Learning from the young

When I was invited a couple of weeks ago to sit as one of the judges of the board for this year’s prestigious “Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines”, I was very elated.

When I met my fellow judges – AIM Professor Dr. Soledad, child development specialist Dr. Luis Gatmaitan, top-notch journalist Maria Ressa and Commisision on Audit head and chair of the board Heidi Mendoza – I was all the more honored.

I knew the charge given to me – of evaluating the 30 students vying for a spot in the list – wasn’t going to be easy. The board asked questions. We probed, discussed, compared notes, and evaluated. The day turned out to be a long one which left me tired… and inspired! I actually learned much from the experience.

With 30 students proficient and accomplished in different ways, we judges noticed one thing they have in common: they all share high hopes for the future. They see what the government is going through, but they acknowledge that there are also good things happening in the country. They understand that despite the gaps and loopholes, there’s a sincere effort to clean up corruption and make things better. They believe that things can be better.

I think that’s good. Change and progress will never happen when there’s no hope from the young that change and progress can happen. Contrast this to the Doom and Gloom Club members – the naysayers who have a propensity to look at the glass being half empty rather than half full.

As a leader in my business organization and a father to my kids, I need to be a merchant of hope. I need to steer my people to the endless possibilities of achievement rather than confine their hearts and minds to misery and hopelessness.

Some people are whiners. They love to whine so much, they ought to have cheese while doing it, for the perfect combination: whine and cheese. They never see anything positive, and they love bad news. People like this are everywhere. Many are in the work place. Look closely around you – they are those who look exactly like their driver license photos!

You know what was inspiring about the students? Many of them were forced to study well because of poverty, because they had to. Tears would fall from their eyes as they narrated how they fought the odds to get to the top of the class and the school. One girl had to walk some distance everyday after school to the house where she works as a domestic helper. The meager income she makes from housekeeping is for her allowance and for their household’s expenses.

Necessity is indeed a great motivation.

But necessity shouldn’t be mistaken for desperation. Desperation drives people to compromise morals. People who give in to desperation live the rest of their lives in regret as a result. Desperation makes wise men fools as they seek quick gains just to suffer long-term pains later on. Contentment with godliness is great gain, the Bible says.

But contentment shouldn’t be mistaken for idleness. Idleness is a disease, but working hard, a virtue.

When I recall just how hard those young people have worked to accomplish what they’ve accomplished, I realize something. I realize that doing a lot of work doesn’t always wear one down. Doing a lot of work to accomplish more actually adds enthusiasm to working and achieving more. This is true for me. But idleness wears a person down. When there’s no excellence in work performance, no accomplishment will come in sight. And when there’s no accomplishment, no success will come in sight. You can blame and finger point all you want, and come up with a thousand reasons why life has not treated you fair and how you’ve been a victim of injustice, but when you aren’t really performing to produce results to begin with, the drill will eventually become tiring.

As for every one of those 30 students, I’ve no doubt that they will all succeed in life, so long as they work hard and with integrity. Nations, businesses and lives are similar in this sense, that they need to BUILD UP first, before they can achieve BREAK THROUGH.

Congratulations to all the winners of the “Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines”!

(Spend two whole days developing your leadership skills with Francis Kong this Aug. 22-23 at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel, as he facilitates the well-acclaimed Dr. John C. Maxwell Program “Developing The Leader Within You”. For further inquiries, contact Hannah at 09228980196, or call 632-6872614 for details.)