Reflection Paper 1 by Oliver Pabillon

THE CALL TO LEADERSHIP

Ateneo-Regis MBA Program, Clark
Submitted by: Oliver G. Pabillon

Submitted to: Prof. Jorge Saguinsin

Date of Submission: July 9, 2015

Reflection Paper 1

What were your defining moments?  What incidents events taught you to be better/transformed you.

          The story of my career (leading to my defining moment) began, as I recall it, during my early college days. Before that, I was still innocent, depending mainly on my parent's support, therefore life was easy. My father was a construction worker in Saudi Arabia and my mother has a small business of making and selling "chicharon baboy". Soon my father's contract in Saudi Arabia ended and life became a little stiff. Having five siblings all taking up school at the same time became a hard task for my parents. My parent's income was just enough food and daily needs for a family of seven members. My eldest brother had to stop his college engineering course to give way for me. Studying in Manila on a reputable university was impossible. I settled in taking up Accountancy on the same institution where I graduated High School. There were many times when I have to walk my way to and from the school (that is about 4 kilometers from our house) because I had no allowance. In the morning I sell "ice drop popsicles" in the nearby elementary school. Most of the time I helped my mother sell "chicharon baboy"as far as reaching Mariveles, Bataan. The money I saved were used for my tuition and allowance but sometimes (due to scarcity) are used for our food.

          It dawned on me the responsibility of striving to finish my college and hopefully land on a decent job to take care of my sibling's schooling. Four years in college was extremely financially difficult for us. Those were the years where I have to write "promissory notes" (because there was not enough money to pay for my monthly tuition) just to be permitted to take prelims or mid-term exams. Each semester enrollment was like a do-or-die situation.

All those years God was kind enough to let me graduate into college. Then come the time to take the review for the board examination. At first I was hesitant to take it and just wanted to apply for a job first and help my parents and siblings. Opportunity knocked when my school gave me a privileged subsidy. The school gave me around P12,000.00 cash, enough to enroll me for a six-month CPA review program in Manila. My two Uncles and an Auntie in Saudi Arabia gave me additional P10,000.00 for my board and lodging expenses. Soon I realized it was not enough. In just three months my allowances were already exhausted. My parents borrowed money from our other relatives just to let me continue my review. Eventually I finished the review and took the board examination in October 1998.

My parent's and relatives' high expectations on the board exam added too much pressure. After three days the results were released. It was raining hard that day and the streets in our town are flooded. I went to town on a banca just to get my hands on the newspaper. When I saw the page where the result was, my name was not on the list. My "first-take" of the Board Examination WAS A FAILURE. I went home sad and disappointed. I asked God the reasons why. Of all the hardships and sacrifices I made and at the end it's just a failure? Aren't my four years in college and six months of pure hard review not enough? I cried on that night. I fell asleep. In my dream God told me to hold onto Him for He has great plans for me. I woke up and read a passage from the Bible, Jeremiah 29:11 read, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." I realized that night that it is not the end of the world. God is always by my side to guide me in all my endeavors. He reminded me those hard times which I was able to overcome. I also realized what is lacking great in my life – PRAYER. God opened my heart to trust Him and lean on His promises. I was given the opportunity to review again and finally in May 2000 I took the board examination. This time around I passed the CPA Board Examination. It was a sweet success. I always thank God for teaching me to trust in Him.

          That FAILURE during my first trial on the board examination was MY DEFINING MOMENT. It taught me how to be stronger and reminding me to strive for the better. What I know is not enough. God wants me to learn more and be more. A failure is a positive thing that God allows us to experience. Without failure we would not realize our weaknesses. Failing is not necessarily loosing but if we allow failure to hold us down, then it becomes a negative. From what I have learned and experience, I started to see failures or mistakes as stepping stones instead of stumbling blocks in achieving my goals and purposes. With the help of God and the people around me, I became more confident in facing every challenge that life or career has in store for me.

          After fifteen years of being a CPA, God was true to His promises. I landed in meaningful jobs locally and abroad. I was able to help my siblings finish their schoolings. My elder brother is now in Singapore working as an Accountant. My younger brother is a real estate agent. My younger sister who is also an Accountant works at the same Company where I work and my youngest sister is running her own business. My parents were able to grow their "chicharon" business through the help and support of my siblings. They are now supplying supermarkets in Pampanga and Bataan. In other words, I allowed myself to be good examples to my siblings. True enough, when they finally had a job and started earning, they also helped our other cousins financially in supporting their schooling. They simply did what I did to them without even telling them to do it.

          I tell this story to my seven-year old son, who is now on his third grade, on how difficult those times were. I can see his eagerness in studying. He keeps on telling me that he will also help his younger sister and cousins or even other children when the time comes. I tell him that if failure comes, he should embrace it and turn it into a meaningful learning. 4

This what we mean that failure is a teacher.  A great teacher.   JUS

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