Where are the leaders?

A leader is a must in every organization. One must be knowledgeable, skilled, experienced and sometimes with appeal. One might be the key to one organizations success. A simple idea if implemented well could be a big leap to a shaking company. From interviews and actual experience, everyone couldn’t be a leader, a firm decision maker, strategic response to projects and an empowered mindset doesn’t belong to everyone.

Though success is a group effort, one needs to lead to make it reality. A group of painter has a foreman, same in a group of construction workers. A good construction engineer is nobody without skilled personnel. Thus, it is called an organization, an organized group of people, with the same objectives and common goal which is to achieve success whether accomplishing a certain project or getting the perfect end result.

From IBM, "A lack of leadership capability has become a significant barrier to growth for many organizations… Without sufficient leadership talent, who will set the direction? Who will paint the vision? Who will lead the change? It’s not only an HR issue. It is a business imperative…."


"Companies are finding themselves with a leadership vacuum, with fewer individuals who have the knowledge and experience to guide others through necessary business transformations. Without leaders who can provide the direction, feedback and clarity needed to navigate in a more complex world, companies will struggle to achieve business goals."- IBM

This is where trainings, seminars and hiring the best from the best will be the primary requirements. Continuous education is a must to any individual from the upper management down to ranking files. This is why there are scholarship grants from some organizations. With failures and recession from the first class countries, with all the experts and best from the rest, looks like not enough? Can it be traced to leadership vacuum? These are some questions from developing countries such as the Philippines.


There are different types of leadership. But a popular person does not make him a leader. A celebrity might be good in acting but not in decision making. A boxer might be good in ring but not as a representative from the government. With the popularity contest every election period, what are the qualifications of the leaders we elected so far? Are they leaders?

People are still confused about the American economy meltdown. What went wrong? What happened to once a strong and the land of milk and honey with greener pastures? With all the financial analyst, specialist or expertise, what happened to them? Where are the leaders who are supposed to be the foundations of strength and are used in solving this kind of problems? Do we have a leadership vacuum?

Bora ko, Casi-NO o Casi-YES

Boracay Island, with its irresistible picturesque beach and good buys at the D*mall is the most wanted vacation spot every summer. Affordable front beach hotel rooms, turquoise color water, accessible from Manila with only one hour airplane ride to Kalibo or Caticlan and the overflowing sea foods every 3pm onwards, not to mention the affordable prices of buffets and tropical fruit shakes, the ambiance that’s what tourist usually craves.

Majority of the tourist in Boracay are young professionals and family groups, but whether with family or with loved ones, the price of hotel rooms ranges from 700 to 10,000 pesos overnight with air con, internet connections, boat and shuttle services and full board meals. Depending on one’s budget, surely in Boracay, accommodation will never be a problem.

The island comprises the barangays of Manoc-Manoc, Balabag, and Yapak. These are the 3 of the 17 barangays which make up the municipality of Malay. Coconut trees are the usual sight with vendors of bracelets and necklaces made of shells and semi precious stones. The island is under the administrative control of the Philippine Tourism Authority in coordination with the Provincial Government of Aklan.

With the overgrowing population and becoming the main tourist destination in Asia and vacationers from all around the Philippines, Municipality of Malay with over 24,000 in population, the statistics for the year 2000 is now under the public eye not because of the beach but because of the pending approval to implement a Casino.

From Inquirer.net dated March 13, 2011, “Municipal councilor Jonathan Cabrera, chairman of the council’s committee on good government and member of the committee on tourism, games and amusement, said the operation of the casino in Boracay would bring additional revenues that could fund basic services and projects for residents.

He said the town’s budget for 2011 amounting to P185 million is enough only for the operations and maintenance expenses of the municipal government.

There is a need to generate more revenues for livelihood projects, health services, infrastructure and equipment, he added.”

For three days of randomly selected interviews in the island, most of the Aklanos disagrees with the proposal of putting up a casino. These are the following reasons and issues:

·         Diversion of salary from family to gambling

·         If there will be gambling, it will be followed by illegal drugs

·         Tourist went to Boracay for the beach not for the casinos

The residents and workers also said that there’s a signature campaign that is already done against the implementation of casino. The Malay municipal council last Jan. 25 endorsed a proposal of the Cariño Development Management Corp. to build a casino at the posh 120-hectare Fairways and Bluewater Resort Golf and Country Club at the northern end of the island. Up to this day, the proposal is pending because of the opposition which is where the church leaders are in frontlines.

Utopia

  
For 36 years, like a roller coaster, fast, colorful, wind brushed into your hair and with friction between the wheels and railings, will go up, down and sideways, the same as life. In the beginning like Genesis when everything is simple, unaware about the political issues, cost of raw materials, transportation need, advance technology and kids enrolled in a private school with tuition fees like in peak three, the feeling of being alive, far away from the civilization was a feeling of contentment and satisfaction.

   Rice fields converted to three storey’s commercial buildings, towering the rural area once a mountain is visible in front of thy house, where children could still play in the side of the road, people were jogging before sunrise, consumers were waiting for the opening of the trade. Rivers with clean water heavily flowing with fishes, clamps, shells and green grass all around. That's the old days, where everything is simple.

  As one becomes aware about what’s happening; lack of integrity, corruption, selfishness, crab mentality, killings, car napping, kidnapping, Reproductive Health Bill, Abortion and recession, the arena became the place for animals hungry for wordly satisfaction and material needs. never heard of the term "Bayanihan", it’s been for awhile and the challenges on how to survive is like survival of the fittest.

   War, famine, deaths, bombs, terrorism, different dubious religions and propaganda are everywhere, it's a reality where everyone are ignoring, thinking its just the way it is, feeling of complacent that everything will fall into place without doing anything to help one another or the country where one is living in. One cannot help but to think of ways to spread awareness, to show the benefits and advantages if everyone will be concerned, united and with cooperation. Hard to do it but nobody knows what will be the result, disappointed it may seem, trying is not hard to do, encouraging is a different equation.

  As time goes by and heartaches of sadness grows stronger as one struggle to survive from the majority of the population where everyone is just standing by and few are fighting for the truth and justice to win, Utopia will never be heard, music will never be the same and bamboo will still stood still as the wind blows everywhere for nobody is looking how gracefully the tree sways from the different direction of the wind.

   Life in this world is short, one never knows the time spend is done already. As one travel in this journey where the bamboo keeps on fighting from the storm and just swaying where the wind blows, a farmer keeps on planting for the next generation.