Regis Cebu Leadership Leader Dovie Sainz Movie Synopsis, Analysis of JCampbell’s Monomyth and My Life Story

Regis Cebu Leadership

Leader Dovie M. Sainz

Movie Synopsis, Analysis of JCampbell's Monomyth and My Life Story

Movie Title:  Independence Day

Movie Synopsis:

The Movie is about aliens trying to invade earth. It begins with about a dozen massive spaceships positioning themselves over some of earth's major cities. Some people welcomed their arrival hoping to be the first to meet aliens. However, the aliens did not come in peace but rather to annihilate the earth on the fourth of July.

After being informed about the aliens, US President Thomas J. Whitmore ordered a large-scale evacuation of targeted cities. The vice president and several cabinet members were killed. One pilot was able to survive the attack in Los Angeles by luring an alien aircraft towards the Grand Canon where it crashed. He brought the injured alien to Area 51 with the help of several refugees travelling across the desert.

Inside Area 51, some scientists tried to autopsy the alien but were killed when the alien regained consciousness. The alien attempted to attack the president using psychic means. President Whitmore told his men that while he was attacked, he saw the plans of the aliens: to invade planets, destroy all life and harvest all natural resources.

Cebu Regis Leadership Reflection Paper 1 Defining Moments (rev.) by Leader Andre Ladan

Dear Prof Jorge,

       SUbmitted is my 2nd revision for my defining moments following the three points that require answering as based on your email to me the last time. Thanks again Prof for the tip.

Andre Ladan

Regis Cebu Leadership

Leader Andre Ladan

Defining moments

My defining moments are points in my life where I made important decisions regarding where I am going. Those critical events changed me to what I am today. My defining moments are not emotionally charged like what others may have written or shared, probably it's because of the nature of what I do that I've learned to look at the bigger picture. I strive to get over myself under most circumstances, it could be a reason why my defining moments are what it is.

I was raised in the suburbs in a middle class household. We weren't rich but we're happy with what we had. My parents were meticulous in our education, all of us coming from science high schools and going to UP for college. My high school life was as exciting as most people, learning to cut classes at 13, drinking at 14, smoking at 15 and girls at 16. I have the same group of friends upon entering college and we were full of optimism and an unquenchable sense of adventure. College life was not difficult at all, academically it wasn't much of an adjustment. My science high school education gave me an advantage in school work. I may not get high grades but I need not study as hard as other people. What I was not prepared for was the culture of UP, the school offers too much freedom. We were even allowed to smoke in class. The smell of "herbs with spices" permeates the concert grounds and nobody gets into trouble. I spend half of my day in billiard halls and half of my nights drunk.

My consistent college lifestyle eventually got me into trouble academically and my parents were already panicking as they fear that I am self-destructing. I took the PMA exam because I needed a safety net in case I got kicked out. Eventually my parents prodding and my lackluster academics forced me into going to PMA.

I entered the academy at age 17, though it was a rigid life it was really the first time that I felt free. I was in charge of my own fate. Training was hard, my physical, emotional and mental faculties were tested to their limits. I longed for the company of friends, deep in the night I would hear the cries of other seventeen year olds longing for home but I never heard mine because I knew that I belonged.

Even as a cadet I still was the same carefree person, I still smoke, hide in some obscure places to drink with others who were just like me. My luck eventually ran out, after my second year I was suspended because of academics. Academic suspension in PMA is a normal occurrence, at the end of academic year more than a quarter of cadets are made to join the next class to repeat the subjects they've failed. There were five of us who banded together and never went back to our homes, we spent our suspension living on our own.    

My suspension turned out to be a good thing as I get a taste my first defining moment. Living far from family and the safety net it offers taught me a lot. At 19 years old and as a kid coming from the suburbs I was forced to work to be able to eat. I learned how it feels everytime the landlady asks for the rent. From that moment on, I knew the harsh realities of life. I knew that if I wanted to survive I need to have a job and finishing PMA was the closest thing to that goal.

I returned to PMA with a better sense of what I wanted to be, though still care free and fun loving I made sure that my grades will not suffer. I eventually graduated in 1999.

