The Leader’s Purpose
RUBIROSA D. PARUNGO
Leadership based on Buddhist teaching which states that faith should be combined with wisdom in order to be an effective leader. This belief, in my opinion is true because in decision-making, it should not only the intellectual aspect of a leader that works but also the spiritual aspect. In this case, balance will be achieved. The wise leader examines the cause and effect of an objective or event, whether it is correct, appropriate, true or false. If faith stands alone in leadership, decisions made are prone to errors and deception and is easily influenced by emotions. In addition, without wisdom leaders will tend to easily believe what other people will tell them no matter whether they say is right or wrong. Thus, faith and wisdom work together to reach the goal of any organization.
Another essential element of good leadership based on Buddhist tradition is having the ability to clarify the organization’s purpose. For me, this element in many times is being forgotten by many leaders. If a leader does not have a clear picture of what the organization is going to achieve, its people will be disappointed and become unmotivated and their chance for happiness will be lost. Likewise, the organization’s progress is at stake.
Another idea is leadership with a trained mind. It states that a leader must develop the capability to cope with the inevitable ups and down and maintain a calm, collected and concentrated mind under all circumstances, however bad the situation is. Things are always easier said than done but I believe that with proper attitude and perseverance, a leader together with his people will achieve success with the feeling of fulfillment and happiness. In addition, having a trained mind means knowing how to act and react to any situation either positive or negative. In good times, a leader must not become relaxed and complacent with what is already achieved while in bad times, a leader should not be discouraged by the circumstances rather be inspired to work better. — oOo—
The author is SST- II at Sta. Cruz High Integrated School