Clarify your team story – show and tell it to them again and again

Posted on September 1, 2010 by Jef Menguin

Do you really believe in the story of your team? Do you really think that you can make real your vision and accomplish your mission according to the values your team set for yourselves? If you do, then I want you to tell the story to them again and again.
Most of us begin as dreamers and I think that is a beautiful thing. Many managers are thinkers. They are very good in working on strategies that will help the organization win. But very few of us are story tellers.

You need people to communicate your grand vision, mission, and values. You need story tellers to help your employees see, think, feel, smell, and hear the story of your company – the story of where you are from and where you are going. You need storytellers who can make the story of the future real to them today. And you are the story teller of your organization.

You must tell them the story in your words, in your actions, and in your life.

(This is part of the Encourage the Heart Series that I write for the readers of this blog who are  team building facilitators, leaders, supervisors, managers, and CEOs.)

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A strong relationship is a channel to success

Posted on August 31, 2010 by Myra

“If you want to climb the ladder to personal success, you can’t get there alone.”

The secret to accomplishing personal career objectives can be found in reaching out and connecting to other people. What distinguishes highly successful people from everyone else is the way they use the power of relationships – so that everyone wins.

When I had my career as a band manager, I have always been inspired by the movie Jerry Maguire. It has pinned into me the importance of personal relationships.

Jerry Maguire is an agent with a major sports management firm. He is enthusiastic, successful, a great negotiator and people like him. But it begins to dawn on Jerry that there’s something wrong with what he’s doing, and not long after a troubling encounter with the son of an injured athlete he represents, Jerry has a serious crisis of conscience. In the midst of a sleepless night, Jerry writes a mission statement calling on himself and his colleagues to think more about the long-term welfare of the clients they represent and less about immediate profits. While everyone around him applauds the sentiment, Jerry’s superiors think his ideas are bad for business; Jerry is fired, and, rather than standing in solidarity with him, his “friends” in the firm scramble like sharks to claim Jerry’s clients. At the end of his last day, the only people willing to join Jerry as he strikes out on his own are staff accountant Dorothy, a single mother secretly in love with him, and Rod Tidwell, a football player whose pride and arrogance have gotten in the way of his reaching his potential.

Here are some paragraphs I liked in his mission statement:

We are agents. To some, that brings with it the image of a Slickster. A Huckster. Someone profiting off the efforts of others. For many of those we’ve met or observed, that is what we are. I know an agent operating in this very state who regularly gets the phone numbers of college athletes by calling school offices and posing as a tutor who has lost their student’s contact number. He is often successful in acquiring athletes, but none for very long. Privately, an agent can be a father, a friend, an inspiring force in the life of a young man or woman. We are sometimes as important as priests or poets, but until we dedicate ourselves to worthier goals than getting an illegal phone number, we are poets of emptiness.

Let us start a revolution. Let us start a revolution that is not just about basketball shoes, or official licensed merchandise. I am prepared to die for something. I am prepared to live for our cause. The cause is caring about each other. The secret to this job is personal relationships.

Connecting is nothing more than building genuine, generous, intimate, sincere relationships for mutual success.

You can’t get there alone. Success requires relationships. Work is done in a social context. We manage in conversations. Relationships feed our success, but not when we are in them for self-serving purposes. We need to genuinely want others’ success. By doing so, our relationship will contribute to our own success. The secret is to focus on generosity. Be generous on giving out sincere and valuable help to others and caring about them, and you’ll be surprised how much more they can give back to help you as well.

Business relationships are personal relationships. Real connections are intimate. Business relationships are intimate. To be most effective, we need to take more risks and share more of ourselves. Connections are personal. They must be. Otherwise, they will remain to be superficial association.

Intimate business relationships are those that we create through deep and personal conversations and partnerships. When we share our dreams, we are becoming intimate. When we listen to someone’s deepest frustrations and challenges, the discussion is intimate. Anytime we speak or listen from our heart and soul, we are intimately connecting. From getting a raise to finding romance, the same rules apply. It’s all personal.

