My First Day As An MT

 
I’m classmates with my friend Lai :-) 

The whole ride home, I can’t stop thinking how I want to blog about my first day as an MT (Management Trainee) in GSIS’ Management Development Program (MDP). To my surprise, it just blew me away! I enjoyed myself and I learned  some things which weren’t new to me anymore, like the concept of leadership and paradigm shift.  It helped that one of the program’s consultants and facilitators is a renowned expert in her field and was one of my few favorite teachers back in Ateneo when I was taking up my undergrad degree in Psychology some 8-12 years ago (yes, I’m THAT old, it’s just not so obvious, haha.) — Dr. Karen de la Cruz, Ph.D. It just brought back memories and feelings of how it was like being a scholar in a very prestigious university with that goal of being able to graduate with flying colors! Oh, how I really pray that I pass this course and eventually become one of GSIS’ future leaders! Sigh.

 
This is a serious undertaking. Thus, my serious look. 

Paradigm came from the greek word PARADEIGMA, meaning, pattern. And the premise of this whole process is that “People will not change because I want them to. BUT, I can change the way I think so I may influence them into changing their negative ways later on.” This quote is so apt in our current situation in the office. Being a huge government finnacial institution, it’s a known fact that there exists a lot of antagonists and ill-minded personnel in the system. I cannot do anything about the way they are or the way they do things. But I can do something about the way I perceive the situation, the way I think about them and the way I will have to do things. Then maybe, in the long run, I will be able to influence them to do what is right and just for the system. Anyway, this is just one of the many things I learned today. There are still some quotes here which I’d like to share namely:

” Discipline is not a principle of business alone. Discipline is a principle of greatness” - Jim Collins

I‘m thinking right now that perhaps, in order for me to attain greatness in the future, one of the traits that I would have to imbibe is that of DISCIPLINE. Like what Stephen Covey wrote in his book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, FIRST THINGS FIRST. On my way home, aside from wanting to blog, I also wanted to play with my guitar, watch dvds, exercise, listen to music, etc. It has always been my personality to multi-task coz I tend to get bored so easily that I always need to do something different every hour or so. That’s my free-spiritedness/impulsiveness dictating how I live my everyday life. But with this very challenging course I’m embarking right now, I NEED TO BE FOCUSED & DISCIPLINED with my studies. And so, if you noticed, with my blogging right here and right now, I am also reviewing the major lessons I learned today. Coz reviewing my notes is the first thing I must do every single night for the next six months. And depending on how light or heavy the subject is, then I can decide if I can still have some time with all the other things I wanna do. Since it was just the first day of training and we’ll just be doing diagnostics and self-assessment administration tomorrow , all the other activities I want to do can follow. Like after blogging, I’ll head downstairs to do my exercise regimen while watching an episode or two of one of the series I still haven’t finished. Then I’ll have dinner with my hubby and spend time with him. Then I’ll play with my guitar and before I go to sleep, I’ll read a few more pages of SUN TZU’s Art of War. (I’m actually finishing 3-4 books these past couple of days. Art of War which I read at night before sleeping, Paolo Coelho’s Like A Flowing River which I read  in the MRT on the way home, Board Bible/Surfing Magazine which I read during my lunch and snack break at work and Kingdom Come, a DC Comic Book about all the DC heroes (like Super Man, Batman, etc.) which I read when I want something light for my mind.

” True leadership only exists if people follow when they have the freedom to choose to not to.” - James MacGregor Burns 

 Hmmm…. I wonder if I can be this kind of leader in the future… We’ll see. I do hope so. On the other hand, how about my boss? We follow her coz we’re afraid of her. What does this tell about her leadership?

“Level 5 Leadership is to make sure that the right decisions happen no matter how painful or difficult, for the long term greatness of the institution and the achievement of its mission independent of popularity.”

This means that leadership is no popularity contest. I remember the movie 300 we saw last Sunday. Leonidas made a huge sacrifice of disobeying their law and sending his few men (300 in all) into battle because he knew it was the right thing to do at that time, even if it came to a point that lives will have to be sacrificed. But if it means freedom for the their country or achieving a greater good in the long run, then it must be done. Can I do the same thing?

 
Taken during the talk given by the Senior VP for Admin. 

They call us the “Magic 40″ out of the almost 900 employees who took the rigorous series of assessments over the last couple of months. However, at the end of this 6-month management training program, only 34 will pass and the bottom 6 won’t be able to graduate. It’s our PGM’s strategy to make sure that all of us will aim for excellence in our studies and be able to stand up in front of him, thinking like a leader, talking like a leader, acting like a leader, looking like a leader. Wow! What a tall order to follow! But I am already committed. I’m here aren’t I?  No more space for doubts (I hope!).  If they can do it, so can I (I’ll really give my best)! It will be very challenging and some sacrifices on my part will have to be made. Whether I graduate or not in the end, it doesn’t matter, as long as I do my best every day and enjoy myself in the process. This is it! Let the drum roll begin…