Hello Prof. Jorge,
Here is my Final Integrative Paper which outlines on how we proceeded our sessions and reflects where I am now, where am I going and how do I get there.
Where am I now?
September 10, 2015
Discovering Your Authentic Leadership
By Bill George, Peter Sims, Andrew N. McLean, and Diana Mayer
· You need to be who you are, not try to emulate somebody else. A leader demonstrates a passion for their purpose, practice their values consistently, and leap with their hearts as well as their heads. They establish long-term meaningful relationships and have the self-discipline to get results. They know who they are.
· Leadership emerge from your life story. The challenge is to understand ourselves well enough to discover where we can use our leadership gifts to serve others. We must devote ourselves to a lifetime of realizing our potential. We need to take responsibility on developing ourselves. As to John Barth, "The story of your life is not your life. It is your story".
· Self-awareness is the most important capability for leaders to develop. Denial can be the greatest hurdle that leaders face in becoming self-aware.
· Leadership has concern for others. It creates a work environment where people are respected for their contributions, provided job security, and allowed to fulfill their potential. There are times when we react too quickly and fail to realize immediately what is right and wrong.
· Authentic leaders need to sustain high levels of motivation and keep their lives in balance, it is critically important to understand what drives them. It could be extrinsic which is outside world's parameters such as recognition and status that come with promotions and financial rewards. It could also be intrinsic which derived from their sense of the meaning of their life such as personal growth, helping people to develop, taking on social causes and making a difference in the world. Doing a good job at whatever they are doing. The key to motivation is to find a balance between desires for external validation and intrinsic motivations that provide fulfillment in work.
· Authentic leaders build extraordinary support teams to help them stay on course. Support teams provide affirmation, advice, perspective, and calls for corrections when needed. It starts with having at least one person in your life with whom you can be completely yourself, warts and all, and still accepted unconditionally.
· Superior results over a sustained period of time are the ultimate mark of an authentic leader. The question is what is your legacy in this world? People say what they really believe without fear of judgment, criticism, or reprisal. Being authentic means maintaining a sense of self no matter where you are. Authentic leaders have a steady and confident presence. Maintain your own sense of equilibrium when you are responsible for people organizations, outcomes, and managing the constant uncertainties of the environment. They are constantly aware of the importance of staying grounded.
· Authentic leaders empower people in the organization to achieve superior long-term results, which is the bottom-line for all leaders. They empower those individuals to step up and lead. An example of this is CEO Anne Mulcahy's of Xerox. She has an impeccable understanding of the organization and her credibility makes her people willing to go the extra mile for her. All leaders have to deliver bottom-line results and empower other on their team to lead by taking on greater challenges. No individual achievement can equal the pleasure of leading a group of people to achieve a worthy goal.
September 17, 2015
Leadership on the Line: The Heart of Danger, The Faces of Danger
By Ronald A. Heifetz and Marty Linsky
Leadership is Dangerous:
· It's difficult for people to give up their way, for some intangible idea about the future.
· People do not resist change, per se people resist loss.
· The hope of leadership lies in the capacity to deliver disturbing news and raise difficult questions in a way that people can absorb, prodding them to take up the message rather than ignore it or kill the messenger.
· People must face the challenge of adapting to a tough reality, and the adaptation requires giving up an important value or a current way of life.
· Leadership becomes dangerous then when it must confront people with loss.
· The question is of all that we value, what's really most precious and what's expendables?
The Perils of Adaptive Change
· Technical problems: Problems for which they already knew the solutions. Have the necessary know-how and procedures. The solution to a problem lies within the organization's repertoire.
· Adaptive Challenge: Not amenable to authoritative expertise or standard operating procedures. They cannot be solved by someone who provides answers from on high. It requires experiments, new discoveries, and adjustments from numerous places in the organization or community. It includes learning new ways - changing attitudes, values, and behaviors. The sustainability of change depends on having the people with the problem internalize the change itself. It pressures force to organization to change, lest it decline.
· People can only see potential for loss. People avoid painful adjustments in their lives if they can postpone them, place the burden on somebody else, or call someone to the rescue.
· The deeper the change and the greater the amount of new learning required the more resistance there will be and thus, the greater the danger to those who lead.
· We see so much more of routine management than leadership in our society.
Going Beyond your Authority
· Adaptive work creates risk, conflict, and instability because addressing the issues underlying adaptive problems may involve upending deed and entrenched norms, leadership requires disturbing people but at a rate they can absorb.
· To act outside the narrow confines of your job description when progress requires is lies close to the heart of leadership, and to its danger.
At the Heart of Danger is Loss
· Convincing them to take a leap of faith
Seven ways to know you are facing an Adaptive challenge
1. Solution requires operating in a different way than you do now.
2. If the problem and the solution require learning.
3. If the solution requires shifting the authority and responsibility to the people who are actually affected.
4. If the solution requires some sacrifice of your past ways of working or living.
5. If the solution requires experimenting before you're sure of the answer.
6. If the solution will take a long time.
7. If the challenge connects to people's deeply held values.
The Process of Adaptive Leadership
1. Observe: Observing events and patterns around you
2. Interpret: Interpreting what you are observing – developing multiple hypothesis about what is really going on
3. Intervene: Designing interventions based on the observations and interpretations to address the adaptive challenge you have identified.
Designing Effective Interventions
Step1 Get on the Balcony: Observe what is going on around you.
Step2 Determine the ripeness of the issue on the system: How resilient and ready are people to tackle the issue?
Step3 Ask, Who am I in this picture? What role do you play in them?
Step4 Think hard about your Framing: Thoughtful framing means communicating your intervention in a way that enables group members to understand what you have in mind.