Focus on others. Connection is about identifying someone you find empathetic, comfortable, interesting, and perhaps valuable to you in some way. It’s about approaching them as real people and greeting them in a friendly and genuine way; then exploring your shared interests and passions to connect a little deeper and then bonding through real empathy and vulnerability. And above all, focusing on giving – using any currency you have to help them get what they want.

“It’s your team’s accomplishments and what they do because of you, not for you that will generate your mark as a leader.” –Nancy Badore

Find mentors, find mentorees. Repeat. There is nothing more powerful to the success of your career or workgroup than to have decision-makers teaching you and caring about you. There is no better way to keep learning and growing than helping younger people do the same.

Build it before you need it.

Start today.

Build the relationships you need for the success of your group and your career.

Posted in Team Building and Leadership | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

kaya mo bumangon

Posted on August 30, 2010 by Dan Jerome N. Dacara

Ang bayan natin ngayon ay nangangailangan ng tunay na pinuno. Sa kalagayan natin ngayon, kailangan natin ng totoong lider na kayang magpabangon sa bulok at nag-aagaw-buhay nating bayan.

Ang tunay na lider ay may puso at hindi lang basta talino ang pinaiiral. Sapagkat, sa ganitong paraan ay magkakaroon ka ng malasakit sa mga taong nasasakupan mo. Kaya mong intindihin ang kalagayan at damdamin ng iba. Mas mabuti ng wala kang natatapakang iba habang ika’y umaasenso. Dapat rin ay mapagmahal ka sa iyong kapwa at mga taong nasa paligid mo sapagkat kung hindi dahil sa kanila, ay hindi ka makakatuntong sa iyong kinalalagyan ngayon. Hindi ba mas maganda kung wala kang kaaway at lahat ay kasundo mo habang nagtatrabaho ?? Magkakaroon ka ng malasakit sa kanila at mas higit pa ang ibabalik nilang kapalit. Ngunit, mas maganda siguro kung wala kang hihinging kapalit. Mas masaya at mas masarap sa kalooban na nakatulong ka ng buong puso ng walang hinihinging kapalit.

Lahat ay intindihin mo dahil ikaw ang nasa pwesto, ikaw ang inaasahan. Lahat ng iyong nasasakupan ay dapat nasa mabuting kalagayan. Dapat ay intindihin mo ang damdamin at saloobin nilang lahat para mapanghawakan mo sila ng maayos. Ang tunay na lider ay dapat may paninindigan. Dapat ay hindi ito matakot sa kanyang ginagawa. Huwag din dapat itong papa-apekto sa mga taong walang alam kundi manira kung kaya’t dapat labanan niya ang mga ito para makamit ang lahat na minimithi. Huwag din siyang mag-alinlangan sapagkat nasa likod niya ang lahat ng taong sumusuporta sa kanya.

Mismong ang pinuno ang dapat na may disiplina. Dapat ay totoo ito sa lahat ng ginagawa niya pati sa mga sinasabi niya. Sa pamamagitan nito ay lalo siyang tutularan ng mga taong nasasakupan niya. Mas mapagkakatiwalaan ang ganitong lider ng mga tao. Mas mabuti ring sumunod ito sa lahat ng napagkasunduan kahit na walang taong nakatingin. Dito mapapatunayan kung tapat nga talaga siyang lider. Dito rin mapapatunayan kung tapat at totoo ang ipinakikita nito o hindi habang kaharap ang mga tao.

Ang pagiging lider ay isang mabigat na tungkulin. Kung kaya’t, bago ka pumasok sa ganitong sitwasyon ay dapat handa ka na at tatangapin mo ito ng buong-buo. Hindi biro at hindi ito isang laro. Dapat ay puso at isip ang iyong puhunan sa pagtatrabaho. Ang pagiging lider ay hindi pang-isang oras lamang. Bawat segundo/minuto dapat ay maging lider ka sa iyong sarili, sa ibang tao & sa mga taong nasa paligid mo. Ang pagiging lider ay nag-uumpisa sa iyo. Ito ay kung paano ka magkusa, tumulong sa kapwa, pagiging tapat, pagdesisyon ng tama at paglutas ng problema ng hindi sumusuko o hindi natatakot.

