Follow SoKor’s lead — Gordon

SEN. Richard Gordon yesterday called on Filipinos to emulate South Korea, which has emerged as one of Asia ’s great nations today despite the devastation wreaked by the Korean War in the 1950’s. Gordon, speaking at the Korean embassy’s celebration of the 60th year of bilateral relations between the Philippines and South Korea , said the Filipinos, like the Koreans, should learn to choose the right leaders who will bring out the best in the people to achieve the same level of progress and development they are now enjoying. “I’d like to congratulate the Korean people for after having weathered the bitter war in the 50s, it was able to rise to become one of the mighty nations in Asia . It is my hope that we will become even closer through the years and try to make sure that all of us achieve the same level of progress and development that can provide dignity; and certainly pride and satisfaction for both our peoples,” he said. “Dapat ay maging katulad din tayo ng mga kapitbahay natin sa Asya, lalo na sa Korea sapagkat kaya ng Pilipino na gawin ang ginagawa nila. Kailangan lang may disiplina at mahusay na liderato. Kaya dapat matuto tayong pumili ng mahuhusay na lider ng sa gayon ang ating bayan ay magkaroon din ng magandang halimbawa at lumakas tayo,” he added. Gordon also extended his condolences to the Korean government on the death of its former President Kim Dae-Jung last Aug. 18, adding that he and Sen. Benigno Aquino were similar because they both fought an autocratic rule. “The Senate of the Republic of the Philippines expresses its deepest condolences on his passing away last Aug. 18. We consider President Kim Dae-Jung a real leader, and what we might call one of Asia ’s foremost Freedom Fighters not unlike Sen. Benigno Aquino and President Cory Aquino,” he said. The Senate recently adopted Gordon’s Senate Resolution 1326, which expressed the Senate’s sincere condolences on the former Korean leader’s death. Gordon noted that President Kim devoted himself to the task of economic recovery and managed to pull the country back from the brink of bankruptcy. By: Marlon Purificacion - Peoples Journal Online

Secrets of servant leadership

AFTER Princess Diana was killed in a tragic car accident, 2 ½ billion people tuned in to watch her televised funeral. Not only Great Britain, but the entire world, mourned her death. What accounted for the public’s emotional attachment to Princess Di?

Certainly, royalty and beauty attributed to Princess Diana’s popularity, but something else connected her to the hearts of people across the globe.

Looks and lineage may have landed her on magazine covers, but Princess Di had an endearing quality that gave her even greater appeal. Princess Diana was beloved because she was a servant leader.

For centuries, royal families epitomized self-serving leadership. Comfortably removed from the day-to-day troubles of those in their kingdom, they enjoyed opulent wealth and absolute power. Princess Diana broke the stereotype.

She leveraged her popularity to lend support for AIDS research, to care for those with leprosy, and to ban land mines. In fact, the force of Diana’s compassion was so influential that Time Magazine named her one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century.Practices that help leaders serve others.

In their valuable book, “The Secret,” Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller shed light on the practices that enable leaders, like Princess Diana, to serve others.
In this edition of A Leaders Way, I’d like to pass on their ideas to you.

1. See the future.
Leaders have a compelling vision for the future stirring inside of them. The vision makes plain a leader’s identity, direction and pattern of behavior.To affect the future, a leader spreads values throughout an organization. These values are core beliefs that become the cornerstones of organizational culture. A wise leader publishes the values so that they can be repeated, recognized and rewarded.A leader cannot delegate the responsibility to see the future. They may share the responsibility, but ultimately, it’s the leader’s job to make time today to ensure the direction of tomorrow.

2. Engage and develop others.
To create the future a leader envisions, he or she must have the right people, in the right roles, fully engaged to their work. Everything that you will accomplish as a leader ultimately hinges on the people you have around you.As the Law of the Inner Circle says, “A leader’s potential is determined by those closest to him or her.”Sadly, many people’s talents languish on the job because they are disengaged. Likely, the greatest waste in business is human potential. Leaders pull out the potential inside of their people by inspiring and motivating. They are quick to offer opportunities for growth, be mentors, or equip their employees with resources.

3. Reinvent continuously.
Great leaders reinvent continuously on a personal level. They are always interested in ways to enhance their own knowledge and skills. The very best leaders are learners. They realize that if they stop learning, they will stop leading.A leader sets the tone of the organization. If they cease growing personally, then the majority of those they lead will become stagnant as well.
Reinvention is critical to survival. The solutions to problems of the past are inadequate to address the demands of today. Leaders must have fresh, innovative thinking and new ideas to respond to the challenges the organization faces.

4. Value results and relationships.
When it comes to results and relationships, the best leaders take a both/and approach. A focus solely on results demoralizes the team, while an overemphasis on relationships undercuts the bottom line due to conflict avoidance and an absence of accountability.The greatest leaders make friends and profits.Leaders earn relational capital, and put it to work to gain results. As the Law of Connection states, “leaders touch a heart before they ask for a hand.”

5. Embody values.
All genuine leadership is built on trust. Leaders build trust when they establish, articulate, model and enforce values. In short, they walk the talk.If I say customers are important, my actions had better support that statement. If I choose to live as if customers are not important, people will have reason to question my trustworthiness.And in the final analysis, if I am deemed untrustworthy by my people, I will not be trusted—or followed as a leader.

By John C. Maxwell

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