OpinionsEye OpenerTo the new leaders

To the new leaders

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The Sangguniang Kabataan election has just concluded, and for sure, the winners are still euphoric over their victories. But jubilation wouldn’t last long, as the real work will soon begin.

Having been a public servant for so many years until my recent retirement, I would like to offer some food for thought to the new leaders. I would like to share with them a few things among the myriad of lessons and experiences that I may have learned the hard way during my stint in government service. These words, unsolicited as they are, may help those who genuinely want to succeed in governing their fellow young Dumaguetnons.

First thing that a young leader should remember is that the office he holds is an opportunity to make a difference, and a chance to uplift other people’s lives. It is not a channel through which one can enrich himself financially nor to perpetuate himself in power until his hair turns gray or his own children take the reins. I am saying this because I have seen how many young leaders (or their parents) make the SK as a stepping stone to easy money and unrestricted power.

Second, the SK leader should not over-compensate. It’s tempting for a newly-elected leader to exhibit his skills or establish slapdash supremacy over others. Being prepared to show one’s vulnerability is actually sign of confidence and maturity. You may not be a genius but being vulnerable may be the more astute path. Meaning, when you don’t know, admit that you don’t know. Knowing instead how to ask, listen, and learn from others will take that young leader farther. Eventually, the focus will be on the work of the team, and not on the accomplishments or exceptional capabilities of one person.

Third, the SK leader should watch his tone. If it’s a statement, state it as it is. It’s easy to fall into the practice of carelessly voicing out thoughts and opinions in an interrogative manner/ as questions when one is not sure of himself. This kind of talk betrays the speaker’s certainty in his own knowledge, even when it is valid.

I have learned that speaking in certain or indefinite tones doesn’t just sound different, it feels different, and will affect the way one is perceived as a speaker. In short, if you know what you’re talking about, and want to be respected for it, you have to convince your audience that you know it by heart.

Fourth, if a person wants to be effective as a community leader, he has to lead by example, by serving others, and not making the constituents his servants. The Constitution and other related laws have always emphasized that a public office is a public trust. The young leader should not ruin that trust by making himself and his interests as his central goal that needs to be accomplished. The young leader has all the chances to make other people’s lives better and more meaningful. If only he could use that youthfulness, and the many years ahead of him, to serve the community’s interests, not his own.

Like what our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, once said, “The youth is the hope of the nation.” Be that youth!

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Author’s email: [email protected]

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