My first deployment was in a ship in Cavite. She was a cargo ship more than a hundred yards in length with a supposed crew of around a hundred people. I was designated as the ship's supply officer. Graduating from PMA, the burden of getting a job was already far removed from my shoulders. I was back to my gallivanting ways, treating my job as a necessary distraction. I delegated most of my task and never even bothering to check the veracity of my men's work. That over dependence got me into trouble. One day a message for an emergency rescue mission came, we were supposed to deploy. As the ship's supply officer it was my responsibility that we have the necessary fuel, water and provisions to perform the mission. Because of my overdependence, those requirements weren't met because the guy I depended on for that got sick. The mission was eventually given to a different ship albeit on a later time. That delay may have claimed lives of several people. That became the second defining moment of my life, my incompetence may have been responsible for people losing their lives. From that moment on I tried to learn everything that concerns my responsibility, there was no task small enough not to learn. It was that moment that taught me the value of knowing and mastering the job.

After my deployment in Cavite, I was reassigned to Mindanao. We were conducting barrier and negation patrols in the areas of Basilan, Jolo, Tawi-Tawi and Zamboanga. There are times that we would venture into the southernmost islands of Sibutu and Sitangkai, other times we would be patrolling the waters near turtle islands to capture poachers. It was an adventure in itself because it was also the time when then President Estrada issued an all out war against the Abu Sayyaf. We were in combat zones for months on end, weeks spent at sea patrolling Jolo and Basilan. Those were hard times, but time well spent.

I married after my Mindanao duty and got assigned to a different ship, it was a smaller one designed to patrol coastal waters. After that ship billet I transferred to a different military unit specializing in military communications. The Oakwood mutiny of 2003 was the precursor to my assignment to PSG. During that time one of their communications officers got involved with the Magdalo group necessitating an immediate replacement. I eventually got transferred, and in a few years I was one of the operations officers responsible for planning advance security preparations for the President both local and abroad. Most of the time I was on the road, having very little time for my family. My professional life was on the rise but my family life was taking its toll. My children were inviting me to their own birthday parties, going back to the office on Sunday mornings were normal occurrences. The schedule we're living in was so hectic and the pressure to ensure the safety of the President was at its highest (Pres GMA was not the most popular president). In 2009 my body gave in, I was hospitalized for a few days. As I spent time recovering, I saw my wife sleeping beside my hospital bed. It was four in the afternoon, she was probably awake all night looking after me. No one from PSG paid a visit (though I never informed anyone about it except my immediate boss), as it is with every soldier we were a statistic. It was my family that took care of me during those times. It was my third defining moment, from that moment on I promised myself that I would devote more time to my family. That I would take care of them and cherish their company. As soon as I got back to the office, I arranged for a transfer to Camp Aguinaldo and asked that I be given a desk job.

From 2009 to 2012 I dutifully performed my desk job in Camp Aguinaldo. I had the opportunity to go home after work everyday. I was able to attend all school activities of my children and involve myself with the trivialities of our household. It was only later in 2012 that I have to take up a course in Zambales that was required for my promotion was I forced not to spend my evenings at home.

The seven habits program was one of our requirements to complete the course. In that program we were given the whole day to discern who we are and the credo we would like to have. In that moment I was able to have another defining moment. As I looked inside myself, I tried to determine who I am and what I wanted to be. In that moment and until now I really could not give a definite answer when it comes to what I need to be. But I've always known the values I uphold and what I love to do. So at the end of that day and all the days that followed I've endeavored to build GOOD bridges of friendship, make a BETTER self and bring out the BEST in people.

There are several learnings that can be taken from those moments. Oftentimes those learnings veered me in the right direction and eventually contributed to what I am today. For my first defining moment the learning was "foresight". It was knowing what was more beneficial in the long run. That youth is not an excuse for throwing the future. Learning the value of hardwork to put food in the table grounded me and taught me the value of work and anticipating what tomorrow may bring. During the first meeting we were shown the leadership triangle where the center is the authentic self. In it where the words self-awareness and reflection. That is the learning that can be taken from this basing from our lessons. The initial steps to become a great leaders requires a path towards self-discovery. It requires an awareness of ones self when faced with difficulties that brings about the best in us. It helped me develop my own character and brought out my perseverance and positive outlook. Those traits are essential in mantles of leadership for character gives the leader the ascendancy to lead and perseverance and positive outlook gives you the edge during hard times. It is at this times where the people you lead look for a source of strength,   and that strength coming from a leaders solidifies the effort of the group and carries with it the will to overcome.

