leadership

Sometimes, I really really dread going to school. So much so that I start to question WHY I went back to school. Tonight though was one of those nights were I really understood and appreciated being back in school.

My professor invited Mr. Rapa Lopa (co-founder of Pulse Asia) to speak to our class. He discussed with us what Pulse Asia does and about some of the ideas behind his other projects like ‘Hapinoy‘.

Mr. Lopa’s message was of optimism and hope. He said we have to get out of our comfort zones to seek the grace of courage. It takes very little to make a change but before we can make change, we have to be AWARE of what is going on.

In the Philippines, the example given and acknowledged is that compared to other countries, we have complicated political and economical problems. A part of the reason for this is because Filipino’s in general, only have concern for their immediate family units. In general, the majority of Filipino’s show no concern for the country as whole. The political and economical problems become such a standard way of living that people now choose to tune these issues out of their daily lives.

But, the truth is that although the problem may seem large, there is still hope and a reason to be optimistic because there are many things we can do to help. Even the smallest actions have a ripple effect that may truly result in something with a bigger and greater impact.

The talk really tied together the lessons we’ve been trying to cover all semester:

self + context = response

’self’ is about understanding ourselves. Why we are the way we are. For me, the idea here is that you cannot give what you do not have. If you don’t have a good understanding of who you are, how could you even begin to understand others? A good exercise that we’ve used this semester to learn more about ourselves is the Enneagram.

‘context’ is about understanding that there is a need greater than your own and knowing that there is something you can give back. It doesn’t have to be something big. In our class, we’re learning to determine and better understand our individual contexts through the genogram and lifebook exercises. One of my favorite statements to explain ‘context’: to much is given, much is asked.

‘response’ is what happens when we take our ’selfs’ and place it in the proper ‘context’. The idea is to understand that despite our own needs, we transcend them for a cause and a reason far greater than ourselves. The response should also not feel forced but something so natural that it almost feels ‘like breathing’.

Bottomline, ‘leadership’ is defined by the quality of the response. It is not about the degree of your influence that is caused by your leadership. We cannot judge based on impact alone because there is a ripple effect to everything we do. (basically, walang judge-jadjan!)

Wanting to be a good leader and providing a good response is a personal choice. It’s comes down to what you believe in and what your principles are. What examples do you want to be for your kids?

so what can we do?

It can be as simple as donating to a charitable organization in need. If money is the issue, give what you can by volunteering. Giving up something that may seem trivial to you may actually have a big impact.