Kung gusto mong makamit ang isang bagay, dapat ay mayroon kang tiwala sa iyong sarili parang sa pagiging lider. Paano ka makakagawa ng mga simpleng bagay kung wala kang tiwala sa sarili ?? Paano ka magtatagumpay kung, gagawin mo palang ay umaatras kana kaagad ?? Ganoon din iyan kapag ika’y naging pinuno, dapat ay gawin mo ang lahat ng iyong makakaya para makatayo ka mula sa pagkakadapa. Kapag ika’y nadapa, huwag kang mawalan ng pag-asa. Dapat ang lider ay hindi nawawalan ng pag-asa dahil siya ang haligi kung kaya’t kapag ito’y bumagsak ay pati mga sakop nito ay babagsak din. Kung ika’y naubusan na ng pag-asa, isipin mong muli ang dahilan kung bakit ka lumalaban. Isipin mo ring ginagawa mo ito hindi lang dahil sa iyong sarili kundi dahil na rin sa mga taong umaasa sa iyo para sa kaya mong gawin.

Ang kulang kasi sa atin ay ang pagkakaroon ng pagmamalaki sa sarili. Tayo ay hiyang-hiya. Tayo ay takot na takot. Mababa ang tingin natin sa sarili at binababa pa natin ito lalo kapag may nakita tayong mas nakatataas at makapangyarihan sa atin. Ang pinuno ang una dapat na matapang at malakas ang loob. Hindi ko sinasabi na magmalaki tayo bagkus huwag tumangkilik sa iba. Lakasan natin ang ating loob at matutong umasenso. Dapat ay taasan pa natin ang ating pangarap dahil kaya nating umasenso. Huwag lang humantong sa punto na tayo’y nagiging mayabang. Dapat rin ay matuto tayong umako ng kamalian na ating nagawa. Ang isang lider ay dapat marunong umako ng mga kamaliang nagawa ngunit ginagawa dapat itong aral para hindi na muling maulit pa.

Ang pinuno ay mayroon dapat na pangarap para sa kanyang pinamumunuan. Ito ay magiging gabay para ika’y makausad at ito’y pamantayan para manatiling malakas at manatiling lumaban. Dapat rin ay hindi ito nakukuntento na lang na napag-iiwanan ng iba at hindi nakukuntento na nasa ibaba. Bakit ka papayag na maiwanan kung kaya mo namang manguna ?? Huwag mo ng hintayin pang lalong lumala at lalong malugmok ang kalagayan sapagkat, mahirap na iyong ibalik sa dati.

Ang tunay na lider ay dapat magaling magpasunod. Siya ay hindi lider na kinatatakutan. Hindi lider na nanunuhol ng mga tao bagkus lider na matatakbuhan, lider na maaasahan, lider na maituturing na ama, ina o isang kapatid. Lider na hindi nang-iiwan sa ere, sa hirap man o sa kaligayahan. Ang lider dapat ang siyang tulay para magkaisa ang lahat ng nasasakupan nito.

Ang isa sa mga pinakahinahangaan ko ay si Dr. Jose Rizal. Siya ang dahilan kung bakit namulat ang mga Pilipino mula sa kalupitan at pagmamalabis ng mga Espanyol. Siya ang sumulat ng Noli Me Tangere at El Filibusterismo na naging sanhi para magrebolusyon ang mga Pilipino. Kahit na may pagbabanta na sakanya ay hindi parin siya basta-basta natinag. Binuwis niya ang buhay niya para sa bayan. Siya ang minsang pumuna sa kanser na nagpapabulok sa sistema ng bayan kung kaya’t maituturing siyang tunay na bayani. Dapat siyang tularan dahil hindi tama na tayo’y sunod na lang ng sunod. Hindi tamang magpaalipin at magpatapak tayo sa iba. Huwag nating hayaan na lamunin tayo ng pangit na sistema ng bayan. Dapat ay magising tayo sa katotohanan at huwag magpakabulag. Tayo mismo ang dapat manguna para sa hinahanap nating pagbabago.