As with my second moment it taught me to study my craft and take it seriously. That knowledge is a key component of any profession and that success is anchored in competence. Basing it on our discussion regarding HBR must reads on leadership, one of the seven transformations is to be an expert. I think that my second defining moment helped me to be one. Because of that incident I became very particular of my craft and tried to learn everything that involves it. I became attentive not only with the operations of what I do but also the policies governing it. My experience transformed my leadership from being an opportunist to an expert. Presently, that event is helping me make the right decisions for my organization. My technical expertise that was honed from years of experience and attended trainings help me deliver effective communications and information technology services to the AFP.

My third defining moment taught me that leadership is not just about taking care of others but also taking care of one's self. Being hospitalized taught me the importance of taking care of one's health and appreciating the family we have. Attributing it with our lectures and lessons on J Campbell's hero with a thousand faces, my third defining moment coincides with the hero surviving a great ordeal and leads to a discovery of self-knowledge. As a leader that learning is helping me in my responsibilities as a military officer. Ever since that day, I have been very vocal to my men about them taking care of their health and their families. I do not forbid them to drink or smoke as they are still the masters of their own fate but I lead by example and share them my story.

My fourth defining moment taught me the importance of direction. Leadership cannot just be about mission accomplishment and welfare of the men. There must always be a guiding principle or direction that will eventually improve the human state. In one of our sessions, HBR's must read seven transformations of leadership discusses the leadership of an alchemist. The Alchemist is someone who is capable of social transformation. In my organization that learning helped me develop an alchemist type of leadership. I am not claiming to be ab alchemist leader as I know I still have ways to go to be one. But that defining moment showed me the initial path, it has become my way of changing the perception of my men regarding their lives and hope that my personal mission of building Good relationships, making a Better self and bring out the Best in others rubs on them and help create a better society.   

MM Leadership Reflection Paper 2 Internal and External Factors that Shaped Me by Leader Erika Manrique

External and Internal Factors that Shaped Me

1.   External -  what are family, environment school and work experience that shaped you today?

MY FAMILY

My childhood was spent in San Pedro, Laguna, a place where we are quite near Manila (near enough to go there every weekend to my grandparents) and far from it that the air quality was better and there were fewer vehicles on the roads. We still got to play every late afternoon (after our afternoon naps) with the other kids in our neighborhood without anyone getting run over by jeeps or trucks. My parents both had regular 8-5 jobs (most of the time, because there was a time when my father was unemployed) during my younger years, so we saw them only in the morning and evenings, and also on weekends.

My parents always kept us busy with school and extra-curricular activities. They enrolled us in ballet, music, and sports classes every summer. They did not indulge our every whim and made sure we also had chores to do in the house. Although we had help, they made sure we were doing things and not just asking our Nanang for what we needed. Actually, Nanang was even allowed to tell us what to do. This meant she bossed us around also to do the house chores with and without my parents around. This background is what I think keeps me grounded. We did not have a lot of money growing up and I could not get everything that I wanted. One time, I really wanted to get a Barbie doll from a shop and I kept staring at it the whole time. I remember, I did this purposely so my parents would buy it for me. They did not give in, and I walked away without a barbie doll. Maybe I was disappointed and sad at that time, but I realized when I was older why they did this.

My parents loved each other. I only experienced them fighting loudly once, and this was even behind closed doors. Their personalities complemented one another like they were really born for each other. My father is a bit magastos, while my mother is very good at managing finances. My father is a people person and trusts almost everyone, while my mother is the perpetual skeptic. Sometimes the would argue about these things, but they also know how to make up. My father is more aggressive, while my mother is passive and extremely patient so they make up for what the other lacks. Perhaps this is also why my standards in finding a life partner is quite high because I want what my parents have and I don't want to settle for anything else.

SCHOOL, FRIENDS, and OTHER ENVIRONMENTS

I was an average student with average grades during most of my elementary, high school, and college days. I was never the bookish and eager student. I was never a problem student either. Although during high school, I had a reputation of being too talkative sometimes. In highschool I was more active in school. I was part of the swimming team, wrote for the school paper, was a catechist, and student guidance counselor. I had a teacher in high school who made a big impression on me because aside from her being really smart, she was very witty and had a different air of authority. She was the kind of teacher who didn't need to be angry for you to respect her. She was always smiling but you knew from the start that you would not want to see her displeased. She always encouraged me and made me feel that I could do better in school, and this gave me even more confidence.

