Regis Cebu Leadership Reflection Paper 3 – My Passion by Leader Juvelon Abante
What is your passion (What is it that you love doing)?
At first I have difficulty in defining my passion. Over the past years, I have struggle in answering this question because I do not know the answer, I do not know my passion yet at that time but just recently when I did my reflections and attending this leadership subject, I now realize what is really my passion. My passion is to train and mentor people. I always have the interest whenever I am tap to facilitate training in the office or create a training course for the new hired engineers in our company. My work requires full time supervision on the schedule execution of the project but if my Manager or the HR Talent Development asks me to facilitate a training course then by all means I agree to take the responsibility knowing that I am contributing to the knowledge bank of the engineers on their journey to success in our company.
During my childhood days, I am the one helping my younger sister then in her school assignments even when she is already in her college most especially if it is about Math subjects because I have the advantage as I am graduate of Electronics Engineer. Also when I was a kid, I have attended a DBVS (Daily Vacation Bible School) in the church just in front of our house. When I graduated from this summer activity, I volunteered to teach on the next summer to pay it forward as I learn the bible. These become my summer activity with my sister since our parents are both working abroad and we need an activity to keeps us busy while my parents are not around. When I was in high school, I have attended a cell group, a bible study group every Friday. I eventually became the cell leader of the group, and I have invited my high school friends in this group. Instead of going to the mall or have a drinking session, we are spending our Friday night studying the word of God and I am blessed that I am able to lead and teach my high school buddies the bible and eventually this high school cell group became my closest friend until now.
Now that I am equipped with the heroic leadership mindset, I want to influence people with the same mindset. Aside from being passionate in training my people in the company, in the future I also want to be a motivational speaker in leadership.
Because teaching is my passion, I am the most sought after facilitator for technical training in our department particularly in one software that I am expert. Whenever I conduct training, I am not rushing to finish it immediately so I could do my usual task but I allot more time for everyone the class to learn. I do one on one consultation just to ensure they have understood the training. I teach in details, this is an advantage because engineer always does things in details and not in broad prospective approach.
In my family, I also apply the same principle. I take time to teach my 3 year old son and 2 year old daughter. I know this is still a long journey for my kids but with my Patience and Passion, I will guide my kids as they start to study in the future.
I also do mentoring in my work, this is part of my passion to train and influence others. Other members from different projects consults with me and even with the busy schedule I manage to assist them. I am happy doing these things even if it consumes a lot of time in my work but seeing my people execute it successfully after consultation makes me proud that I did contribute to their success.
Reflection
What is the new learning?
What we teach to our workplace, our family and society plays a vital role on everyone's life journey, be it at their career success in work or success in their family life. You can practice leadership by influence by doing mentoring; you can mentor your direct reports, your friend and even your family. My own cell group during my high school days is already practicing leadership by influence because my high school friends have devoted their Friday in listening to the word of God and up to now they still remember this experience and they are teaching their children to attend also bible study group or summer vacation bible school.
What is the relation to what I already know?
I use to think that Influence are only for people with the power or those seated at the Executive Management Team just like our Philippine Politics but there are lots of ways how we can demonstrate our own leadership by influence. After all, leading is influencing and motivating as stated in HBR "What Leaders Really Do". Even if I am not having a high position in the company, but I am already demonstrating my influence thru training and mentoring my direct reports.
What have I done, am doing, will be doing for this topic?
One of the reasons why I am taking my MBA is to be able to teach in University. I have applied before as a part time faculty instructor but not accepted because of lack of masteral. As a way of supporting my passion to teach and train people, I will apply again as faculty instructor after I have taken my MBA and b able to apply my learning's in Ateneo and in my work. If I will retire from my corporate job, I want to be a full time faculty teaching management and engineering.
Apart from being a faculty, my wife and I had also a vision to put up a Management and Leadership Consultancy someday. With her vast experience as HR Talent Development and Management and my Ateneo MBA Regis, we can influence and develop more future leaders of the society.
For now I believe I am in the right path on my journey to leadership, I will start to create the culture of leadership using my own passion of teaching and mentoring. These two will help me achieve my purpose on my life's journey.
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