Back then, at Ateneo, I designed and facilitated a course titled Corporate Leadership that became a hit, attracting 250 workplace-based and experience-driven MBA students every trimester. It was an interactive forum whose major allure was the top-notch CEOs invited each week to share their challenges, practices, and insights to widen and deepen their understanding of leadership in the workplace.
These CEOs generously shared what it was to be a leader navigating constant change and the vagaries of the business environment and competition. The likes of Jaime Agusto Zobel de Ayala, Manuel Pangilinan, Lance Gokongwei, Joey Concepcion, Jose Cuisia, Emily Abrera, Corazon dela Paz Bernardo, Washington Sycip, and to provide contrast, police/military leaders, Gen. Alfredo Lim and Gen. Arturo Enrile gamely spoke of valuable leadership lessons in theory and action.
Jaime worked hard with passion, determination, and agility to learn the rudiments of their business model. Lance started as a warehouse stockman recording and stockpiling inventories. Joey took upon the inspiration of his hard-working father to manage their business.
These three, proverbially “born with a silver spoon in their mouths,” were not instantly bestowed outright COO (child of the owner) or flashy positions in a cavernous executive office, as any putative scion would have been naturally entitled to as birthrights. They started low but worked hard or harder and rose from the ranks like any other. Born with the silver spoon, however, is no guarantee because the luster of the spoon itself may be lost by indolence, apathy, irresoluteness, and incompetence by the heirs.
Emily and Cora broke the glass ceiling by becoming CEOs of their companies for the first time. Emily rose from the ranks to head one of the largest advertising companies in the world. Unashamedly a college dropout (she’s got great company in Bill Gates & Steve Jobs), sheer passion and determination in the competitive field of advertising put her above the rest. Her admonition to not be afraid of failure but to embrace it as “success in failure” still reverberates — an oxymoronic phrase seemingly illogical but contextually sensible.
From humble beginnings and hard work, Cora became Chairperson of a large accounting firm with worldwide connections. Sycip founded the largest local accounting firm, bearing his name with passion, patience, and tenacity, catapulting it as the first Philippine multinational accounting outfit in Asia.
“Leaders are not born, they are made like anything else, through hard work,” famed football coach Vince Lombardi asserted. This is one of the main lessons that synthesizes true corporate leadership – experience, determination, and passion. O.M. Scott-Peck talked about leadership as inspiration and perspiration; while inspiration is a gift that gets one going, it is perspiration – discipline and hard work – that keeps on giving because it keeps one going.
Stephen Covey and other gurus found that effective leaders consistently display and act based on proactive thinking and consequential ways of doing to become effective and successful. On the other hand, being reactive sets back or blocks the growth of positive change and may lead to mediocrity and failure.
Proactive leaders anticipate challenges and do not react to them; strategically plan and do not constantly put out brush fires; focus on continuous improvements and not on process management; they are visionary thinkers and solid solutions providers and not quick fixers; they align, empower, and mentor teams and not micromanage them. They do not get stuck in their comfort zones, not wallow in learned helplessness, and do not tread the path of least resistance.
Metaphorically, leaders are like two shepherds of the sheep in contrasting styles. One “leads at the front” (proactive), and the other “leads from the back” (reactive). The frontline shepherd carries the torch as a guide in the direction. Even if some followers would slow down, given some freedom to graze and have fun, the shepherd is modeling the way. To catch up, they quicken their pace to be with the herd again because the torch in front is visible. Nourished, empowered, motivated, and vibrant, they reach their goals successfully and joyfully.
The shepherd at the rear makes sheep uneasy and fearful. They keep looking back because they are watched. Better not stray from the line and slacken, or the frightening voice of the shepherd barking orders would be thunderous – whipped into line and punished like sheep meekly being led to slaughter. Upon reaching a forking road, they wait for the order, which way to go. Ironically, the sheep are emaciated, depressed, and uninspired. And they are unhappy, feeble, spent during and after the journey.
Leaders are shaped or honed not by genetic prescription but by the crucibles of real-life challenges, by sheer determination, passion, and hard work, rise from the ashes, emerge from adversity stronger, more confident in themselves, and more committed to their work.
For our CPA leaders in our profession, food for thought – becoming “shepherds from the rear or shepherds at the front?”
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Dr. Cesar Azurin Mansibang is the President/CEO of United Graphic Expression Corporation, a Graduate School Professor, management consultant, Dean of the College of Accountancy of Dr. Yanga’s Colleges and former PICPA Senior Member of the Board of Director, VP for Operations and VP for Education.