Being part of the swimming team was also a big thing for me because it taught me discipline and the value of teamwork. My teammates and I were like brothers and sisters and I really enjoyed training because of them and our coaches. The parents also got along well with each other and looked out for each other's children. Whenever my parents were away, one of the parents would always look after us. During summers, I also taught swimming to little kids as part of our team's swimming clinic. This gave me a taste of how it was to have a job and being responsible for it because I was one of the oldest in our group. I was assigned to coordinating and most of the administrative work. Swimming also exposed me to different kinds of people. There were the rich Chinese kids from Manila and the poor but very talented kids from Pakil, Laguna. This taught me how to interact and how to adapt to different kinds of people. I would also say that I developed my self-esteem by being active in school and sports. I knew I had a lot to offer for the world and I was very optimistic and ambitious.

College was a bit different for me because this was in Manila. Coming from the a conservative family and a provincial school, I was first shocked that almost everyone in UST (at least, in my college) were smoking. This might have been a normal thing, but it wasn't in my elementary school and high school. College went by quite fast, and I continued being an average student with maybe above average grades. After graduating, I joined my parents at the family business. I was overwhelmed with so much work because we were a small company but was growing quite fast, and we didn't really have the proper infrastructure or manpower yet at the time. I got burned out after 2 years, and after that buyer told my father that he should fire me, I decided it was time to go. I didn't really think it would be the end of my stint with the business, because I also saw the importance of why it was there and the potential it had. I thought that it was time for me to have a different perspective and also to know what its like out there. I chose to work for Dell Philippines because they had just set up here in the country, and I knew working for a multinational like Dell will broaden my horizons.

The best things I got from Dell was developing my patience, realizing my thirst for knowledge, and the great friends that I met. Working in technical support tested my resolve because I knew nothing about it. I had to study more than anyone else (because most of the new hires already had backgrounds in tech support), and adapt more to these americans who were our customers. Working in sales in my parent's business helped me, but it did not prepare me for the work at Dell. I was used to talking to professional people who have also worked in the industry for some time and I had my father to guide me. At Dell, I was talking to housewives, angry customers, and sometimes very old people. I was also challenged and at the same time was amazed of the new things I was learning about computers and technology.

2.   Internal  -  your values, strength, weakness and how do they affect on how you decide to act.

Being detail-oriented has been one of my values even when I was younger. Some people say I can be a bit obsessive sometimes, looking at the things that sometimes do not have much bearing anymore. Like in my job as marketing manager, whenever there are policies that need to be changed, I tend to look at every little detail to the point that it causes delays. Sometimes, I have to understand that in order to get things done, I must sacrifice going into the details so we can get the changes started.

I have also always been curious to learn new things. Whenever I feel that I am not learning anything new anymore, I turn to new knowledge or skills to get my blood pumping again. When I was in school, I always had extra-curricular activities like swimming and badminton. When I was at Dell, I enrolled myself in certificate classes and lessons in microsoft excel in order to add to my skill-set. I also tried German language classes, surfing, and longboarding. Learning new things makes me feel alive and connects me to different people who I also learn a lot from. I guess this is also why I have no problem adapting to new things and different situations.

Some of my weaknesses are about time management and not being able to set correct priorities in my life. I am also quite emotional and tend to doubt myself sometimes. I understand that these weaknesses can be overcome as soon as I have the correct mindset and consciously strive to work past them. It is not easy, but I know I can get there. I just need to want it hard enough, and to persevere against them. Perhaps always reminding myself of these weaknesses will also help me because when I realize that I am again falling into those traps, I can correct my behavior.

Although my decisions have not been always based on my values, strengths, and weaknesses, they do play a major role. In my choice of a career, my being curious has also helped me decide to stay on with the family business. It has opened me to opportunities that I may not have had if I chose a different career path. It has also given me time to pursue my studies which I have always wanted. Managing a business with lots of challenges has made me resourceful, flexible, and diligent. I have also seen the impact that the livelihood we helped create has had on our employees. I understand now the joy that my father always described to us, of knowing that they were able to send their children to college and now have very good jobs of their own. Their parents may not have had those opportunities with us because we are a small company, but now their children do. It gives you a sense of pride that you were able to help these people. This, I think, is what will drive me towards my future. I would like to be somewhere, or part of something that has an impact on the bigger picture, and not just focusing on myself.

