What is a leader?

Am in quite a reflective mode lately so I thought I'd post something that somehow resonates what I am grateful about. You know how it is to be in 'great company'? By 'company', it can be friends, your own families, your collegues at work, your church-mates, your neighbors, and even your spouse and strange as it may seem, 'being with your own self' too counts.


In my 30 something lifespan, I've met a lot of awesome people. (I've done an entry here before on gratitude) but today, I'd like to remember and give due reference to people who influenced my thinking (aside from my own parents) and outlook.


1. JCG or "Yo" as we called him. This guy was humility and smart personified. For someone who grew up with a proverbial silver spoon, you would not know about it until you see his shoes -a meek Florsheim for everyday wear and great food that's cooked by his gourmet and pastry chef- brother - Johann. He was my mentor when I was doing Research and Marketing before. He, an actuarial guru whose middle name is PATIENT - he sat down and gave me (and his team mates) a blow-by-blow and oftentimes, spontaneous course on MS Excel - when all the craze then was just wordstar! hahaha (ok, that's ancient- but hey, this is not about how 'old' I am, right?lol) He walked the walk for sure. Always arriving way earlier than anyone - and leaving the office really late that he's often teased for being workaholic. In my books, that's dedication and great role modelling. He was always pleasant, had a great sense of humour, and always a great person to turn to - no matter what. Yo too, was a great Christian. We know that he donated some good amount of monies but was always shy of the accolade. He was just doing the 'right' things - he'd say. His legacy to me - that we should not tire of learning and we should share the learning everyday. JCG modelled the way to leadership without the 'words'. He just did it. Period.


2. VKK - ahhhh, the Vonster. As a former seminarian, his usual morning greeting was short of St. Francis of Assissi's "Brother Sun, Sister Moon" thingy. Not everyone digged Von but many of us do. Like JCG, VKK exemplified what a model employee is all about. Very conscientious and goal-driven yet very down to earth. He was often teased because he's very philosophical. But, it's the same 'tude that made many of us revere him. He owns up to his mistakes and shows us the way to doing a great workplace. He may not be 'the cool guy' with a flashy car, but he showed us what great motivation, attitude and smarts can do if you just will it. Von wrote me a great reference letter when I left my former work - that I think many of my Canadian would-be employers then was floored that everytime I was having my interviews, I'm almost 'hired. lol. It was too good that it almost brings me tears everytime I read it. VKK left one big conglomerate to join a powerhouse corporation - Citigroup of which he is currently VP. Now, is that great or what?!?!?


3. RPS. He is my other dad. You know when growing up you learned from parents, I had the privilege of working with people like RPS who served as my 'corporate dad'. One of the biggest and most important persons in my company then, he served as CFO (VP) then became CEO/President for the spin-off group. When he was President, I was one of his direct reports. He was a no-nonesense guy who wanted output, no ifs and buts. I worked well with that kind of a 'boss'. Tell me what you need, I'll give you what you expect and I'll let you know if some things are not working out. We operate on open communication - and that included being upfront about things - no sugar coating required. We respected each other's ethics and even if we're 'frank' - it did not mean that we're rude. We just call a spade a spade - if you see it any other way, we agreed to disagree and honoured the different perspective. RPS was a great coach and cheerleader and also, a great critic. And, man can he criticize! lol But you know, sometimes, you need that ego-buster to keep your feet on the ground. He taught us to be tough and to trudge on even on very questionable, hard times and not losing on the end-goal and values that you hold dear - which, at some point, translated to how we are to take some events in our (personal) lives. He was wise as a boss but even more poignant, warm and caring as an individual despite the hard and intimidating exterior as President of the company.


RPS knew what buttons to push to get you going and to strive harder, but like a dad, he knew when to step back and let us figure things out on our own - but always, giving his .02 when we ask for it. He was a fierce competitor (in sports) and at the same time, an absolute great friend. In fact, when my (real) dad passed away last year, he made sure that he gets to show his sympathy by showing up in my dad's wake. He learned about it from one of our friends and wasted no time to find us in Loyola in Makati. Actually, he got the runaround from Loyola management but later found us anyway - during my dad's cremation. It was a quick meeting - he said, he just wanted to make sure that we know that he wanted to be there for his friend/pseudo-daughter. (awww... made me cry more!!!)


Last Saturday we met him again. This time, I have my hubby in tow. He and his wife were touring the Rockies and we made plans to see each other - at least, not on a 'sad' note as that of last year's. We chatted, he teased me for not having a baby yet, him and B had a great talk about sports (men!!!) and over dinner at Earl's, was just happy to have seen us again - with me and a husband this time. :) B can't help but say, wow, he's a great guy - to think, he was your boss and President of your company. To which I said, I know, I'm blessed to have great mentors and leaders, isn't it?