Question: What were your defining moments? What incidents/ events taught you to be better/transformed you?
The Greek philosopher Heraclitus quoted, "The only thing that is constant is Change."In my 36 years of existence I have learned that we as human beings are rational. As humans, we are blessed with greatly increased moral and spiritual capacities to know, love and choose our behavior. Humans are constantly evolving physically, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. Defining moments will change us. My defining moments transformed me to become a better person for others and for myself.
#1 "Be yourself."
When I was a kid I experienced bullying. Since I wanted so badly to be part, I would always follow what the other kids asked me to do. I vividly remember one time we were playing in one of my playmate's house and I was asked to stay outside while they played inside. What hurt the most was that my best friend did not defend or stick up for me. There were several incidents that they mistreated me and I just kept quiet. One day, one of playmates pushed me for no reason - and when I fought back, all my other kids ganged up on me. I was alone and my bestfriend did not protect me. It was that moment that I told myself "I will no longer allow them to push me over, I will fight back. I will never be like them, I will never mistreat other people and I will be the exact opposite."
After that incident I wanted to stand up for people. I said I will not be difficult to anyone that I meet. This is probably one of the reasons why I am always perceived as a nice and sweet person. I am often being called as Ms. Congeniality because I told myself that I would be kind and fair to people. I will not be silent if I know someone is being mistreated - which I felt my friend failed to do for me. Even when first meeting new people, it is very easy for me to connect with them. It was never hard for me to make friends. I learned to be myself.
#2 "Be compassionate and be a Beacon for others."
My Dad is my hero. My dad was an intelligent and kind child, raised by parents who were educators. According to my Grandmother, my dad was well loved by the whole family and neighborhood because of his compassionate and kind nature. With this, my dad was sent to Mother of Good Council Seminary for high school and then San Carlos Seminary where he studied Philosophy. My dad was a seminarian and was expected to become a man of God. Everything changed when he met, fell in love with, and eventually eloped with my beautiful mom. My dad was one of the most generous people I have ever known because he shared his talent, time, help and encouragement to people around him. I recalled that every pay day he would buy not a plastic of fruits, but a crate of fruits – because he wanted more people to enjoy the fruits of his salary. Anyone who came to him for help with paperwork or speeches would freely be offered his talent and passion. He was also the mediator to any family conflict because he was fair, he listened and he understood the issue before he gave his opinion. People trusted him for that. He also sponsored one of my cousins who could not afford to go to school. He always inculcated to us "Jesus works" and he said that even in our own simple ways we can make a difference to people around us. He was my idol, my hero. Although I experienced bullying when I was a kid, my dad became my beacon. He said that I should always treat other people with love and respect. He told me that there is always a reason behind every person's action because humans are rational beings. Be compassionate and be a Beacon for others.
My Dad motivated me to go out there and 'WOW' the world with kindness and compassion. One day I was invited to run as representative for the College Student Council (CSC) of the Department of Business Administration. My dad and I worked together to prepare for the election. Prior to Election Day, I was informed that they replaced me with another candidate. I was devastated - I did not understand why they suddenly replaced me. I told myself that I will prove to them that their wrong and I am a good leader. That I have what it takes to be a good leader. After that incident, I became more active at school organizations and activities. The end of the CSC election was also the start of the preparation for the bigger election which is the(USC) University Student Council. The elected officers of CSC would be reporting to the officers of USC. To my surprise, I was being invited to run for a bigger position. I accepted because I saw this as an opportunity to show my ability to lead. This time I said to myself I will not give them any reason to reject me. I was elected as College of Business Administration Councilor. The CSC officers that rejected me were now reporting to me. I spent the whole year helping and reaching out to students. Each officer is tasked to create a committee or project to support – mine being the Student Help Desk. The Student help desk was a venue for students to raise their concerns. My committee was like PAO, I was like a lawyer depending student rights. The following year I was elected Chairman of the University Student Council (USC). I made history because I was the first woman to be ever elected Chairman at USC of Holy Angel University (HAU). This was one of my defining moments. I wanted to prove to those who rejected me that they made a mistake.
However, winning the highest post is not only about gaining a good title but rather a big responsibility to fulfill what you promise to the students. You must be prepared to receive criticism. Initially, the University paper wrote negative columns and questioned my capabilities to lead. But I did not allow that to affect my main goal which was to serve the students and unite the Student Council. Uniting officers coming from different parties was my first challenge as chairman. I reflected on what my dad had taught me through the years:"Be compassionate, be a beacon for others."I was the first officer to arrive at the Student Council Office and I was always available to student needs. I welcomed other officers with opposing views and respected other opinions. Although I was a woman, they saw that I was strong and confident. I welcomed the press to my office and answered every question they raised. I spoke individually to every officer; I wanted to get to know them so that I could understand their expectations.I encourage all my officers to create subcommittee because I believed that the more student volunteers we involve, the better we can execute our projects. We had so many volunteers that it lowered our expenses. Not only did we pay the debt of the previous council,but we raised enough funds to sponsor scholarships for qualified students. But our most memorable project as an officer of USC was when we were able to get the approval of the HAU student's Wash Day every Wednesday. I was also being sent all around the Philippines to attend student leadership programs. My experience in the student council has taught me to believe in myself.