--   Erika Manrique

Cebu Regis Leadership Enneagram (rev) by Leader Lt Cmdr. Andre Lito Ladan

Dear Prof Jorge,

       submitted is my revision for my enneagram paper

Andre Ladan

Regis Cebu Leadership

Leader ANDRE LITO LADAN 

Enneagram

Learnings from Defining moments.

            Based on the Lifeline-Defining moments assignment I've experienced four defining moments in my life and the learnings resulting from them.

            a. At  20 years old- when I have to work to feed myself together with 4 other classmates. It showed me the realities of life and taught me foresight. I learned to consider my future and prepare for it. That experience taught me to become more serious in life.

            b. At 23 years old – I failed a mission because of my swag and incompetence. That incident cost the lives of people. It taught me humility and helped shape my work ethic. It taught me the importance of knowledge and competence in my profession. From then on I try to learn even the most mundane of task as long as it is within my responsibility.

            c. At 32 years old – I got sick and despite the hours I poured at work often sacrificing time for my family it was my family who were with me and nursed me back to health. During my hospital stay I learned the importance of taking care of my body and my family. I also learned to take it slow at times and appreciate what I have.

            d. At 36 years old – at a seven habits program, I was forced to make a credo and it became the guiding principle of my leadership. I learned that there are times that mission accomplishment and taking care of you people is not enough. As a leader, it is also important to develop our people and their character.

Learnings Based on the class lectures/topics

            Based on my Enneagram test I am a type 8 challenger/leader, I could also be a type 7 enthusiast or a type 1 reformer.

Type Eights are self-confident, strong, and assertive. Protective, resourceful, straight-talking, and decisive, but can also be ego-centric and domineering. Eights feel they must control their environment, especially people, sometimes becoming confrontational and intimidating. Eights typically have problems with their tempers and with allowing themselves to be vulnerable. At Their Best: self- mastering, they use their strength to improve others' lives, becoming heroic, magnanimous, and inspiring.[1]

MMLeadership Reflection #3 (revised) by Leader Anna Choco

Reflection Paper # 3

My Passion

So what is my passion? What is it that I love doing? How is it reflected in my work, daily life and life's journey?

Love and Passion for Architecture

I love Architecture. As simple as that.  It is my job and it is my passion.

Mickey mouse, Donald Duck, Niknok, Voltes Five, flowers, houses with farmland and nature, Haring Matsutsu, Superman, Spiderman, Tom & Jerry...they are my favorite subjects you will see on my notebooks when I was on my primary years.  I love seeing them come to life using my pencils and coloring pens.  I sometimes imagine myself as one of the characters on sketches.  Who would have thought that the passion sketching those cartoon characters during my younger years would lead me to what I consider my life now? 

Architecture was actually not my first choice in college.  I was about to take up Fine Arts as I love doing sketches, drawings and other things related to arts.  It was then shifted to BS Architecture when my father asked why would I take Fine Arts if my older sister already took it up.  I was advised to take up another course related to arts if I want to. That's when Architecture came to the picture.

Early years in Architecture, was not a breeze.  It was actually a struggle for a student who never had a basic drafting background in secondary school. Architecture is both interesting and challenging.  Artistic ability, creativity and drawing skills are essential for someone aiming to finish the course.  A lot of extensive drawings and model making in details will require a lot of time and patience.  Production of plates and presentation materials requires a lot of hard work. Numerical proficiency for estimation, structural computations, surveying and other mathematical computations are one of the most challenging part for me.  Architecture is not just a science, but also an art, one must need to be really passionate to be able to overcome those challenges and enjoy Architecture. 

I have never had any regrets choosing to be in this field.  The thought of dealing different variety of problems every project, using imagination and tools that I really love like CAD and Revit until its completion is really amazing.  Another thing I love about Architecture is the union of old and new architecture.  Whenever I travel, there are great examples of heritage and new buildings experience and be inspired by.  Being an Architect demands a lot of your time, it is a very demanding profession, but allows every Architect to constantly grow and gives awesome satisfaction.

