Ammon was certainly effective during his initial face-to-face with king Lamoni. Having grown up in the home of King Mosiah, Ammon knew his way around amidst the political protocols of his world. The record states that “king Lamoni was much pleased with Ammon, and caused that his bands should be loosed.” Not only that, Lamoni “would that Ammon should take one of his daughters to wife.” Ammon clearly made a positive first impression on the king.
I had the occasion to listen to Elder Kim Clark not long ago at one of my own mission reunions. Elder Clark was Dean of the Harvard Business School, and later, President of BYU Idaho. He often taught students about first impressions. His theory was that when you first meet a person, you have about ten seconds to show interest in them. When you sit down on a bus next to someone, or in a class next to someone, or in a job interview, you should immediately connect—introduce yourself or ask their name. If you do not show some interest in the first ten seconds, you may never be able to be effective in introducing yourself to that person. Even if you pick up the conversation a little later, they may not trust that you really care about them if you did not immediately reach out and try to show an interest in them in the first place. First impressions are important, but you have to follow through with the relationship afterwards. Following up is the second step in the process of building trust in a relationship.
Ammon followed up in building trust with the king and the Ishmaelites in many ways. He was only in the service of the king for three days when Ammon’s loyalty to the king was demonstrated by his courageous act of protecting the king’s flocks.
Ammon’s father, king Mosiah, was promised that his sons would be kept safe. I am sure that gave him some confidence, but young men often push the envelope when it comes to safety. I have taken enough boy scouts out into the wilderness and have promised them that if they are smart, they will come back safely. Was Ammon pushing the envelope a little bit here? Regardless, many of Ammon’s wonderful virtues came out in this episode.