Ang isa pang pinuno at bayani na lubos akong bumilib ay si Pres. Corazon Aquino. Tunay siyang nakakabilib dahil kinaya niya ang lahat mamatay ang asawa niyang si Sen. Benigno Aquino II. Siya ang nagpakalma at nagpagaan ng loob sa kanyang mga anak. Naging matatag siya sa kabila ng kaguluhan at mga trahedya. Siya ay simpleng maybahay lamang ngunit hindi lang dito natapos ang tungkulin niya. Siya ay lumaban sa diktadurya kahit na siya’y isang babae at walang alam sa pulitika. Dapat siyang tularan dahil naging malakas ang kanyang loob kahit na marami ang nangyari. Siya ang dahilan kung bakit natin ngayon natatamasa ang demokrasya na minsan niyang ipinaglaban. Kaya rin nating mamuno kung gugustuhin lang natin ito, kung magiging tapat, magiging matapang, maluwag natin itong tatanggapin at kung kikilos tayo para sa kapakanan ng mas nakakarami.

Ang dapat kumilos ay hindi lang basta ang lider. Dapat ay may kooperasyon ang mga tao at ang pinuno dahil hindi kayang kumilos ng lider kung nag-iisa lamang ito. Dapat ay magtulungan ang mga ito para makaahon at makamit ang pinapangarap na tagumpay. Hindi rin tama na lagi nalang umasa ang mga tao sa lider. Hindi tama na lagi nalang nakasandal at kain nalang ng kain ang mga tao sa mga ibinibigay ng pinuno. Dapat din ay matutong mamuhay at matutong umasenso ang mga tao. Hindi rin tama na puro angal at reklamo nalang ang sinasabi ng tao sa lider dahil hindi nito nakikita ang mga napagtatagumpayan at dahil dito ay nawawalan ng tiwala ang lider sa kanyang sarili. Ang pinuno at ang mga taong sakop niyo ay dapat magtulungan, magkaisa, kumilos at umabot ng iisang mithiin.

Gumising ka ! Gumising ka !

Bumangon ka na mula sa iyong pagkakahiga at kumilos ng maaga kung gusto mo ng pagbabago. Huwag mong hayaan na maulit muli ang mga kamalian na minsan ng ipinaglaban ng ating mga bayani.

(This piece is one of the submitted entries to ESSAY WRITING CONTEST: Follow My Leader. If you like this entry, please “like” this page and/or leave a comment. Thank you.)

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Like a Massive Edifice

Posted on August 30, 2010 by Aljon Elladora

On remarkable times when hesitation looms prevalent among people that it takes more than a lot of courage to step out of the crowd and stand alone in front, true leaders reveal themselves. When the oh-so-usual system gnaws an organization whether it is a country, company, church, school or a smaller group, a transformational leader valiantly raises a hand and resists what is common to introduce something new and better. This entails three primary important leadership qualities- the capacity to see flaws in things which are customary, the acumen in thinking of what is ideal, and the power to move people.

Seeing what is wrong is far more difficult than accepting what is persisting, but it is a process crucial for success. However, because people tend to go for the easy way, they are more likely to nod instead of questioning the way things go. Thus, a leader must take the initiative to voice out concerns on the prevailing system when he recognizes a deviation from what is ought to be.