How is it reflected in my work and daily life? 

Architecture helped develop my inner strength as a person.  Equilibrium, symmetry, steadiness, evenness and stability are some of them. Design is about finding a balance between a lot of things.  Same thing goes with our everyday life.  We need to balance everything for us to achieve things we want to achieve.  Design wise, balance is the key.  Our design would not be feasible if cost is too high. It should be a win-win situation for the stakeholders, which are the designer, the user and the company.  

Most Architects finds satisfaction and achievement in the profession not for the money alone but for the love and passion for their work.  All the sacrifices and the sleepless nights vanish once you start witnessing your plans and drawings being built to reality.  It gives a lot of fulfillment and makes everything else worthwhile and meaningful.  Same goes with our everyday lives, our family matters a lot.  That's why we often hear about "work-life balance". Life is not all about work. We need a family to share with the fruit of our labors, our achievements.  If not for our family, all our achievements are all meaningless and that is where complete satisfaction sets in.

How is it reflected in my life's journey? 

My passion for Architecture has always been present in my life's journey.  As I equate my passion to almost everything I do, it served as a guide for me surpass life's challenges.  Architects were trained to learn to visualize the overall picture or outcome of a certain project before its completion. Same thing goes with my life.  Below are some more:

Love for travel.  Learning history in college made me want to travel the world. Seeing book pictures to reality always give me goose bumps and the craving to see more of the world.  Seeing the Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Burj Al Arab and Burj Khalifa in Dubai, seeing the Petronas in Kuala Lumpur, boating the Mekong River in Vietnam,  walking thru the 9000 kilometer expansive Great Wall of China in Beijing, swimming with the fishes and feeding a deadly stingray in the paradise of Maldives, eating beef rendang with the locals of Indonesia,  back ride in a single motorcycle in Pattaya and exploring the street foods of Bangkok and Phuket, shopping in Hong Kong, experiencing white Christmas in Hangzhou and celebrating Chinese New Year in Shanghai, exploring Korean architectural details in Seoul Korea, are some of the travels that I did not only enjoy but learned a lot from it. 

Still wanting to travel in mostly European countries like Athens, Greece for the Greek architecture, the Doric, Ionic and Corinthian orders designed by Ancient Greek architects proved to be timeless, the Parthenon, Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Colloseum in Rome, Italy, Basilica in Barcelona Spain, Taj Mahal of India, Palace of Versailles and The Louvre in France,  St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, St. Paul's Cathedral in London England, Stonehenge in the UK, see the Apartment designs in New York, the great pyramids of Egypt and a lot more.  I want to see these places soon for me to feel whole as an advocate of Architecture and arts.

Good problem solving skills.  At work, I constantly encounter challenges that arise during the course of the project.  I must know how to react instantly when the need arises.  We must know how to resolve problems successfully whatever comes our way.

Same as planning, before doing anything personal or at work, I make it  point to list down all needed materials, to do's, advantages and disadvantages, budget analysis etc for a better understanding of the problem.

Sound business sense. For an Architect to provide realistic design solutions, we need to be able to keep ourselves within the budget.  Architects should be able to make incisive monetary decisions and should know what it takes to sustain a project's viability.

I learned to do things according to budget, do value engineering to meet the requirements. Same as when I need to do small business like dealing with personal clients and the like.

Ability to connect.  Architects as well as other professions do not work alone.  We learn to continually interact with peers, clients, sub-contractors and contractors and other project consultants involved in the project. 

Since most of the time, we work closely with site people and other subcontractors, I learned to deal with any kinds of people.  Coordination and communication with anyone seems easier.

Hunger for Learning.  Life is a continuous process.  We should never stop yearning for knowledge.  Its funny that when I was younger, I felt like I knew a lot, as if I knew everything.  But as I grew older, I feel the desire to learn more, as if I have a lot more to know.  Same with Architecture, with the emergence of new technology today, the need for continuous learning is a must.  Study beyond architecture that's why I enrolled in this MBA program.

Let me end this reflection with Buddha's wisdom on Passion:

"If anything is worth doing, do it with all your heart."

Once again, thank you for taking time to read.

MM Leadership 

Leader Anna Choco 3