Are You a Leader or a Manager?

 

 

Reflection Paper #1

           I am a Leader. I can relate to an experience in my life where my leadership was most telling when I was assigned with the Philippine Military Academy. Although I already know how to lead people when it comes to being able to accomplish the mission. I realize that it needs to be practice further and create leaders like me who will be willing to take on the challenge of mentoring others and not just merely coaching. I know the feeling of not having someone to mentor you; that is why in my three years of stay in the Academy as a tactical officer, I tried hard to mentor cadets to become true leaders themselves.

         Philippine Military Academy is a premier military leadership institution in the Philippines. It was home to a great leader who had once led our country. Moreover, the Academy was where numerous public servants came from. Presently, the member of the cabinet of President Rodrigo Duterte is composed of esteemed leaders who graduated from PMA. With this, it cannot be discounted that the new generation of the Academy's cadets will live up to the expectation set forth by its Alumni and the ideal role of a PMA Graduate. Being a PMAer entails being a leader of character, warrior, military professional, manager of resources, and supporting national development. These are the strengths that should be developed while inside the institution early in their cadetship. As I assessed myself based on the above parameter, I realized that I was neither excellent nor lacking. It might be the fact that I did not commit myself to the idea of leading to the point that I did not consider somebody who would become a leader equal or more than my leadership qualities. It took fifteen years for me to realize that, indeed, I was only trying to lead people and eventually leave them leaderless in the end with having to mentor or coach a capable leader that would continue to be more than a leader of men. That said, my weakness is being a mediocre leader. I was probably during that time, in my early years, as a new graduate and second lieutenant in the Philippine Army, a kind of leader without a vision but only a warrior leader who lived the days for the unit to survive in all its battles in the combat zone.

          I am more of a leader than a manager. I am more people-focused because I believe that each individual in a group has their role to play. Therefore, I put my trust in the people I worked with after knowing that they have the competence to do their job. I have already evaluated their capability to perform their respective positions in the unit. It may look like leader focus, but considering these soldiers is somehow a managerial skill I learned from the learning experiences I had when I was a cadet as a human resource officer of the unit. Nevertheless, at this point, it is more of a leader focus rather than managerial skill because the mission accomplishment demands that you should trust your men to do their job. Because nobody wants to die, surviving is a leader focus skill to see the unit through all the battles and challenges of combat.

          As a leader, I welcome change as a sign of progress, development, and opportunity to improve and be more effective. As a leader, my lens on rules and regulation allows the men to have a baseline. Still, it should not limit them from being creative and innovative because playing by the rules is sometimes not an option because the enemy does not follow the rules. On the other hand, change is a sign of progress and an opportunity to grow as a unit and leader. It may present itself as a challenge at first, but the reward of having new knowledge, skills, and ideas is the way ahead for the unit and its leaders to more efficient and effective in performing future missions.

          As a leader, being proactive is one of my offensive and defensive strategy to prevent the unit from being caught off guard. Likewise, being proactive always teaches my officer and soldiers to have situational awareness, which I consider a skill that all military personnel should have to take advantage of opportunities and difficult situations in favor of the organization.

In my Leadership Philosophy, trusting people to do their best is one of my mantras that I always do. If I have communicated to them my vision for the organization, we would work for the goal and help in supporting each other as this is the supposed culture in a developing organization. If there is a need to improve and develop the status quo, then shaping the organization's culture should start from top to bottom. Leading by example and doing the deeds that matter to all is significant in this endeavor.

There will always be conflict in an organization, but this should not be considered an obstacle and hindrance but an opportunity to improve the organization's delivery of goods and services. In this light, as public servants, I should always be on my toes when conflict arises due to some decisions that may be unpopular to others. It is better to deal with a conflict head-on and not avoid it because it will just stay in its place unless it is resolved and given a solution where all parties involved would compromise to what has been agreed upon. Trusting the people to commit to their words and let them do it as long as it aligns with the organization's goal for people has different perspectives and approaches to solving a problem.

          As a public servant and at the same time an officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, notably the Philippine Army, in my perspective, I have to be the Driver and at the same time the Mechanic. If some parts are not working properly or my car ultimately does not get to where it should be going, then part of the problem must be on me. The details need regular maintenance to keep it in top condition, like an organization with many sections and departments that functions independently but has a purpose for the organization to be effective, responsive, and efficient. The organization I lead in the Army is the cutting-edge unit of the Philippine Army. It could be compared to a lethal tank. But its lethality is nothing if we would only rely on its firepower. It needs its engine to go from point A to point B. It needs unique tracked wheels to negotiate the rough terrains, and it requires a precise targeting system to hit its target. All of which contribute to the tank's efficiency, responsiveness, and effectiveness, just like our unit. Without trained and disciplined soldiers, the organization will not properly function.

          In my years of experience as a leader and a follower, I have seen people negate their potential as a leader because of the fear of failing. Even though they have put their best feet forward on an idea, they retreat at the last minute, hearing negative feedbacks from just a proposal. A leader should be relentless, unlike a manager who is structured and refine. I never let peers, subordinates, colleagues, and strangers dictate what I think is the best unless my superior tells me to stop. As a leader in an organization, I have to make things right for everybody and find solutions to slight problems. If need be, I will risk making a decision that is only covered at my level. I would not get my boos involved in minor issues, but I would instead take the initiative to make the call for the benefit and well-being of the organization and the people I am responsible for.

          But I, as a leader, would always see to it that credit is not only returned to me when I present an idea and innovations. I would make it a point that those who helped in the crafting and development would also get the credit and be recognized for their effort. As A leader, I can not think alone because more heads are better than one. Trusting each other to do their best and giving them the take responsibility rather than just waiting for you choose for them is not as productive if there is a shared goal in which everybody has responsibility in it. Ultimately, at the end of my leadership journey in an organization, one goal is to make a leader like me or even better than me. I advocate for leaders making leaders for others to realize their potential and be the best version they can be, whether in the organization or inside their own family. There may be problems and obstacles in the future for this leader, but just like me, in my forty-nine years of existence, my leadership has always been a journey.