from Zenger’s presentation itself. Zenger asked for and responded to questions at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of his lecture.  Moral of the story: if you want to preach curiosity and learning, create an environment to do so.

2. Appreciate your entire college experience

Jack Zenger 1 (1)
Zenger continues to get the most out of his BYU experience at the 2018 Homecoming parade.

There is so much more to the BYU experience than classes. Get involved in clubs and activities, find ways to continue your education once you leave BYU and develop lifelong friendships and relationships–they’ll truly become some of your greatest assets later on.

3. Reshape the balance of things

It’s hard to balance work and family. Zenger’s simple advice is to reshape what you’re doing so that you always have time for your family. For Zenger, this meant changing the nature of consulting so that he was selling scalable products instead of his time.

4. Take risks

Don’t be opposed to risk–any success in life requires at least a little. Transitioning from one thing to another can be risky, but if you have the will and determination, you’ll take the risky opportunities and find the success that’s waiting for you in the end.

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Grace Haggard Barrus

Alumni Achievement lecturer John H. Zenger: Leading a field, leaving a legacy

“There are some people who are thinkers and others who are doers. You strike me as an enlightened doer.”

This simple comment from John. H. Zenger’s undergraduate psychology professor shaped his career and many other aspects of his life.

Zenger is the definition of an “enlightened doer.” Taking psychology research and using it to change the way we see leadership and train leaders, Zenger has changed the business world as he has built and strengthened organizations and helped thousands of individuals across the world.

As the 2018 Alumni Achievement Lecturer for the BYU College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences, we celebrate the intellectual curiosity of a man who has changed the way we see leadership and use it in the world around us. Zenger’s lecture will be on Thursday, October 11 at 11 a.m. in 250 KMBL.

Developing into a leader

Zenger grew up working alongside his father, a self-made man and an administrator at Utah Valley Hospital. Watching his father direct and lead a full staff of MDs when he himself had never had the opportunity to attend college made Zenger contemplate what leadership truly means.

“I watched the ability of a leader to impact an organization and what they could do and the amazing leverage they had. As a very young boy, I became interested in the phenomenon of why people go into leadership and what made them good leaders.”

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