Nonetheless, in speaking out, a person faces the challenge of convincing people to take actions as they do not accept changes just because another person tells them to do so. It is therefore important that a leader possesses indispensable traits such as good communication skills, empathy and the strong power of persuasion otherwise will pan out an organization that withers gradually for inability to cope with its constantly revolutionizing environment or that crumbles because of uncorrected internal errors.

Normally, during the discourse, debates may arise. The leader must be able to trammel the barriers to a healthy flow of ideas by being open- minded in soliciting and challenging opinions. He can explore his followers’ points carefully so as not to discourage them from speaking further on their judgment. Through this, he is able to prod them to deeply contemplate the matter at hand, and realize that there really is an issue to be addressed. Also, people tend to become more cooperative when they feel involved in the planning process. This is important not just for the collection of prospective solutions, but for building people’s trust, loyalty and reverence towards him as well. After all, a leader not embraced by his followers will find it harder to mitigate significant changes in the life of the organization and his people.

Further, the leader is not always most intelligent albeit he needs to manifest that he is wisest. Intelligent people speak too much while the wise listens and absorbs everything. Later, because the intelligent people failed to listen, the wise becomes of more knowledge than them. Such wit shall enable a transformational leader envision what is ideal for the people and the organization as a whole. This demands that he is a good decision- maker who can recognize the outcome of different alternative actions even before they take effect.

Lastly, the leader must be capable to trigger his people to carry out the changes envisaged. This is often the hardest step for this is like leaping out a safe haven into a higher platform the endurance and strength of which is yet to be tested. Many people are risk averse, fearing uncertainties. At this point, a real transformational leader steps out of the crowd and stands alone in front of the line. This shows his confidence, optimism, and unwavering faith to the people behind him. Then, one by one, those who were once indecisive will emulate him by coming forward, and as one, the leader and his followers shall spring up into a transformational euphoria.

Truly, a leader shall stand as an iconic picture like a massive edifice with high regard for ethics, pride, respect and success at all times.

Talking about a transformational leader, I can not help but recall our Journalism adviser way back in high school. Nobody in our class wanted to take up the subject for we were afraid we had no talent in writing, but she managed to make us accept the challenge. At first, we were contented with being fair- and settled with what was acceptable, but she enlightened us about a higher paradigm of toil. We only had to work harder to reach it.

I and my classmates competed for various writing contests but we repeatedly lost. Despite that, she did not withdraw her faith on us, instead led us for further learning. Her efforts ignited the first flares of enthusiasm in us that one day, we too could make our school proud. We had decided that we would never cause her disappointment again for she believed in us when we failed to believe in ourselves. On the second half of that school year, we started bagging medals for our school.

She made us conceive that we were too afraid to go beyond our safety line, like weaklings that never learned how to fly because of trepidation to try. Eventually, she opened up the fact that to overcome our fears, we have to instill mission, vision and objective in whatever we do. Then, she became an inspiration giving us the strength and confidence to aim for tougher yet higher goals. At the end of the year, it was as if another group of students emerged from our room. Aside from the fact that we were a year older than the first time we attended her class, she had also transformed us into persons with better perspectives.

Leadership emanates when a leader and followers interact with each other. In imitating her, this has to be the starting point. Each of us has our own leadership style notwithstanding. It is important that we bear in mind three essential assumptions in transformational leadership. People will follow a person who inspires them. A person with vision and passion can accomplish great things. And finally, the way to get things done is by injecting enthusiasm and energy.

(This piece is one of the submitted entries to ESSAY WRITING CONTEST: Follow My Leader. If you like this entry, please “like” this page and/or leave a comment. Thank you.)

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The Free Vending Machine

Posted on August 29, 2010 by AndreaCelineQuejada

There was a man sitting quite comfortably in the movie house. The Philippine national anthem was playing. When the song ended, a girl my age approached her and said, “Alam niyo, nakakahiya na hindi niyo nirerespeto ang pambansang awit.” The man was unfazed, and in a threatening voice asked why this girl was bothering him. The girl simply responded, “Kasi Pilipino ka.” She left the movie house with a story to share, the knowledge that she did what was right by standing up for her country, and an experience which would move many, myself included.