Step5 Hold Steady: Stay present and keep listening
Step6 Analyze the factions that begin to emerge: Pay attention to who seems engaged, listen for who resists the idea.
Step7 Keep the work at the center of people's attention: It falls to you, your allies, and others who lead in organization to keep the work at the center.
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don't
By Jim Collins
The Good-To-Great companies did not focus principally on what to do to become great; they focused equally on what not to do and what to stop doing.
Level 5 Leadership
· First who… then what : People are not your important asset. The right people are.
· Stockdale Paradox: Confront the brutal facts (yet never lose faith). You st maintain unwavering faith that you can and will prevail in the end, regardless of difficulties.
· Build up- Breakthrough Flywheel : Pushing the flywheel to turn once until momentum really kicks in.
· The Hedgehog Concept (Simplicity within three circles): Requires transcending the curse of competence, what a company can be the best in the world at, how its economics work best, passion of its people.
· A Culture of Discipline: When you combine a culture of discipline with an ethic of entrepreneurship, you get the magical alchemy of great performance.
· Technology Accelerators: They are the pioneers in the application of carefully selected technologies.
Good to Great Concepts -> Sustained Great Results -> Built to Last Concepts -> Enduring Great Company
Level 5 Executive
Build enduring greatness through a paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will
Level 4 Effective Leader
Catalyzes commitment to and vigorous pursuit of clear and compelling vision, stimulating higher performance standards.
Level 3 Competent Manager
Organizes people and resources toward the effective and efficient pursuit of predetermined objectives
Level 2 Contributing Team Member
Contributes individual capabilities to the achievements of group objectives and works effectively with others in a group setting.
Level 1 Highly Capable Individual
Makes productive contributions through talent, makes productive contributions through talent, knowledge, skills, and good work habits.
Humility + Will = Level 5
Level 5 leaders are a study in duality: modest and willful, humble and fearless. Key trait of Level 5 leaders are ambition first and foremost for the company and concern for its success rather that for one's own riches and personal renown.
Humility: Looks in the mirror to apportion responsibility for poor results and not blaming others for bad luck.
Professional Will: Looks out the window, not in the mirror to apportion credit for the success of the company to other people and goodwill.
September 24, 2015
Reflection Paper 1 – Defining Moments
This reflection paper has been a challenge to understand myself, my moods, and the reason why I'm afraid to open up. Except with my family, I'm not an emotional person. As a Leader I must be compassionate, I must able to understand others demeanor. I must see things in a different perspective and have consideration. I must show positive loving attitude towards others.
Now I realized what I really want in life. I've become aware that I'm good but I have to be better so I need not to be complacent. I found myself stepping on a new journey, this time being a student again. It is so overwhelming at first, since MBA was really a different field and I'm not into talking much as to what I'm doing as an Engineer. I maybe stubborn on my defining moments, but this experienced taught me that I have so much in the future. As a Leader, I should be responsible on developing myself. I could still be ambitious and strive to be an inspiration to others, being affirmative to the end of this journey.
At times I react too quickly; I failed to comprehend what's right and wrong. As a Leader, I should show respect and humility to opinion of others. I must trust them and know how to delegate challenges and equip them to take a lead.
I became mindful with my strengths and weaknesses; I can't be successful with myself alone. I needed the people around me. I should build rapport to them. I must establish direction and not to lose in the process. As a Leader, I had to be grounded with a vision and be always motivated.
I'm learning now to express my thoughts and emotions. I might fall hard again but this time I believed it is not God's plan for my life yet. I might be at the start, in the middle but never at the end. I shouldn't stay stuck and always seek to do something different. As a Leader, I'm no longer anxious with change and uncertainties.
What Makes a Leader?
By Daniel Goleman
Emotional Intelligence is the "sine qua non" of leadership, something that is absolutely needed.
1. Self-awareness: "Honest with themselves and others." Knowing one's emotions, strengths, weaknesses, drives, values, and goals – and their impact on others.
2. Self- regulation: "To think before acting: frees us from being imprison of our feelings." Controlling or redirecting disruptive emotions and impulses.
3. Motivation: "Passion for the work itself." Being driven to achieve for the sake of achievement.
4. Empathy: "Understand your team's emotional makeup." Considering other's feelings, especially when making decisions.
5. Social skill: "Friendliness with a purpose. Get work done through other people." Building rapport with others to move them in desired directions.
What Makes an Effective Executive
By Peter F. Drucker
They get the right things done, in the right ways – by following eight simple rules.
1. Ask what needs to be done.
2. Ask what's right for the enterprise.
3. Develop action plans.
4. Take responsibility for decisions.
5. Take responsibility for communicating.
6. Focus on opportunities, not problems.
7. Run productive meetings.
8. Think and say "We" and not "I".
The first two practices gave them the knowledge they needed. The next four helped them convert this knowledge into effective action. The last two ensured that the whole organization takes responsible and accountable.
What Leaders Really Do
By John P. Kotter
They don't make plans; they don't solve problem; they don't even organize people. What leaders really do is prepare organization, for change and help them cope as they struggle through it.
Management is about coping with complexity; it brings order and predictability to a situation.
Leadership is about learning how to cope with rapid change.
Management
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Leadership
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Involves planning and budgeting
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Involves setting direction
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Organizing and staffing
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Aligning people
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Provides control and solves problems
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Provides motivation
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Kotter proposes that management and leadership are different but complementary, and that in a changing world, one cannot function without the others. Managers promote stability while leaders press for change. Combine strong management and use each to balance the other.
· Setting a direction versus planning and organizing.
