What is the essence of leadership? Integrity. It’s as simple
as that. I have read so many books on leadership written by both female and
male authors, and their dissertation all boils down to one basic ingredient of
leadership – integrity.
The past
many weeks, we have been bombarded with attacks and counterattacks, offense and
defense, call it whatever you want, on television, print and radio, by either
the opposition or administration camp, and all because of a recorded
conversation between two persons.
I do not
wish to explore the issue. It’s an overkill, to say the least. What I care
about is the integrity of the leader, the first person referred to in the
recording.
Why it took the leader so long to admit that she was the
first person referred to in the recording is beyond me. Perhaps lack of
courage. Perhaps waiting for the opportune time – after all, timing is
everything. Perhaps waiting for the right public relations spin. Whatever maybe the reason, it is moot and
academic now. Everything is in the open. In fact, it’s like a market place now.
It’s a circus. It’s very lamentable.
The leader has apologized to the
country. It must have been an excruciatingly painful moment to admit one’s
mistake after having been silent for a time. After the public apology, the
circus has expanded.
Integrity
cannot be compromised. When one occupies the highest position of the land,
there are certain core values one has to uphold. A close friend of mine who
occupies a position of leadership himself says, “all elections are dirty”; “all
politicians do dirty tricks”; “is there a better substitute?”; “what we can do
now is unite, support and contribute for the welfare of the country”; “the
Filipinos are not politically mature as a people”, etc... I remember saying,
“is that an excuse for us to condone lying and compromising integrity?”
I know that
elections are perceived to be dirty in this country; all the more the lot of
politicians, which is really unfair given the fact that there are many good
women and men in politics, but maybe this is the beginning of maturity. Who
knows? If we must walk on our bended knees to grow as a people, so be it. There
is always a reason for everything. The good book says that. And I do not
believe that we lack for good people to lead this country. That’s totally
unacceptable. It’s a slap on the face of the Filipino.
I always respect righteous indignation. This comes
out when deception is uncovered or a wrong is exposed. Naturally, people get
angry when they are taken for a ride.
Time and
again, we have always been asked to unite, support and contribute for the
welfare of the country. I have heard this appeal since I was a kid. That’s why
most of my professional life is devoted to government service because I want to
contribute to society. But that is no excuse for compromising the truth.
John
Maxwell, an author specializing on Leadership books, puts it bluntly, “it’s
lonely up there”. True, it’s lonely to occupy a position of leadership for you
are viewed from a magnifying lens, and everything you do or not do, will be
interpreted differently by different people. Most of the time, you are alone.
That’s how lonely it can get. But that is part and parcel of the sacrifice if
one aspires a position of leadership. One will not become a leader if he or she
does not aspire it. You have it because you aspired for it. It’s as simple as
that.
That’s why
it is essential to be surrounded by good men and women with impeccable
character to consult with; supported by a group that consistently prays for the
leader to be guided by wisdom and discernment when decisions are made on issues
that affect the country and its people.
It’s not
easy to be a leader. It can break one’s heart. It is a big sacrifice. But no
matter how gargantuan the sacrifice is, there is still no compromise on
integrity.
Note: This article was originally written by the author in 2005 for her newspaper column.