That girl was none other but my friend Nik.

A transformational leader. Wow, that seems heavy. I look at that word and I realize that it probably denotes the same for the common person. We think about government leaders, those who are in position, those who are renowned for their achievements, and to be more frank, for being a good person. I am not, in any way, contesting such notions, but as I write this, I feel like there’s so much more to being a transformational leader than what the word connotes.

Nik has always been everybody’s friend, anybody’s confidant. For many times, she has told me that she loves helping people. We’ve spent a number of college classes together, taking walks from one class to another, being groupmates for various requirements, spending small breaks, eating lunch together, and hanging out on steps we deemed comfortable. In so many aspects of our college life I’ve seen this desire of hers branch out, from her willingness to volunteer in Gawad Kalinga to her gentle scoldings whenever we had leftover food.

During one of our college classes, we were asked to give a symbol that best represents ourselves. Nik described herself to be a free vending machine. Nobody in class had a similar answer nor explanation. She was the only one who was willing to give freely, and though that willingness was accompanied by the fear that she might be abused, that mantra of hers has continued to burn so evidently.

We held a class function just recently. The venue was covered in dust and dirt, and while everybody wished that the world wouldn’t care about it, it was Nik who went there early to sweep the floor and mop it. It was extra clean, and while nobody thanked her for the hard work she poured, she did not look for any recognition, she did not ask for extra grades.

On that same day, I noticed a cute ballpen of hers and inquired about it. She told me that it was expensive for a ballpen, but the proceeds go to charity so in any case, it was worth buying.

Nik is the only person who gives a gift when it is somebody’s birthday. On her last birthday, she received a number of gifts, and one of those was a box of chocolates which she readily shared with me. But I guess it’s not about the fact that I am obsessed with chocolates and that she was just a regular fan of it. The chocolates were for her and it was her birthday.

Whenever I realize that I have a friend like Nik, I am quite amazed. Apart from the fact that we are complete opposites only bonded by our love for books and movies, in my whole life, I never expected that there was somebody this nice. And yet, Nik gets angry. She gets angry when people aren’t treated well, when they don’t get what they rightfully deserve. That is the time when she steps in to fill the missing gaps.

Nik never ran for any position. She was never part of the student council and was always a member of the student organizations she participated in. But I don’t look at her in a lowly way just because she was always obeying reasonable orders. For me, she made use of her ordinary position to be someone extraordinary. And when she did, it wasn’t because it was intentional or because she was clamoring for fame… it was actually because it was so natural for her to do so.

That is my idea of a transformational leader: a follower who makes use of what she has to change others’ lives in little ways. Leadership doesn’t always have to start at the top—those at the bottom are actually very capable of changing lives, and Nik made me see that through the day to day experiences we’ve shared.

I’m glad that I have found both a leader and a great friend in her.

By Andrea Celine Quejada

(This piece is one of the submitted entries to ESSAY WRITING CONTEST: Follow My Leader. If you like this entry, please “like” this page and/or leave a comment. Thank you.)

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Be the Change You Want to Be : A Transformational Leaders Guide to Metamorphosis

Posted on August 29, 2010 by Joyce

For the past decades, Philippines has undergone various types of rulership from the 14 presidents who governed it – from Aguinaldo’s revolutionary dominance to former PGMA’s prolonged supremacy. Today, as we all indulge ourselves to another leap for a change through PNoy’s administration, we ask: “Is he the one?”

Is he the transformational leader we have all been clamoring for years now? Will he be able to transform or if not alleviate the disturbing predicament we are all in?

Is he the one?

I made mention of the words transformational leader, but first how is such defined? Is he just someone who could do changes, be it in a small or large scale of his electorate?

Definitely NOT – as for my 7 years of experience in the enigmatic yet perky realm of leadership, I believe there are traits which one must possess to be deemed as a transformational leader.

A TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADER IS PROACTIVE. As someone who intends to move mountains, one must have the initiative to start action. Noliver Barrido, PLM’s former Supreme Student Council President and a good friend of mine, always tells me to be a doer because once you become active in something and acquire experiences from it, be it good or bad; you learn something and you grow as a person.

If you get to know Kuya Noli you will be dumbfounded by how broad his knowledge is. From what I understood in my major – Psychology: “you cannot give what you do not have”, likewise; it is essential that you are knowledgeable in order to make things happen. For knowledge is a premise of progress. However, knowledge should be coupled with untainted understanding.

Be intuitive, ask questions, seek for answers and don’t just rely and adapt to what lies before your eyes.

A TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADER DOESN’T INCLUDE TO HIS VOCABULARY THE WORD IMPOSSIBLE. Emerald Amurao, founder of one of Manila’s Boses ng Kabataan Chapter taught me this trick of being extremely optimistic – of not entertaining and being frightened by the possibilities of defeat. The worst thing one can do is not to try, to be aware of what one wants and not give in to it, to spend years in silent hurt wondering if something could have materialized – never knowing. I’ve acclimatized myself so much to this that, whenever I’m subjected to dense circumstances, I tend to just push and push until I achieve my or our team’s goal.

With this comes the notion of being bold on piloting. One must be dominant enough and at the same time submissive to his elements depending of course on the situation at hand. Taking risks and engaging to the uncertain comes with this too.  Erroneous it may sound at first but in doing so, one learns. Yearning for the seemingly impossible is a step to human progress. Be it a win-lose situation, you acquire something so why not try, right? In role of the person in charge, as they put it in debates, you should “set the parameters”.

A TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADER LISTENS AND HAS AN OPEN-MIND. Stereotypical it may seem, but in reality, such qualities of a good leader are often overlooked. They assume they are listening already but not to the right voices; that they hear both sides yet they are being biased. For someone who aspires to alter lives, it must be an automatic inclination to be able to ascertain the misleading from the authentic ones. In actuality though, as they say: it is easier said than done.

I myself am still learning the art of listening to the right voices and weighing sides of what I encounter. It may seem a cunning task yet worth all the effort for without silence words lose their meaning; without listening, speaking no longer heals. Having mastered this, one could easily communicate with others. He’ll not have a hard time dealing with them for he knows their issues consequently building a harmonious relationship.

A TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADER AFFECTS. Francis Montero, our Parish priest never fails to exercise this. Every time he conducts masses, he preaches God. Indefatigably reminding everyone to do well and be good. Studies show that short term memory is much more prevalent in a person’s everyday living. Therefore, it’s a must that periodically one is reminded of what to do. That is exactly what he does. Having my fair share of waywardness, hearing those sermons affect me. He influences me to become a morally upright person. He indirectly causes waves of inspiration as I take my life’s course in becoming someone who will defy the norms and follow a culture of intact core values and solid spiritual foundation.

As a transformational leader, a lot of patience is needed as we, little by little, strive for meaningful changes. Like Father Montero, aside from the fact that he never stops on believing that a change will transpire eventually, he stands out of the crowd and leads the way to righteousness. He walks his talk. The influence he exerted is through his own life and what he became of himself. He motivates me. And that is, I believe, the true measure of one’s influence. With that, he lives out the saying: “big things come from small packages”.

We don’t need dramatic events or big people to shake us from our apathy. By just opening our eyes to our surroundings, learning from the people in our immediate circle, sharing what we know and having the enduring initiative to be the best that we can be, we can become persons who will definitely make a difference.

And lastly, about President Aquino’s administration: LET’S KEEP OUR FINGERS CROSSED THAT HE IS THE ONE. However, we should earnestly do our part, for seeking change is not just PNoy’s fight, it should be a collective struggle of every Filipino.

