Romantic interest wasn’t the only connection between Bryant and Mandy Bingham when they first met in spring 2011: Both were pre-business students at Brigham Young University. After getting married the following year, they were accepted into the BYU Marriott School of Business organizational behavior and human resources program. Fourteen years and three children later, Bryant and Mandy say they’ve grown professionally and personally because of their experiences at BYU Marriott.
“We both chose our majors independently of each other,” Bryant says. “Neither of us tried to influence the other."
Their individual decisions led them to a joint educational experience as Bryant and Mandy enrolled in many of the same courses. “It was fun to be able to talk about our classes and study together,” Mandy says.
One course that had an impact on Bryant was an international negotiations class taught by global supply chain teaching professor Simon Greathead. Bryant says that Greathead disagreed with one aspect of the course textbook: that it was acceptable to be dishonest if it helped in negotiations. “Greathead said any time a person strays from the truth, it weakens their position,” Bryant explains.
That principle resonated with Bryant during his studies and into his career. After graduating, the Binghams moved to Washington, where Bryant eventually worked for Amazon as a recruiter. At one point, he was responsible for filling almost 100 positions in the span of three months. Two candidates had similar names, and after Bryant offered a position to one of them, he later realized he had accidentally extended the offer to the wrong person.
Because the candidate had already accepted the position, the company would face a complicated legal issue if they decided to hire their initial choice, Bryant says. The hiring manager wasn’t happy, Bryant says, but being open with him allowed them to implement additional strategies to support the hiring process.
“Even though there was some short-term pain, I have no long-term regrets with how I handled the situation,” Bryant says. “Owning up to mistakes and being open to feedback is critical to personal improvement and development.”
Applying her BYU Marriott education to running their home, Mandy says it’s “like a mini business.” As she juggles housekeeping, managing budgets, and caring for her three children, Mandy uses the leadership principles she learned in her classes to become the kind of leader she wants her children to emulate. “I don’t think there is one exact right way to be a leader, but I do think it’s important to be intentional about becoming the leader we would most like to be within our spheres of influence,” Mandy says. “In my life, I try to develop leadership qualities that Jesus Christ demonstrated, such as attentive listening and loving guidance.”
Mandy’s BYU Marriott classes also taught her that if a business owner tries to give full focus to every task, they can be overwhelmed, she explains. “It helps me recognize that I don’t have to fulfill all my responsibilities at the same time. It’s worthwhile to put away the tangible ‘to-do list’ and spend time connecting with my kids and finding moments to laugh.”
Another priority for the Binghams, they say, is improving communication. When they were first married, Bryant and Mandy struggled with differences in communication styles, but Mandy says taking business classes that required self-introspection helped them develop skills to work through their challenges. “Being able to see where my mindset is and that other people are in a different place has helped me extend a lot more compassion for others,” Mandy says.
Communication and accountability are habits the couple want their children to implement as they also grow and learn. “When we make mistakes, we apologize to our kids,” Bryant says. “It’s important to us that our kids see us acknowledging our mistakes and trying to improve.”
Now, as Bryant works toward becoming a CPA and Mandy continues to run their “mini business” at home, both say they are grateful for their BYU Marriott education. “What we learned while earning our degrees has helped us in not just a secular sense but also in a spiritual sense as well,” Bryant says. “Those things have helped us navigate life’s journey since we graduated.”
