#MINDANAO
John Tria
As the debate on reinstituting the mandatory Reserve Officers Training Course (ROTC) fills our news feeds, I am a bit surprised that there is a fairly large constituency that, like me, sees the benefit of its return. While those opposing it have their reasons, I believe the values and lessons from my University of the Philippines ROTC experience, about taking a team through tough terrain, are worth sharing.
The first is that the team and teamwork matter. Teams matter because military units are organized to optimize strength for long battles where injury and casualties are an unfortunate reality.
While we often see the virtue of teamwork signaled in social media, many cannot seem to grasp that it celebrates group achievement. Often the culture celebrates individual exceptionalism where talent and personal success are more than that of the team. Teamwork and excellence comes from the combination of individual efforts from the CEO to the clerk.
Teamwork is also important because the team you work with is often composed of people you do not choose. In typical university classes, your teamwork is limited to classmates and friends with shared backgrounds especially when you enter the later years for major subjects. In student organizations, you work with people you choose to be with. On the other hand, team members in the ROTC unit come from various backgrounds including those you disagree with on many things, who do not share your political color or level of political correctness, and live outside your echo chamber. ROTC taught me that getting a team to work on common objectives means accepting and working with a diverse set of individuals.
Achieving team objectives breeds a sense of collective achievement. This manifests every time there is an Alay Lakad activity where ROTC units in all schools converge to walk for a cause on a Sunday morning. The UP ROTC cadets always march, walk, rest and run in unison, eyes forward, lines firmly held. For the first time I sensed a collective pride in the ranks when discipline and form is well maintained.
Another learning from ROTC is the maturity to accept that not all situations, not even the ones you choose, work in your and the team’s favor. Sun Tzu captures it in the discussion on terrain in Chapter 10 of the Art of War, where, there are various types of terrain. Many complaints come from those who cannot accept their circumstances, leaving them mired in negativity. The general objective, therefore is to capture the best part of the terrain to gain advantage. It means working with the terrain, or situation, finding a way forward, as a team.
This was real in the 1997 financial crisis which meant hard terrain for many businesses as growth was weak and opportunities were limited. Gaining strategic advantage meant lowering costs to generate value while competition for fewer customers was truly hot. The value of tenacity, keeping the team together, focusing on objectives became paramount in this tough terrain. When better days came, growth happened.
Which brings me to physical training, the element of ROTC disliked by many. The marching in the rain builds stamina and patience useful in battle to adjust and refocus quickly in situations. A mastery of our mind and body allows us to learn new ideas to deal with the tough, changing uncertain terrain that is the new normal.
In the real world of constant disruptions, ROTC’s values of tenacity and teamwork allow us to play the long patient game in tough situations to reach our objectives.