To borrow a line from John C. Maxwell – “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”

By Joyce Colmenar Lansang

(This piece is one of the submitted entries to ESSAY WRITING CONTEST: Follow My Leader. If you like this entry, please “like” this page and/or leave a comment. Thank you.)

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Inspirational Speaker to the Poor

Posted on August 29, 2010 by Jef Menguin

By Jef Menguin
Written: March 20, 2010

I do not romanticize poverty. There is really nothing romantic about poverty. Writers attempt to describe it, actors make poor attempt to portray it, and politicians use it to advance their agenda. Really, there is nothing romantic about p-o-v-e-r-t-y, poverty.

Most inspirational speakers highlight their struggle against poverty like winning an Olympic gold. They talk about their struggles again and again to highlight how they won.

Some inspirational speakers, when they speak to their rich crowds, project their lives like a series of unfortunate events. They place in a 30-minute speech all the “bad experiences” they had for the last thirty years as if nothing good has ever happened to them. At other times, they are scriptwriters, who for cinematic effect, have to exaggerate the scenes to highlight a point; who make characters say a particular line to make the story more commercially entertaining to their crowd. Yes, to a crowd whose ideas about poverty are from the stories they have heard from previous inspirational speakers and telenovelas, or from books they’ve read while relaxing in their private resort basking in the heat of the golden sun.

Their message: I was poor, but I am now one with you. Many thanks to my courage, perseverance, and persistence (or whatever beautiful messages their audiences want to hear).

And other inspirational speakers when they speak to the financially poor among us begin by highlighting their very poor beginnings. And like following a script, they will project their experiences of thirty years to  a thirty-minute series of unfortunate events. Then highlight the same by pointing out what they did to leap from struggles to success, from having nothing when they started to having everything now.

Their message: Look at me! Look at me! I was one with you, but now I am up here. This is because I do not think like the rest of you. You must admire me. You must be like me.

Let me digress. Manny Villar’s jingle is very popular to the kids and even to adults like us. This is also the song I hear inside my head now. And I expect to hear his campaign jingle later when I turn on my friend’s TV. The presidential candidate Villar is romanticizing poverty. He may not be an inspirational speaker, but he knows how to romanticize poverty and make full use of his projected poverty story. Romanticizing poverty dulls the mind. This is why people did not notice the last line that insults everyone of us and glorifies him like God: Si Manny Villar ang magtatapos ng ating kahirapan. This time he is much better than Jesus Christ, much better than Mahatma Gandhi, or any leader in the world. It is not WE who will change our lives, his campaign jingle said that it is him. I admit that the writer of that song is a genius, but by allowing that last line to be part of the song, Villar conveyed a mixed and conflicted message.

Inspiration is not about making the persons around you become more and more dependent on you. It is not about making them your fans. It is not about buying their loyalty.

Because someone once wallowed in poverty does not mean that he can inspire the poor. Many of our politicians where once financially poor. Many of them are now financially rich, but spiritually and morally and intellectually poor. Inspiration is not about giving money to the poor although that can be a manifestation of one’s love to his fellowmen.

Inspiration is about breathing in the spirit of hope to them. Inspiration is about making them realize their true value and worth.

True inspirational speakers do not have to be poor for them to inspire the poor. They simply need to have the heart for everyone. They talk to you not because you are poor and miserable, they do because you are a person and every person must be lifted up and cared for.

Please do not use poverty to dull the intellect. Please do not give false hope. Please do not paint illusions. Inspiration is about showing the truth. Yes, the truth that God has given the power of free will. Each one of us can change our lives at will.

Inspirational speakers, whoever and wherever you are, be inspirational speakers to the poor. Yes, to the poor in spirit, to the poor in courage, to the poor in hope, to the poor in finances, to the poor in friends, to the poor in learning, and to the poor in love.

(This is part of my Letters to Inspirational Speakers.  Inspirational speakers are leaders, and it will help us inspirational speakers to revisit our thinking about what we do. These letters are also for everyone who aspires to inspire people everywhere.)

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