· Aligning people versus organizing and staffing. The idea of setting people moving in the same direction appears to be an organizational problem. But what executives need to do is not organize people but align them.
· Motivating people is about coping with complexity. Leadership, by contrast, is about coping with change.
· Creating a culture of leadership- well led businesses tend to recognize and reward people who successfully develop leaders.
The Work of Leadership
By Ronald A. Heifetz and Donald L. Laurie
Followers want comfort, stability, and solutions from their leaders. But that's babysitting. Real leaders ask hard questions and knock people out of their comfort zones. Then they manage the resulting distress.
Adaptive Work
· For leaders is counter intuitive. Rather than providing solutions you must ask tough questions and leverage employee's collective intelligence. Instead of maintaining norms, you must challenge the way "We Do Business" and rather that quelling conflict, you need to draw issues out and let people feel the sting of reality.
· For employees, adaptive work is painful – requiring unfamiliar roles, responsibilities, values and ways of working. No wonder employees try to get adaptive work back to their leaders.
Six Principles of Leadership
1. Get on the balcony.
2. Identify your adaptive challenge.
3. Regulate distress.
4. Maintain discipline attention.
5. Give the work back to employees
6. Protecting leadership voices from below.
Adaptive change occurs when people and organizations are forced to adjust to a radically altered environment. To use the analogy of a rice cooker, a leader needs to regulate the pressure by turning up the heat while also allowing some steam to escape. If the pressure exceeds the cooker's capacity, the cooker can blow up. However, nothing cooks without some heat.
October 1, 2015
Enneagram test results – "The Achiever"
I am most likely a type 3.
Taking wings into account, I seem to be a 3w2.
The Enneagram is a personality system which divides the entire human personality into nine behavioral tendencies; this is my score on each...
Type 1
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Orderliness
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82%
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Type 2
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Helpfulness
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58%
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Type 3
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Image Focus
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90%
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Type 4
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Individualism
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78%
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Type 5
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Intellectualism
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70%
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Type 6
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Security Focus
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58%
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Type 7
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Adventurousness
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86%
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Type 8
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Aggressiveness
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78%
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Type 9
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Calmness
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74%
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Type
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Score
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Type Behavior Motivation
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3
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22
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I must be impressive and attractive to survive.
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7
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21
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I must be fun and entertained to survive.
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1
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20
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I must be orderly/planned to survive.
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4
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19
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I must be unique/different to survive.
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8
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19
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I must be strong and in control to survive.
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9
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18
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I must maintain peace/calm to survive.
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5
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17
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I must be knowledgeable to survive.
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2
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14
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I must be helpful and caring to survive.
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6
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14
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I must be secure and safe to survive.
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Getting some facts on what achiever is…
Focused on the presentation of success, to attain validation
3w2: Takes on the feelings of others
People of this personality type need to be validated in order to feel worthy; they pursue success and want to be admired. They are frequently hard working, competitive and are highly focused in the pursuit of their goals, whether their goal is to be the most successful salesman in the company or the "sexiest" woman in their social circle. They are often "self-made" and usually find some area in which they can excel and thus find the external approbation which they so desperately need. Threes are socially competent, often extroverted, and sometimes charismatic. They know how to present themselves, are self-confident, practical, and driven. Threes have a lot of energy and often seem to embody a kind of zest for life that others find contagious. They are good networkers who know how to rise through the ranks. But, while Threes do tend to succeed in whatever realm they focus their energies, they are often secretly afraid of being or becoming "losers."
Threes can sometimes find intimacy difficult. Their need to be validated for their image often hides a deep sense of shame about who they really are, a shame they unconsciously fear will be unmasked if another gets too close. Threes are often generous and likable, but are difficult to really know. When unhealthy, their narcissism takes an ugly turn and they can become cold blooded and ruthless in the pursuit of their goals.
Because it is central to the type Three fixation to require external validation, Threes often, consciously and unconsciously, attempt to embody the image of success that is promoted by their culture. Threes get in trouble when they confuse true happiness, which depends on inner states, with the image of happiness which society has promoted. If a Three has a "good" job and an "attractive" mate, she might be willing, through an act of self-deception which is also self-betrayal, to ignore the inner promptings which tell her that neither her job, nor her mate are fulfilling her deeper needs. Even the most "successful" Threes, who generally appear quite happy, often hide a deeply felt sense of meaninglessness. The attainment of the image never quite satisfies.
Personality Type
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The Motivator/ The Achiever
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Personality Statement
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I am Successful
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Basic Desire
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To be Accepted and Approved
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Gifts
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Performer, achiever, efficient, dedicated to work, concerned with productivity
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Fears
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Of Failure/ Of Being Rejected
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Healthy Points
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Confident, efficient, energetic, industrious, optimistic, practical, self-propelled
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Unhealthy Points
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Deceptive, narcissistic, overly competitive, pretentious, superficial, vain, and vindictive
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Vice
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Deceit
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Virtue
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Honesty
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Strengths
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Goal Oriented
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Unfolding the result to myself…
Compared to other types, some of the characteristics of the "Achiever" resemble my personality more. I'm goal oriented and loved to challenge the status quo. Sometimes I can't resist being competitive. I easily get bored when things becoming redundant and habitual. I have this zest to enjoy life.
At the end of the day, I tend to analyzed how the day has been. Even it's hard to admit, I'm only at peace when I got external validation from peers. If not, I'll think of a way to do better. I wanted my presence not to be neglected.
With this Enneagram, it made me aware more with my innate personality. I should act more genuinely. I will develop myself to set an example and not of praise. The next time I'll have the opportunity again to examine myself, I will be happy and proud to what I've become. As a Leader, I want to set a positive attitude to my peers, leading them towards my vision.
