Reflection Paper 2
by Rony Cabuyadao
External factors - Family, environment, school and work experiences that shaped me who I am today:
Family – Family is considered as the basic and most important social unit of society. It is in the family where we first learn to play, to share, to help and to love.
When I was growing up, I don't recall any extraordinary memories that we have done as a whole family. Maybe because our parents were then busy working just to be able to provide for our basic needs. Our way of life was so simple; there was nothing special that I can remember. When we were young, we were not forced by our parents to work, but we voluntarily did our share to help our parents in whatever we can. We (siblings) learned to work as a team. Without formal instructions, we developed our own rotational schedule of who would help prepare and cook our food, who would wash the dishes after meals, who would fetch water from a deep well about half-kilometer away, who would clean the house among others. I believe that I've learned the value of hard work from my family.
Environment – In our neighborhood, most of our neighbors were our close or distant relatives. Our community was peaceful and the people really get along very well. It's in our community where I saw the spirit of bayanihan, which is still being practiced even to this day. During special occasions and community activities, people would help out one another, without expecting any payment. This probably influenced partly my "helper" personality that I am today.
Also, my childhood life was simple and typical. If not working helping out my parents, I loved to play outdoors, with traditional games or plays. This had helped me developed my social skills, as I had to interact with my playmates. During those years though, I knew my goals and ambitions in life were different from my childhood friends. True enough, most of my childhood friends in our community just finished high school, then went to work in the farm and got married early.
School – I obtained my education from public schools and state university. I took my education seriously because I knew that getting an educational degree would help me achieve my goals and ambitions in life. Also, I took schooling as a challenge and as a friendly competition, to serve as my motivation to strive harder in my studies. I believe it worked for me, as I finished my secondary education and graduated at the top of my graduating class and completed my college education and graduated probably among the top 5 in our BS Accountancy program. It is when I was at school where I've learned the values of determination and perseverance.
Work Experience – I have already worked for 8 organizations/companies in my 18-year career, ranging from short 6 months to long 7 years, in four different countries. In every organization that I've worked with, each one had its own unique company culture, vision, mission, corporate values, and of course, politics.
Having been given the opportunity to work with different nationalities and cultural backgrounds, my experiences had taught me the value of being respectful to one's culture, beliefs, practices among others, no matter how different they were from what I used to see in our home country. My work experiences overseas had helped me developed the ability to adapt in different working environments and co-work with colleagues with dissimilar backgrounds or origins. Currently, I'm working for an organization with global presence and operations and working with colleagues from Asia-Pacific to Europe, and from Africa to the Americas seemed normal and natural.
It was interesting to note though that company politics were more prevalent in our home country than in the organizations that I've worked for abroad. Maybe it's a cultural thing, but I found too much company politicking to be detrimental to an organization. It causes division and distrust among employees. But, I have accepted the fact that it's a way of work life, and as long as I can manage it and I do my job right and to the best of my abilities, there should be nothing to worry about.
Internal factors – My personal values, strengths and weaknesses and how do they affect on how I decide or act:
Values – These are the things that we believe are important in the way we live and work. They determine our priorities and are reflections of our needs, desires and what we care about most in life. Values are great cohesive forces for our identities, and can be thought of as decision-making guidelines that help us connect to our true selves. And, personal values can serve as reminders of what we cherish while in tricky situations where we might be pressured to act according to some standards. In this way, knowing our personal values will help us stay true to our self as we move through life.
The following are what I consider as my core values:
Hard work: "Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime." This old Chinese proverb could not be more true. I truly value the concept of hard work. It teaches perseverance, persistence and determination, and that hard work pays off. It teaches us to push through when times are tough. There's no greater satisfaction on getting something you have really worked hard for it.
Accountability: I take full responsibility for every choice or decision I make.
Independence: I make my own choices and decision confidently without influence from others.
Commitment: When I promised something, I give my all to keep my promises.
Trustworthy: When I give my word, I will stand by it.
Strengths – These are tasks or actions that I can do well.
Strong work ethic: I maintain a high quality of work and impose own standards of excellence.
Diligent: I am hard working and willing to work extra hours, when necessary. I normally do more than is required.
Decision-making: Before I make a sound decision, I gather the necessary information, come up with at least two alternatives, consider the pros and cons for each.
Self-discipline: I control my own behavior and self-motivated. I am prepared to work hard to achieve goals, persevere with difficult tasks and activities and continue with projects in the face of obstacles and challenges.
Integrity: I maintain confidentiality; I provide complete and accurate information; I observe company policies and procedures; and, I maintain values and ethics even under opposition and pressure.
Weaknesses – These are qualities that I need to improve or work on:
Perfectionist: It's not really a bad thing to strive for perfection. But, sometimes, I focused too much on details, resulting to wasted time that could have been used on more important matters or tasks.
Impatience: I get frustrated with others who perform to a lower standard than I expect from them.
So, knowing my personal strengths and weaknesses can give me a lot of insights in understanding and changing myself. And, it will help me to make the right decisions.
How do the external and internal factors prepare me for future challenges?
All the external and internal factors have influenced and shaped me as the leader I am today. My work experiences are probably one of the primary factors that affect my leadership. I was selected for my current position because of my past experiences. Leaders often need experience in making difficult decisions. On the other hand, my values or characteristics also played a part in the equation. My being highly motivated, forward thinking and being practical enable me to set achievable goals and work hard to succeed in them. Equally important is the support that I get from my family, friends, community and co-workers. The people around me provide the type of support that I need in a given situation.
However, the forces of change are inevitable, and the only thing constant is change. We cannot deny the fact that our society and the very nature of business are changing rapidly. We expect that the role of a leader in the future will be more critical to the success of the organization than it is today. Businesses will become more stressful, competitive and hectic. Leaders will then be called upon to face those challenges. I believe it is a huge advantage of a leader who has the ability to adapt change. I am open to change, I have the capacity to take calculated risks and I keep an open mind to new ideas.
I believe that those factors discussed above will serve as my basic foundation to be able to face any challenge that may come in the future. I consider the factors as my basic foundation only for now, because I must admit that it might still be a long learning process for me to become a better or an effective leader. This leadership class has already played a big role so far towards my journey towards becoming a better leader. And, those extensive resources shared by Prof. Jorge and those real-life stories and knowledge shared by our more experienced fellow leaders are very much appreciated. A big thank you, All! 3.5
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