#3 "Politics without principle is evil."
The Mayor of Porac and my dad worked together in actively promoting good governance. The mayor was also a regular guest at a local radio station and they were tackling corruption and jueteng. Then it happened, the most impactful and agonizing pain I underwent was when my dad was killed soon after my graduation. On June 26, 2000 they were ambushed and my dad was dead on the spot. I hated the fact that the most influential person in my life was gone. I was shocked. It tested my spirit and shook my faith. I prayed that one day I would overcome the pain. My Dad died as my Hero. That is when I started to look back at the good memories of my father. I look at the old speeches my dad and I made when I was running for student council and the lines he wrote "Politics without principle is evil" by Mahatma Gandhi. Those lines strike me hard and made me cry. This is one of the main reasons I wanted to be an ADVOCATE against corruptions.
Time heals everything, and as humans, we have an indomitable spirit that will not allow us to be drowned by tears. I did not realize how strong I was until that painful event. I took all my strength from God. Moving forward, I strove to be a better individual because I knew my dad would have wanted me to if he was alive. I always volunteered to community outreach projects like tree planting, donate a blood, clean drive, help the poor, etc. That in my own little way I can help other people. He always told us that one of his dreams was to see one of us take up a Master's degree. That is also the major reason I enrolled MBA, to fulfill my father's dream.
#4"I will be a better person and a better leader."
When I was newly appointed as a Supervisor at Yiaco Apollo Medical Center in Kuwait, I was informed by the management that majority of the older staff were skeptical of my qualifications. As I was coming from the airline industry, they felt I was not well-fitted to fill a position in the medical field and manage them. I understood their fear of me but I had to do something to change that perception. The management wanted to focus on customer service and patient satisfaction. But just like any smart doctor, before I can issue a prescription, I must analyze and understand the body. I had to understand their work culture and ethics. After a thorough study of the company and staff culture, I worked hard to gain their respect and trust. It would be easier for me to incorporate changes if they trusted and respected me. Leading by example was my tactic, as well as showing a lot of patience to patients. I conducted regular meetings to hear their sentiments and promoted openness so that I could help them with their problems at work. My target was to make all of our working lives less complicated and more fun. Humor played a big role in gaining their confidence because I wanted them to feel that working was a joyful thing. I also made sure each staff birthday was remembered and celebrated. Once I got their trust I empowered them to make their own decision on work problems. They were no longer dependent on me and I was happy. If there is patient problem I let them handle it but I made sure that I guided them. I was not only their boss I was also their trusted confidante. Then it happened - we received a lot of good customer service feedback, and the profit increased. Although I left the job after 2 years, I realized that not only did I change their perception of me, but I empowered them to believe in their abilities. I learned that to be a better leader, we must reach out to our people. We must lead by example.
My classmate at MBA Dr. Suzette K. Muñoz hired me to be the (GM) General Manager of their company SFUC Group of Companies. I think she saw leadership potential in me. One of the reasons I accepted the job is because she embodies good character and integrity. I look up to her a lot as a leader and friend. I know that working with her will hone my leadership qualities.
My father showered me with love and taught me to share that love. I learned to be a beacon for others, and not to dim their lights. I learned to share, to love and not to be deceived by fake wealth because real wealth is when you can share yourself to others. My experience as Student Leader taught me to fight for a cause. I do community services like Mulat diwa, donate blood, plant trees and clean up drive. Combining all the experiences and gleaned knowledge on being "Men and Women for others," I must use it now more than ever. I must open my heart to help others and lift them so that they may feel the love of God the way I felt it. I will use my talents and education to encourage the weak, the less fortunate, so that they may see hope in their days. I will share as much as I can because only then I can feel real wealth by sharing blessings.
Throughout my 36 years of existence, I've come to believe that defining moments will help us understand our reason for 'Being,' to be humane and benevolent. If we don't, then we are no different from an animal which cannot rationalize its existence. As humans we err in practice, but we learn. We fall but constantly stand up. We get lost, we get hurt, we stand up and then we lead.
Anne Boese Vg Anne ! Malalim. Your leadership will go a long long way. Dra Suzette was very right in eyeing you as a GM
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