Triad of leadership
Heroic Leadership: Best Practices from a 450-year-old Company that Changed the World
By Chris Lowney
The Jesuit Approach to Leadership
· We are all leaders. And we are leading all the time, well or poorly.
The Jesuit model reveals that everyone has an influence, good or bad, large or small, all the time. A leader seizes all the available opportunities to influence and make an impact.
· Leadership springs from within. It is about who I am as much as what I do.
A leaders' greater power is his personal vision, communicated by his daily life. Vision is the hard-won product of self-reflection.
· Leadership is not an act; it is a life – a way of living.
By knowing what you value and way to achieve, you will always be able to orientate yourself in a new environment, and adapt confidently to unfamiliar circumstances.
· I never complete the task of becoming a leader. It is an ongoing process.
· The strong leader relishes the opportunity to continue learning about self and the world and looks forward to new discoveries and interests.
Four Leadership Principles
"Four core values – One integrated life"
1. Self- awareness
· Understanding your strenths, weaknesses, values and worldview.
· To overcome oneself and to order one's life.
· Continuous self-reflection and learning
· The Jesuit policies "recruit as many as possible of the very best".
· Jesuit spiritual exercise
o Every morning of each day, upon arising, Jesuits are to remind themselves of key personal goals.
o Twice each day, they make a short metal pit called "anexamen". Each examen begins by recalling their positive loving world view, and recalling the mind all the events of the day so far, the opportunities and challenges presented, and how he reacted to them.
o First upon arising on personal goals, second after the noon meal and lastly after supper on lessons learned and failures and what is the correction and improvement.
2. Ingenuity
· To make ourselves indifferent.
· The whole world will become our house.
· Indifference from prejudices that can block new ideas and opportunities.
· Get rid of "We've always done it this way".
· A profound trust and optimism that the world presents plenty of opportunities to pursue.
· Ignatius Loyola described the ideal Jesuit as "Lining with one foot raised" always ready to respond to emerging opportunities.
· Indifferent Jesuits "Poised like a scale at equilibrium" balanced to consider all strategic alternatives.
3. Love
· Stirred to a profound gratitude, may become able to love.
· Love with greater love than fear.
· For Loyola, leading was about helping others "run at full speed towards perfection". It was about commitment to see others realize their human potential.
· To develop others not using others to achieve a self-interested agenda.
4. Heroism
· Magis is Latin word for "more". It is a restless drive to imagine whether there isn't some even greater project to be accomplished or some better way of attacking the problem. To for something more in every opportunity and the confidence that one will find it.
· Eliciting great desires.
· Turn aspiration into a reality:
o They invited recruits to turn a corporate aspiration into personal mission.
o They created a company culture that stressed heroism, modelling the virtue themselves.
o They gave each person the opportunity to enlarge himself by contributing meaningfully to and enterprise greater that his own interests.
o Heroic leadership is self-motivated. As to Frederick Hertzberg, "You cannot motivate anyone to do a good job unless he has a good job to do".
· Heroes extract gold from the opportunities at hand rather than waiting for golden opportunities to be handed to them.
3 Key Characteristics of Strong Corporate Culture
1. The culture is strong, not just on paper, but in a tangible way that guides day-to-day employee behavior.
2. The culture is strategically appropriate.
3. The culture doesn't block change, but promotes it.
Warren Bennis describes the importance of a clear vison that enables confident risk taking, autonomy and creativity. As to him "People can make difficult decisions, without having to appeal to a higher levels in the organization each time because they know what end result is desired".
October 8, 2015
Joseph Campbell's The Stages of the Hero's Journey based on the Movie "Inside Out"
Do you ever look at someone and wonder what is going inside their head?
Our experience defines our personalities. It delineates us, our interests and our passions. Our emotions drive our performance. As to Daniel Goleman, an effective leader knows the ties between emotional intelligence and measurable business results. Emotional Intelligence is the "sine qua non" of leadership, something that is needed. A group of five skills enable leaders to maximize their own and their followers' performance.
Linking the EI skills to the characters of the movie and its impact on my journey:
1. Self-awareness
Being honest with ourselves and to others is what self-awareness about. We must know our own emotions, strengths, weaknesses, drives, values and goals. As to Joy, she didn't allow Sadness to take over with Riley, which I could relate on that. I felt bad but I don't let it show, I suppressed all other emotions and constantly trying to see only the bright side. Listening to our emotions allow us to experience a rational outlook in life. It will be a challenge that when I look at my inner self, I will be pleased to what I will find out.
2. Self-regulation
To think before acting which frees us from being imprison of our feelings is what self-regulation about. It controls or redirects our disruptive emotions and impulses. When Anger takes over, we can't make rational decisions. Fear keeps us safe sometimes and Disgust makes it hard for us to grasp a new learning. We can't let this take over on us, when things are starting to fall, we must explore on the solutions.
3. Motivation
Being driven to achieve for the sake of achievement and passion for the work itself is what motivation about. It isn't easy for Riley to let go of the things she used to have, she was discouraged. Her mother noticed it and wanted to have the "smiling" Riley back; she went up with her and told her "Thanks". With all this confusion, Riley stayed with them. As a leader, we must not fail to recognize the effort of our team doing a good job. One word of appreciation can make someone's day.
4. Empathy
Understanding our team's emotional makeup is what empathy is about. This means considering other's feelings especially when making decisions. When Bing Bong felt depressed that Riley will be forgotten him soon, Joy tried to cheer him up with happy thoughts, that brought him more sadness. Then Sadness approached him, she listened to Bing Bong and gave him a shoulder to cry on. Bing Bong appeased with her gesture. A Leader must be willing to listen to his team, he must be open to others feelings with no judgment. It is good to have an environment that anyone can freely share their thoughts and emotions.
