Be the Change You Want to Be : A Transformational Leaders Guide to Metamorphosis

For the past decades, Philippines has undergone various types of rulership from the 14 presidents who governed it – from Aguinaldo’s revolutionary dominance to former PGMA’s prolonged supremacy. Today, as we all indulge ourselves to another leap for a change through PNoy’s administration, we ask: “Is he the one?”

Is he the transformational leader we have all been clamoring for years now? Will he be able to transform or if not alleviate the disturbing predicament we are all in?

Is he the one?

I made mention of the words transformational leader, but first how is such defined? Is he just someone who could do changes, be it in a small or large scale of his electorate?

Definitely NOT – as for my 7 years of experience in the enigmatic yet perky realm of leadership, I believe there are traits which one must possess to be deemed as a transformational leader.

A TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADER IS PROACTIVE. As someone who intends to move mountains, one must have the initiative to start action. Noliver Barrido, PLM’s former Supreme Student Council President and a good friend of mine, always tells me to be a doer because once you become active in something and acquire experiences from it, be it good or bad; you learn something and you grow as a person.

If you get to know Kuya Noli you will be dumbfounded by how broad his knowledge is. From what I understood in my major – Psychology: “you cannot give what you do not have”, likewise; it is essential that you are knowledgeable in order to make things happen. For knowledge is a premise of progress. However, knowledge should be coupled with untainted understanding.

Be intuitive, ask questions, seek for answers and don’t just rely and adapt to what lies before your eyes.

A TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADER DOESN’T INCLUDE TO HIS VOCABULARY THE WORD IMPOSSIBLE. Emerald Amurao, founder of one of Manila’s Boses ng Kabataan Chapter taught me this trick of being extremely optimistic – of not entertaining and being frightened by the possibilities of defeat. The worst thing one can do is not to try, to be aware of what one wants and not give in to it, to spend years in silent hurt wondering if something could have materialized – never knowing. I’ve acclimatized myself so much to this that, whenever I’m subjected to dense circumstances, I tend to just push and push until I achieve my or our team’s goal.

With this comes the notion of being bold on piloting. One must be dominant enough and at the same time submissive to his elements depending of course on the situation at hand. Taking risks and engaging to the uncertain comes with this too. Erroneous it may sound at first but in doing so, one learns. Yearning for the seemingly impossible is a step to human progress. Be it a win-lose situation, you acquire something so why not try, right? In role of the person in charge, as they put it in debates, you should “set the parameters”.

A TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADER LISTENS AND HAS AN OPEN-MIND. Stereotypical it may seem, but in reality, such qualities of a good leader are often overlooked. They assume they are listening already but not to the right voices; that they hear both sides yet they are being biased. For someone who aspires to alter lives, it must be an automatic inclination to be able to ascertain the misleading from the authentic ones. In actuality though, as they say: it is easier said than done.

I myself am still learning the art of listening to the right voices and weighing sides of what I encounter. It may seem a cunning task yet worth all the effort for without silence words lose their meaning; without listening, speaking no longer heals. Having mastered this, one could easily communicate with others. He’ll not have a hard time dealing with them for he knows their issues consequently building a harmonious relationship.

A TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADER AFFECTS. Francis Montero, our Parish priest never fails to exercise this. Every time he conducts masses, he preaches God. Indefatigably reminding everyone to do well and be good. Studies show that short term memory is much more prevalent in a person’s everyday living. Therefore, it’s a must that periodically one is reminded of what to do. That is exactly what he does. Having my fair share of waywardness, hearing those sermons affect me. He influences me to become a morally upright person. He indirectly causes waves of inspiration as I take my life’s course in becoming someone who will defy the norms and follow a culture of intact core values and solid spiritual foundation.

As a transformational leader, a lot of patience is needed as we, little by little, strive for meaningful changes. Like Father Montero, aside from the fact that he never stops on believing that a change will transpire eventually, he stands out of the crowd and leads the way to righteousness. He walks his talk. The influence he exerted is through his own life and what he became of himself. He motivates me. And that is, I believe, the true measure of one’s influence. With that, he lives out the saying: “big things come from small packages”.

We don’t need dramatic events or big people to shake us from our apathy. By just opening our eyes to our surroundings, learning from the people in our immediate circle, sharing what we know and having the enduring initiative to be the best that we can be, we can become persons who will definitely make a difference.

And lastly, about President Aquino’s administration: LET’S KEEP OUR FINGERS CROSSED THAT HE IS THE ONE. However, we should earnestly do our part, for seeking change is not just PNoy’s fight, it should be a collective struggle of every Filipino.
To borrow a line from John C. Maxwell – “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”

By Joyce Colmenar Lansang, posted on August 29, 2010 in Jef Menguin's Website