The Mission Leadership Thread and Poll

**falafel** · 05-10-2011, 07:59 AM

Heh, public poll. I'm not falling for it Wally!

**The_Tick** · 05-10-2011, 08:06 AM

Where is the option....

I broke just enough rules, and it was known, to keep me out of leadership.

**beefytee** · 05-10-2011, 08:15 AM

No choice for trainer?

I was ZL over the office elders and the APs. It made me really happy to never have been stuck in there. They really didn't get to do any real missionary work. Though I love my desk job now, it doesn't involve much clerical work. Plus, if I'm sent half way around the world, I want to be out experiencing it.

The worst part about my mission was that I never got a native companion and therefore probably didn't learn the language as well as I could have.

**pellegrino** · 05-10-2011, 08:18 AM

being district leader meant nothing in my mission. That was as high as I got. I won't say that I didn't desire to be a ZL or maybe even an AP, but it wasn't something I thought of often, only when former companions or friends were put in those positions.

I had a friend from HS who claimed that a change mission presidents foiled his ability to become AP. "I was golden, could do no wrong until pres. so and so came in." I've always chuckled at that.

**woot** · 05-10-2011, 08:28 AM

Here's a story I haven't thought of in a while: When my AP companion was going home, the president suggested a replacement for him. We both vetoed it immediately. The guy was a good missionary, baptized lots of people, and was even in my district in the MTC so I knew him and got along with him. The problem was that he was a mullah. A total stick-in-the-mud type.

Maybe it was the perception that he just wouldn't be cool to hang out with, or perhaps that he would turn the mission in an undesirable direction. This strikes me as funny because I was about as hardcore mullah as it gets back then, but even so, we didn't want this guy. I don't know if he ever found out how it went down, but I know he was disappointed he didn't get the job; he didn't hide that he wanted it.

**kccougar** · 05-10-2011, 08:42 AM

Originally posted by woot View Post

Here's a story I haven't thought of in a while: When my AP companion was going home, the president suggested a replacement for him. We both vetoed it immediately. The guy was a good missionary, baptized lots of people, and was even in my district in the MTC so I knew him and got along with him. The problem was that he was a mullah. A total stick-in-the-mud type.

Maybe it was the perception that he just wouldn't be cool to hang out with, or perhaps that he would turn the mission in an undesirable direction. This strikes me as funny because I was about as hardcore mullah as it gets back then, but even so, we didn't want this guy. I don't know if he ever found out how it went down, but I know he was disappointed he didn't get the job; he didn't hide that he wanted it.

I've never really understood the AP=mullah thing, at least as it related to my mission. None of the APs that I knew well were mullahs at all. They were all good missionaries and none of them were hell-bent rule breakers, but none of them were what I would consider mullahs. Those types probably always wanted to be APs but never were.

**Jacob** · 05-10-2011, 08:47 AM

I'd guess that almost every missionary in my mission was a district leader. A district was usually about 4 missionaries, 6 at most. A high % of missionaries also became zone leaders. The high number of baptisms in Mexico City required smaller districts and zones so that baptismal interviews could be performed often.

I was a zone leader. A pretty obedient missionary. I don't think any girl I ever dated knew of any "leadership" position I had on the mission, so they were not impressed. I don't know why that would ever come up. I never thought it was important.
I don't think I was brown-nosed as a leader. And I preached strict rule abiding, but I never felt it was my place to really enforce obedience with an iron fist. Most missionaries really liked me, I think. I even got along with the most annoying companions. The only missionaries that got upset were when I wouldn't pass someone on a baptismal interview because they didn't believe the stuff or they wanted to continue worshiping and praying to the Virgin.

**PaloAltoCougar** · 05-10-2011, 08:47 AM

On my final exit interview with the MP that lasted nearly three hours (don't ask), he told me one of his biggest regrets of his mission was that he hadn't brought me in as his AP, which was why he set me up for my final months in Salzburg and Berchtesgaden, a much, much better deal. The guy who took my would-be spot in the mission home was a total mullah, loved listening to lots of motivational "Dare to be Great!" tapes, and had the Flying Elbow Handshake and overly enthusiastic greeting down pat--annoying as hell. We met up again as classmates in BYU's MBA program. He was expelled from school near the end of the first year for cheating on a final.

**wally** · 05-10-2011, 08:48 AM

Originally posted by pellegrino View Post

being district leader meant nothing in my mission. That was as high as I got. I won't say that I didn't desire to be a ZL or maybe even an AP, but it wasn't something I thought of often, only when former companions or friends were put in those positions.

I had a friend from HS who claimed that a change mission presidents foiled his ability to become AP. "I was golden, could do no wrong until pres. so and so came in." I've always chuckled at that.

Don't worry, being AP or ZL also mean nothing.

**wally** · 05-10-2011, 08:49 AM

Originally posted by falafel View Post

Heh, public poll. I'm not falling for it Wally!

I am told that secrecy is now frowned upon here. I want to keep things transparent. I am ever without guile.

**pellegrino** · 05-10-2011, 08:51 AM

Originally posted by wally View Post

Don't worry, being AP or ZL also mean nothing.

the difference being that not everyone knew that at the time.

Woot's experience aside, I actually would be curious to see if there is a correlation between becoming and AP and then holding important priesthood leadership postions (bishopric, stake presidency) later in life.

**Clark Addison** · 05-10-2011, 08:53 AM

Even had my MP been inclined to make me AP, there is no way that his wife would have gone for it. Which is kind of too bad. I can now admit, 20 years after the fact, that I secretly hoped to become AP. I worked very, very hard as a missionary, and I was ready for a break.

**woot** · 05-10-2011, 08:59 AM

Originally posted by kccougar View Post

I've never really understood the AP=mullah thing, at least as it related to my mission. None of the APs that I knew well were mullahs at all. They were all good missionaries and none of them were hell-bent rule breakers, but none of them were what I would consider mullahs. Those types probably always wanted to be APs but never were.

Yeah I guess maybe I wasn't a mullah in the rigid sense; just in the extremely devout sense. But yeah in my mission the APs tended to be the coolest, most personable folks and the best teachers (I'm not including myself in this; I really admired the skills of the APs throughout my mission), while also being basically obedient in a non-fanatical way. I suppose that "mullah" wasn't the best word.

**wally** · 05-10-2011, 08:59 AM

Originally posted by pellegrino View Post

the difference being that not everyone knew that at the time.

Woot's experience aside, I actually would be curious to see if there is a correlation between becoming and AP and then holding important priesthood leadership postions (bishopric, stake presidency) later in life.

You're right. At the time it was a metric of success. In a baptizing missions it may well be only metric for success.

On your second point: I would be interested in obtaining a copy of the results of your study.

The Mission Leadership Thread and Poll

The Mission Leadership Thread and Poll

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