5. Social Skill
Friendliness with a purpose to get the work things done through other people is what social skill is about. By building rapport with others, a leader can move his member toward his desired directions. At first Joy questions the existence of Sadness, but she still lets her around. When all other emotions started bickering, Joy had a brief moment of discontent. Though she feels that she has the answer to Riley's situation, she lets other emotions to take control. As a leader, we must know how to delegate responsibilities and let them get the results. Let our team does a good job and give them the chance to step up, at the end of day their success will reflect back on us.
We've been through better and worse situations, but how we perceive will make the lessons worthwhile. Expressing ourselves is a bold step on our conquest of being real. Let go of things that taking a toll on us, life may not be a straight forward path, but let us embrace this chance to connect deeply with others.
Reflection Paper 2 – External and Internal factors that shaped me
External and internal factors influence our decision and can have a significant impact on our ability to work with people effectively. These two factors intertwined as I prepare to the future challenges:
EXTERNAL
INTERNAL
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Family
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School
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Work
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Values
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Personal relationship with God and complete dependence with Him.
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Courage to stand to what I think is right.
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Having a positive mindset in face of adversity and learn to explore on other opportunities.
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Strengths
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Being determined to the realization of my vision.
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Being dependable and trustworthy.
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Think outside the box and challenge the status quo.
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Weaknesses
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Learn to thrust people.
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Not to be indecisive in decision-making
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Learn to expound my ideas and able to communicate effectively.
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Values
Faith & Relationship with God
I was a born in a family of Christians although I wasn't that active on church activities. But I see to it that I have a personal relationship with God. I never missed to communicate with Him. God would be the first and last in my mind, right after I wake up, before I lay to bed and in between. I also have a daily journal addressed to Him where I put my inspirations and desperations. I have my complete dependence with Him. Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved. - Psalm 55:22
Demand less, instead have Preferences
I realized that there are really things beyond our control. Instead of being frustrated and disappointed, I look forward to other opportunities that might be presented. Having preferences meaning being positive with the change of our mindset. It's not what happens to you that determine your happiness. It's how you think about what happens to you. –Anonymous
Strengths
Perseverance
When I start a vision, I am determined to its realization. Even situation gets tough and becoming uncomfortable, I would still be persistent to its fulfillment. I have this zest to challenge the status quo and think outside the box but my focus would always be the end goal.
Integrity and Honesty
I have this sense of wholeness with myself and I would not depart with my characters from one person to another. I have this courage to do what I think was right no matter what the consequences will be. I valued the trust that others gave me and not to falter with their expectations.
Weaknesses
Communication
My way of communication in my current field was designed to say only the main thing, what was the problem, what were the solutions and the preventive actions. I would just show them the circuits, programs, numbers and calculations and everyone would be on the same page without the need of further elaborations. That's why I expressed my thoughts in a succinct way which sometimes could lead confusion to some. I was astonished with my co-leaders here in AGSB on how they expound with their ideas well. It was something I'm looking forward to achieve.
Emotionally Aloof
I'm not anti-social but I keep my distance on being too close to others. I guess being tough was just my façade because I'm vulnerable to those people I started to care. The validations I got from them have a great impact on how I perceived myself. It would take me lots of realizations before I could finally entrust my emotions to other people.
HOW THEY PREPARE ME ON FUTURE CHALLENGES?
Our conceptions of what are considered good and desirable and what are improper or disagreeable built the foundation of our leadership. Our external relationships and our inner values influenced our aspect in life. Our decisions are affected by personal choices on what are important to us and what are worth fighting for.
I've learned to be responsible at a young age with my family. We have tasks to complete in a day but were successful to delegate and share it to each one. We have different personalities but we managed to work as a team. My grandfather taught me to respect authorities and obey the rules. My grandmother showed how to genuinely care for others.
Being tough, my mother taught me what perseverance is. When I have something in mind, I am determined to its fulfillment. My mother sacrificed her well being for the sake of the people she loved. She may not be emotional but her actions dignified her good character. She has been the greatest influence in my life; I was able to endure hardship for the welfare of those I love. I've learned humility with my father, to forgive and respect people despite their shortcoming. I may not owe it to him, but I owe it myself. My siblings were my biggest critique on being physically fit. I learned to take care of myself in order to perform at my fullest.
I've learned to be brave and found the courage to stand to what I think is right at school. There were lots of bullies but we must know how to defend ourselves and those people who couldn't. Despite the experienced I had with my professor, I noticed that I'm still impulsive at times. And this reflection showed me that I should not be indecisive when it comes to decision-making.
My passion started to formulate at work. I should be satisfied to what I'm doing. I've became aware with my strengths and I was able to utilized it. I constantly look for opportunities that could enhance my potentials. I wanted to develop myself in order to impart the knowledge I've learned and be able to develop others as well. Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. - Confucius
Our values, strengths and weakness were shaped by our environment. Our values define our behavior, our attitude and disposition that we considered worthwhile. It built social relations with other and how we evaluate their actions. Maximizing our strengths help us to lead and see the best in other people. We must know each individuals capabilities to assign roles and responsibilities more strategically. Our weaknesses gave us the area of opportunity to grow. Admitting that we are not good in everything would be a humble step towards improvement.
