Self-relection
Frankly, bouts of sessions in Organizational Behaviour might never have been one of my best interests this past semester. It’s a good thing Sir Gerry had the talent of turning the dullest moments of our OB sessions into something-to-ponder-upon-over-the-weekend (I tell you, this guy can perform wonders through mere words). Yet despite my deep-rooting aversion towards OB, it taught me loads of key lessons I could never have come across in my entire stint here in our dear university especially on topics concerning our future careers as business-minded people. “Believe me kid, when you step out there in the ‘real world’, leadership concepts are almost always overlooked at.” This was according to an uncle who currently holds a top-level position at a premium banking firm. It seems like a no-brainer at first glance, yet very perplexing if delved into. Looks can be deceiving, and so are leadership concepts.
When my group and I were deliberating about the set of criteria we need to set as basis in choosing among our prospective line-up of leaders, we have always found ourselves falling into the trap of sticking too much to leadership stereotypes which are always general and unspecific, so to speak. Determining the set of characteristics our chosen leader must possess was the hardest and most painstaking part. It took us more than three conferences to ultimately come up with a consensual decision. Personifying these leadership ideals was the next trial we had to deal with, not bearing in mind that he/she must be at least part of our generation. An email request was already sent out only to find out that Mr. Ambeth Ocampo, who topped our list of prospects, was already past his 40s! That’s how we ended up with UP ICTUS’ chairperson Mr. Julian Cañita.
On a personal note, any human being in this planet is a possible candidate for any leadership role so long he is capable of leading himself. That is a crucial prerequisite. There is no single universal set of standards capable of accurately pinpointing whether a set of qualities is leadership potential or not. It is rather subjective – person- and culture-bound. The dubious assumption that every leader must always fit a pre-determined prototype is a pitfall that we should be wary of, something we must veer away from as much as possible because “out there” is anything but what the books say.
Last week, while I was taking my much-needed bath, I was contemplating on how I would fare if I were the subject of this project, a leader in my own generation. To do justice, I had my own version of self-evaluation by simply matching my strengths against my weaknesses. To get it straight, I think I am a leader by heart – but the seasonal type. I do not assume leadership roles unless the situation calls for it; but when it’s crunch time, that’s when my leadership skills come to life.
My first impressions regarding the project’s objectives led me to believe that it is a must for every group to look for someone who is either part of history books, someone who has a huge chunk of contribution to the Philippine society, or someone who simply holds stardom status. I was rooting for big people in the likes of veteran historian Ambeth Ocampo, CNN hero of the year Efren Peñaflorida, and UP’s Randy David. The idea of being able to present to the class personalities as brazen as this line-up was in itself psychologically gratifying, well of course, not to mention, will earn us the bragging rights. Yet I came to realize that what makes our group distinct isn’t the grandiosity, but rather our own personal definition of leadership. Leaders are anything but perfect. They are not without flaws. Recognizing bad qualities as much as crediting good ones will yield a more holistic evaluation.
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