On Leadership

Leadership is one of the basic skills that men need to have. At some point in a man's life, he will have to lead. One day, he will be head of his family. He will drive and inspire his kids and bring the best out of them. He will have to take a deep look into his wife's interests, and help cultivate them so that she would continue to bloom. He will need to have vision. He must see the future of his family. He must bring them towards abundance, bliss and success. 


As a kid, I remember trying to decide whether I would become a manager when I grow up, or just an ordinary worker. My dad had a lot of friends who were managers. All I could see was their children complaining that their fathers no longer had time for them. They were too busy. My dad was an ordinary employee. He and my mom worked in a school. Even though they did not hold high positions, they had quality time for us. We were so swamped with their attention and care. Because of that, I promised myself never to dream of becoming a manager. Never would I allow myself to be in the spotlight and be the center of attention. 


Now, I am a man. I am married. A year or two from now, I will be on my way to being a father. I find myself re-evaluating the decision I made years ago on being a leader. I have come to realize that as a husband, leadership is a necessary skill. Where my family can reach will depend on how far I can take them. Without my vision, we would stall. Instead of moving forward, we would be moving around in circles. There would be no progress. I must be strong for them. When they will feel down, they will look to me for inspiration. I must learn how to influence their thoughts and remove any negativity in them, replacing them with good ones. Eventually, I will have to build my career up and become a manager. As I grew up and met more people, I realized that holding higher positions do not mean less time with the family. Time management is what is important. Work, dream, and plan for your family, but always find time to be with them. 


One Sunday morning, I heard this from a preacher's sermon. "You will never follow a dumb ox. You will never follow a guy who is dumber than you are!" There is a lot of truth in these very strong words. This is a challenge to husbands to become the best that they could be so that they could lead their families. I would not allow myself to be a dumb ox. If  I was one, I would not allow myself to remain that way.

In the end, we come to the basic rule of leadership. A leader will be followed if he has the trust of his members. He will be trusted, if he is able to show them that he is leading them to a very bright tomorrow. I have made my decision. I want my wife to believe in me. I will want my children to be grateful for what I have done for them. I will become that great manager, and I will be the best leader that I can be.

The Sweet Taste Of Victory

A year of inactivity... but that does not matter now. This time, I can put something up. SUCCESS - this very elusive thing - is now in my hands.

The year 2011 would go down as one of the most memorable years of my life. After almost two years of waiting, working hard and enduring all the trials, I now got what I wanted. Many thanks to our one true God, who made everything possible! Indeed, He has prepared the best things for us.

I started the year flying over to Singapore to attend a job fair. It was time to be more aggressive, and find that job abroad which I have yearned for so long. I had tried applying for jobs online the previous year, but to no success at all. I grew tired of this. Online applications didn't get me the interviews that I wanted. By March 2011, I was off to the Merlion City for the JobsDB Career Expo. Three days later, I was back in the Philippines, facing the reality that even with my aggressive stance, I still didn't get the results that I wanted. I had applied for hundreds of jobs in the career expo, but there was no single call for an interview.

Things didn't go the way that I planned, but I never go down without a fight. When I got back from my Singapore trip, I was sending online applications again every night. By the middle of April, I was interviewed by AMD Singapore. Two weeks later, I got the news that I didn't get the job. That was tough to swallow again, but that didn't keep me from going. On the 6th of June, I was interviewed by an Austrian semiconductor company. This time, I passed!!! They had me scheduled for a final interview in Austria!

On the 3rd of September, a Saturday, I boarded a Lufthansa flight to Austria. I could still remember that day. My wife sent me off and wished me good luck. She was always praying for me. I needed that. I was scheduled for a very tough interview schedule. Four managers would each interview me for an hour. I had interviews before, but none as hectic as that. None of them ran over an hour.

When I arrived in Austria on a Sunday, I couldn't get enough sleep. I was anxious. I was excited. I was afraid of failure. But I was hoping for success. With all those emotions going through, I just could not doze off. Monday was the big day. I took my lunch early in the hotel. By 1PM, I was in a room with my first interviewer. An hour later they put me in another room for my second interview. Then the third interview and then the fourth. By 5PM, everything was done. I was exhausted! Not having a clue on the results made things even more agonizing!

After the interview, I still had a day to spare in my schedule to look around the place before I went back home. The company was situated in Villach, a place very popular during the winter for its skiing resorts. It was summer when I arrived, and I just contented myself with walking into their city center, checking out the shops and trying to discover what else was in there. I took pictures of each nice view that I saw. I wanted to show them to my wife when I got back. Villach was a very nice place. In my mind, this would be a very good place for us to settle.... but that would only happen if I passed the final interview.

I was back in the hotel at around six in the evening to start packing up my things. My flight was early in the morning the next day. As I was putting in the last of my clothes in my suitcase, my phone rang. My friend, who also happened to be working with the company who had just conducted the interviews, was on the line. "Great news!!!" she said. "I had spoken with one of the managers. You passed the interviews!!! You will be working here soon!"

My eyes lit up as soon as I heard those words! I couldn't forget that feeling! I was in ecstasy! I jumped. I pumped my fists in the air! I slammed my feet on the floor. I let out a shout of joy! I was just so happy!

2011. Yes, finally, success! Nothing could be that sweet! At last, a sign of relief... a taste of victory!!!