The journey towards a better leadership would always be our continuous self-reflection. Our preferences were shaped by our values and should align to the vision we have. Our experiences help us to become a better version of ourselves. Live in such a way that it counts beyond your life. – Ps. Paul Chase
Special Report by Leader May on Steve Jobs, by Leader May on J.K. Rowling, and by Leader Gab on Bill Bratton
· Steve Jobs
o To trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma and whatever.
o "If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on."
o "Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish"
· J.K. Rowling
o Power that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared
o "As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters."
· William J. Bratton
o Working with limited resources through Tipping Point Leadership
§ Break through the Cognitive Hurdle - Put managers face-to-face with problems and customers. Find new ways to communicate.
§ Sidestep the Resource Hurdle - Focus on the hot spots and bargain with partner organizations.
§ Jump the Motivational Hurdle - Put the stage lights on and frame the challenge to match the organization's various levels.
§ Knock over the Political Hurdle – Identify and silence internal opponents; isolate external ones.
October 15, 2015
Ingenuity: The Whole World becomes our House
· Francis Xavier: Embraced change by picking up and going where needed at short notice and being confident enough to make decisions once arrived.
· Roberto De Nobili: Embraced change by being imaginative and fearless enough to look at the world from other perspectives and courageous enough to take on the hierarchy in defense of his ideas.
· Ignatius Loyola: Embraced change by trumpeting the goal of flexibility but also walk by delegating power and providing generous personal encouragement to subordinates and assumed that delegated authority.
· Three aspects of self-awareness are essential for pursuing personal ingenuity:
o Indifference inspired freedom unhealthy attachments
o Knowledge of personal non-negotiables: the values, goals, and ways of working that are not up for discussion.
o Confidence to embrace new approaches and explores new ideas or perspectives, born of a "Whole World becomes our House" attitude.
· Ingenuity rests on the conviction that most problems have solutions, and that imagination, perseverance, and openness to new ideas will uncover them.
Ingenuity: Refuse No Talent, Nor Anyone of Quality"
· Love-driven leadership is
o The vision to see each person's talent, potential, and dignity.
o The courage, passion, and commitment to unlock the potential
o The resulting loyalty and mutual support that energize and unite teams.
Genogram
This Genogram serves as a tool to evaluate myself through the relationships of my family. This built my emotional makeup, the values I have, what's importance and what I wanted to become. The significance of having formal education to broaden our horizon and views was instilled by my parents. My father valued education despite his family unawareness to the significance of it. Just like my Nanay Sofia, my mother firmly believed with our potentials and she managed to bring us all to college. My parents didn't have enough back then, but they taught me the importance of perseverance and endurance, that I could do anything as long as I put my heart into it.
Most of my relatives lived with us before which only shows how hospitable my parents were. They helped them without any expectations. I saw how genuine they were to assist those in need. The empathy I have towards people somehow rooted by them. They were loved by their relatives and I wanted to have that same endearment.
I haven't seen my parents being affectionate to each other which probably why I'm not that emotional. There gestures show how they cared for each other though. They gave presence on special occasions which made us excited especially during birthdays. We could never missed sibling's birthday and a gift is a must too. It's the reason why I valued birthdays of those people I cared and it's only one event in a year that I'm really sentimental. With our deeds alone, people around us could see the concerns we have for them.
I lived in Nueva Ecija when I was young and I was stubborn. I said I would only listen to my parents but they were not around. But my Tatay Cresenciano was a disciplinarian though sometimes he used force to restraint my attitude, while my Nanay Sofia would rescue and consoled me. I realized that in every wrong doing, there would be a certain punishment. But also every time I needed help, there would be someone who would not hesitate to lend a hand. With them I learned to act, behave and respect the rule. They taught me that what I do would definitely make an impact to other so better be a good influence.
I could not remove the fact that my relatives were Leader on their own rights. The way they inspired those around them would be their key to Leadership. As to Jesuit approach to Leadership by Chris Lowney:
· We are all leaders and we are leading all the time, well or poorly.
A leader seizes all the available opportunities to influence people, it might be good or bad but it would definitely make an impact.
· Leadership springs from within. It is about who I am as much as what I do.
With our continuous self-reflection, our personal vision would come to fruition. We could communicate our vision on how it was reflected on our daily life.
· Leadership is not an act; it is a life – a way of living.
Change is inevitable but if we know what we value and what we want to achieve, then it will be easy for us to proceed confidently to our new environment.
· I never complete the task of becoming a leader. It is an ongoing process.Our leadership journey would be continues learning of ourselves and what we could offer to the world. We should seize all the opportunities and make the best out of it. The people around might influenced us, but we must look forward to the new discoveries and interests that would make us a better leader.
Where am I going?
October 22, 2015
Political Leadership
· Leadership based on power, authority and influence and understanding political processes and its outcome.
· Bong Osorio's Political brands must communicate to influence and lead
o The purpose of your communication process requires crystal clarity.
o A good plan makes people listen, and listen well, and turn resistance into strengths.
o A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.
o Think wide and shallow, narrow and deep.
o Define "now."
o Lead from behind.
o Empty the cup of anger and resistance.
o Let go of the desire to change others.
o Blow on the embers that are already there.
o Rely on your instruments, not just your instincts.
o Ask "How do I want to be remembered?"
October 29, 2015
Readings on Leadership
· Benigno Aquino
o Leading opponent of Marcos, he became Mayor at age 22 and Senator at age 35 in the Philippines.
o He was known for being a good public speaker, having a brilliant mind and great ambition.
o He was imprisoned for 7years, then migrated to US for heart surgery and stayed there for 3 years and shot and killed at the airport on his arrival.
o His death marks the start of People Power against Martial Law. A Filipino must not be comfortable to an authoritarian leader because he does not want to be burdened with the freedom of choice.
