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Towards True Greatness Vol. 1, No. 6 * November 25, 2008
 By JCI Mem. ANGELO DANIEL R. PARCON
2007 President
“To become truly great, one has to stand with people, not above them.” – Charles de Mostesquieu
Most of us may not openly admit it, but humility is such a hard thing to swallow.
Most of the time, we have let our pride get the better of us. Even to the point of clouding our better judgment. For us to move forward as effective and successful leaders, we all must learn to keep our pride in check at all times. Never mind those who choose to wear their idiotic sense of self-importance flashing like a neon sign on their foreheads; if you are someone who aims to gain respect, you must also learn to give respect; even when your pride is like an itch waiting to be scratched.
Our Daily Dose of HUMILITY
Day in and day out, we are presented by situations and various scenarios where our pride is tested to the hilt. We make mistakes and we immediately succumb to the ploy of trying to sugarcoat what we did wrong. There are even those who choose to pass the buck to others. This is nothing more than a simple case of cowardice. I have always tried to practice the importance of owning up to my mistakes. In my recent memory, I know that I have never backed down from the responsibilities of mistakes that I have committed and I immediately try to the best of my efforts to contribute to the solutions rather than dwell on the repercussions.
Having gone through the professional world where I have handled supervisory and managerial duties, I have taken upon myself to be informed, but not necessarily be hands-on involved, with what my subordinates are undertaking. This way, at least when it comes to delicate situations, I would know what had happened and what it would take to remedy situations. But in the end, it has never been my principle to pass on the blame to them. The buck stops with me ika’nga.
I choose not to let my pride get in the way when I receive a dressing down, provided that this is within the proper bounds of professionalism. If something went wrong during my watch, then I should take it upon myself to take responsibility. As long as the criticism is within the basic rules of courtesy and proper decorum, I listen. But when people do begin to hit below the belt; that is when I would vehemently exercise my opinion. And those who know me know that they wouldn’t want to mess with me when it comes to that. But that is another story though.
Be proud, but don't overdo it
We’ve seen how pride makes people choose basically, stupid decisions. We’ve seen how individuals choose to refuse going the humble route and take a step towards doing irreversible damage to relationships. It makes you wonder why it is so hard for human nature to embrace humility and simply accept that sometimes we all do make mistakes. Sometimes it is better to let one’s actions do the talking rather than make their talking bloat their walking. Should one choose to tell a tall tale of what they are capable of doing or what they had done, they will in the end, be brought crashing back to earth when the inevitable truth is revealed. God gives us situations where we can easily exercise our humbleness, but if you notice, if we refuse them, He will easily bring down a scenario which will not only bring us to our knees in humility, but most of the time in our point of view, would border utter embarrassment.
I have not been exempt to such. Pride has also gotten the better of me on several occasions. But I know that I have tried to learn from them. It isn’t cowardice when you choose to be humble. In reality, you will gain more respect in doing so. It is through this that people will see that you have learned to acknowledge your own limits. And when you begin to acknowledge your limits, you will have an epiphany on where you need to improve. Self improvement begins when you look and see your own imperfections, and recognize them.
Leaders who constantly seem to think highly of themselves, bragging about what they’ve accomplished, bragging about what they are capable of doing, bragging about how important they are; are those who have a myopic sense of leadership. Leadership that is shortsighted and idling on the laurels of their successes. True leaders are those who appreciate the success and the rewards but do not wave them at the faces of their counterparts. True leaders are those who learn how to achieve success and look towards the future to create better opportunities for further achievements. True leaders choose to PAY IT FORWARD and teach others rather than disrespect those who came in second to them. True leaders are those who have the courage to acknowledge their failings and be humble about them.
A road traveled by the few
I understand that it isn’t easy and would be a tough road to tread for those who have constantly tasted the sweet feelings of what it is to be successful. Being humble is probably the best way to give thanks for the successes that one has accumulated. And I am sure that is an avenue for one to receive more blessings than what one has already been given.
When one is humble, it opens more doors which will allow one to edge nearer to reach the cusp of true greatness. And lastly…
…it is better for one to discipline within one’s self the important virtue of humility, difficult as it may be, rather than wait for one’s self to be humbled. Disclaimer: I do not claim to have found the formula for GENUINE and EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP nor do I claim to be a genuine and effective leader though I sincerely seek to be one. This column is my quest towards being a genuine and effective leader and my insights from my JCI experiences that would hopefully lead me there. Let me hear your thoughts too by leaving a comment here.
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