· Juan Ponce Enrile
o Secretary of Defense during Marcos era and alleged architect of Martial Law. His ambush attacked was the justification of declaring Martial Law as terrorism.
o Marcos disregards his authority when he changed the chain of command in the military.
· Ferdinand Marcos
o Legislative on Martial Law
o Install order and stability by Martial Law due to complete anarchist in the country.
· Heneral Luna
o A passionate general who fought for Philippine independence.
o "Hinahangad ng Pilipinas ang kasarinlan at pananatilihin kong buhay ang adhikain ng aking bayan hanggang sa katapusan. Mas magandang mamatay sa pakikipaglaban kaysa tanggapin ang pamumuno ng dayuhan."
· Andres Bonifacio
o Founder and leader of the nationalist Kataastaasan, Kagalanggalangan na Katipunan society, who instigated the revolt of August 1896 against the Spanish
o In April 1897 Aguinaldo had Bonifacio arrested and tried for treason; he was executed by a firing squad.
· Jose Rizal
o A martyr of the Philippine Revolution who showed his love for our country, in a nonviolent approach.
o He was the founder of the civic organization "La Liga Filipina", which inspired the revolution of the katipunan, including heroes, Andres Bonifacio and Emilio Aguinaldo.
· Mahatma Ghandi
o Spiritual and polical leader
o He fights discrimination and racial segregation faced by Indian immigrants
o "The religious spirit within me became a living force"
o Practice simplicity, austerity, celibacy
o Having an austere life devoted to prayers, fasting and meditation which he became known as "Mahatma Ghandi" or "Great Soul"
· Buddha
o Buddha means awareness. The awareness of body and mind that prevents evil from arising.
o "Staring Back" at your thoughts is what Self-awareness to Buddhist. One may wonder what people do in retreats, sitting for eight hours a day. They familiarize themselves with the arising of thoughts!
· Xi Jinping
o A leader of the world's second-largest economy. He urged the country to achieve the "China Dream", something he has linked to a Chinese renaissance, where the country can take its rightful place in the world.
o He introduced a new term - the "Chinese Dream" - to lay out his vision of a stronger nation based on "the Chinese path", "the Chinese spirit" and "Chinese strength".
November 5, 2015
Leadership Sources of Power
Leader:
What we say!
What we do!
Who we are!
· Power is the capacity to influence other
o Legitimate: Organization and job description
o Reward: What others value like salary raise
o Coercive: Punishment with the goal of compliance
o Expert: Specialized knowledge
o Referent: We admire their personality and wish to be like them
Four Points for Moral Leadership
1) Set noble goals
2) Take active steps to pursue them
3) Pay a drive yourself
4) Ask others to pay a price as well
Self-awareness, Self-victimization and Self-empowerment
· Self-awareness: Understand what's going inside our head; understanding our emotions; and observing our response to what happened.
· Self-victimization- Prevents us from accepting that were responsible for it; using past events to justify negativity; and feeding into the story of what happened.
· Self-empowerment: Choosing to let go of victimizing thoughts; learn from the past and how we can respond proactively to similar events in the future; and accepting responsibility for our actions and the consequences of them.
Reflection Paper 3 – What is your passion? What it is that you love doing?
I was filled in awe having another self-reflection on what I'm passionate about. I enjoyed doing spontaneous things. I love travelling, mountain climbing, spelunking, boxing, running, eating, modeling, helping others, praising God and so much more. My passions were so diverse that I find it hard to quantify which of these I could say my real passions are.
Then something struck in me, one-third of our lives were spent at work and I've been in Microchip Technology for 3 years now. For someone who easily gets bore, it gives me introspection on why I'm still here and how it perceives on my daily life. Microchip Technology is a leading provider of microcontroller and analog semiconductors for embedded solutions worldwide. Currently I'm a Test Lead for a New Product Development for 16-bit microcontroller integrated circuit. I guess I found my niche here and what I'm passionate about:
Debugging
Debugging is a common word for Engineers. It's finding solutions in every instance that has a mistake. Every day at work I always find myself digging in Test Cases. Not to become technical, it's a case where you test your product in an environment that it should functions according to its specifications. It isn't always straightforward because familiarization of the products on how it functions tests your debugging skills. It requires thorough evaluation and scientific basis. I find pleasure every time I was able to solve these cases.
Continuous Learning and Teaching others
I love to challenge the status quo, every time I develops test I see to it that it should work across platform and will be the easiest approach for everyone. Since technology is continuously evolving, my passion for learning aligns in it. Thinking forward, I want us not to be left behind with the automation our world now has and be able to apply all the learning I have.
Everything I've learned, I usually share. I enjoy doing presentations on Test Cases I developed. I look for opportunities to present these in our group's meeting and share it to my counterparts in Thailand, India and Chandler. I also extend my teaching beyond my group; I find pleasure every time I was able to help others.
I want to extend my debugging and teaching to those who are not my workmates and those interested to the current field I have. I'm really passionate on sharing my ideas that I'm open to those who seeks for help. I still have constant communication to my former workmates and friends. I still find time to lecture them with the knowledge I have. Extending my awareness now with the business side will help me enhance my communication and leadership skills, as I transition to a higher level management position and influence more people.
Learning Agreement – Five year plan
Year Position Salaries/income target Wish
2015-2017 Principal Test Engr. 35% above the previous
Though the responsibilities are almost the same with Test Engr, the expectation to comply with the role quicker and the decision making are evident.
2018 MBA-MM Graduate 35% above the previous
I want to complete the course with honors and awards.
2017-2020 Engr. Manager 50% above the previous
Enough with the test program development and technical stuff; I want to excel more in the field of managing people.
How do I get there?
November 12, 2015
Servant Leadership – Lead Humbly
· It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first.
· Leadership is the ability and act of guiding and motivating a group of people toward a common purpose,
· Servant Leadership – Listens, encourages, motivates and mentors
Servant Leadership
By Robert K. Greenleaf
1) Listening
· Getting in touch with one's inner voice and seeking to understand what one's body, spirit and mind are communicating.
· Active not just passive
· Listen completely before deciding
2) Empathy
· Understand your team's emotional makeup
· Making people feel accepted and recognized
· Walk a mile in their shoes
3) Healing
· Giving the sense of wholeness to your team; being compassionate
· Build a future together
4) Self-Awareness
· Understand our own uniqueness to offer to the world
· Self and organization
5) Persuasion
· Convince others rather than coerce compliance quickly
6) Conceptualization
· "Dream Great Dreams" – to form something in your mind
· BHAG but Smart
7) Foresight
· Forecast + Insight
· Rooted in the intuitive mind
· Lessons from the past, realities of the present, consequence of decision in the future.
· Think ahead.
8) Stewardship
· Protecting and being responsible to something
· Being accountable to the outcome
9) Commitment to the growth of people
· Committed to a personal, professional, and spiritual growth of each individual
· Support people and avoid being critical
10) Building Community
· Seek to identify a means of building community
· Effectiveness and camaraderie with secret ingredients of using Emotional Intelligence to understand oneself and relate with others
·
Reflection Paper 3 – Action Plan
As I progress with my own leadership journey, what I've learned with Chris Lowney's Heroic Leadership would relate to what I'm passionate about:
1) These passions inspired me to believe more in myself. I have the knowledge that I could impart to those people with same passions as I have. I may have taken MS in Electronics but I chose to take MBA instead. I know my strengths the same way I know my weaknesses are such as communication and collaboration with others and being a MBA student could improve both. Self-awareness is to overcome oneself and to order one's life.
2) As I constantly seek for better solutions to a problem, I want to free myself with prejudice. I deal with people in multicultural environment where everyone has their own ideas which sometimes contrary to what I initially have. Just like an indifferent Jesuits "poised like a scale at equilibrium", I need to have my balance to consider all strategic alternatives on troubleshooting the problem. As a Test Engineer, I need to work with Product, Design, Application Engineers and Architect. As Test Lead, I need to recapitulate all ideas to produce a test program suited to the functionality of the product under test. I'm looking at my test program as template for new projects. Ingenuity is to make ourselves indifferent and the whole world will become our house.
3) For St. Ignatius Loyola, leading was about helping others "run at full speed". I'm passionate in improving myself in order to develop and inspire others to realize their potential as well. I find opportunities to share the knowledge I have. I'm willing to share my expertise even to those who are not part of my team. I find pleasure every time there are people seeking for my mentoring. Whether they are in the Philippines, Thailand or Chandler, I tried to cater them with presentations suited for them. Love with greater love than fear.
4) I'm still an ongoing process of a leader and probably sooner I could turn my passions into aspiration. I want us not to be left behind with the technology that the world has to offer. I want to be in the business side in the future harnessing the technical knowledge I have and explores home automation. Not everyone has the luxury of home space especially those who couldn't afford and some are not able to realize the free resources they have. I want technology to works in a little space and cater everyone needs of comfortable shelter. By applying the technical knowledge I have, I want to incorporate motors and controls to furniture that can shift corresponding to owner's needs with a simple touch. This vision will help me share my passion for continuous learning through innovations and inspires other. Heroism is being self-motivated individual with "magis" to do more and turns aspiration into a reality.
Just like what I always hear, "When you live with your passions, you live a smarter and better life".
November 19, 2015
Team Building – Prado Farms
Our Team Building was well organized by Leaders Jermits, Maye, Richard and Cat. Everyone enjoyed and learned at the same time. The focused on how leaders were born, made and situational were established with the games. On start up, we had our cheering presentations and building tower using marshmallow. We were tested on how we can work under pressure with limited time and resources. The highest tower that stands for 30seconds won. Next to this was the Takeshi's inspired game using water gun to attack opponents. They were different tactics shown but the team that protecting each other's secured it. Our last game was to communicate and get to know the employees of Prado Farms to win their coins. We are inspired with their brief introduction on their life stories.
We had the chance to listen to Leaders Richard's and Con's CTA speech. We have lots of prices that came from our Professor Saguinsin and fellow leaders. We shared our own learnings throughout the activities. We had our social afterwards. At the end of activities, our self-awareness and camaraderie were held together.
December 10, 2015
AVP
This is the last day of our Leadership session and we have a brief wrap up on the leadership skills that instilled in us. We had the chance to share our Audio Visual Presentation to each other. It's nice to know how everyone interacts with their families, schools, and works and how they enjoy life with their passions. I enjoyed watching how creative my fellow leaders are that they were able to show their leadership journey in their choice of pictures and music. I got inspired with Leader Erika's and Cat's passion in surfing and I'm ready to go through with this as well. This is also my first time doing this kind of presentation. It is grateful opportunity to learn something new.
December 17, 2015
FIP (Final Integrative Paper)
This is my last paper to submit that summarize everything I've learned in this Leadership class. I must say this class is truly rewarding. We had the chance to get to know better our Professor and fellow leaders and be inspired with each other stories.
I'm looking forward to see you all again as we embark to our own Leadership Journey. May we continue to grow, apply what we have learned and be an inspiration to the future leaders of our nation!
Regards,
Leader Rachel Lopez
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