In the cover story of Time magazine’s July 21 issue, Nelson Mandela shared the lessons that he gained in his 90 years of extraordinary life.
An article by Richard Stengel, Time’s managing editor, who had collaborated with Mandela on the latter’s book, “Long Walk to Freedom,” listed the great man’s eight lessons of leadership.
What struck me was a paragraph in the sixth lesson about “the historical correlation between leadership and physicality.”
That probably explains Gloria Arroyo’s perverse brand of leadership.
Stengel shares Mandela’s rules in life “calibrated to cause the best kind of trouble: the trouble that forces us to ask how we can make the world a better place.”
Number One: Courage is not the absence of fear – it’s inspiring others to move beyond it.
Number Two: Lead from the front but don’t leave your base behind.
Number Three: Lead from the back and let the others believe they are in front.
Number Four: Know your enemy and learn about his favorite sport.
Number Five: Keep your friends close and your rivals even closer.
Number Six: Appearances matter; remember to smile.
Number Seven: Nothing is black and white.
Number Eight: Quitting is leading too.
On lesson number one, Stengel related the time the engine of a small propeller plane Mandela was riding failed. His co-passengers began to panic but Mandela, who was then campaigning for South African presidency remained calm. When they touched down, he confessed that he was terrified.
Stengel said that Mandela told him that he experienced fear during his underground days. It would have been irrational not to be, Mandela said. But as a leader, Mandela believes that he has to put up a front to inspire others.
On lesson number two, Stengel said Mandela’s party, the African National Congress had been against negotiating with the government. When Mandela launched a campaign to persuade his party mates to negotiate with the government, many thought he was selling out. Stengel said Mandela went to each of his comrades in prison and explained what he was doing. Slowly and deliberately, he brought them along. “You take your support base along with you,” said an ANC official.
Stengel said for Mandela, refusing to negotiate was about tactics, not principle. Throughout his life, he has always made that distinction.
On lesson number six, Stengel said “size and strength have more to do with DNA than with leadership manuals,” but Mandela understood how his appearance could advance his cause. As a leader of the ANC’s underground military wing, he insisted that he be photographed in the proper fatigues and with a beard, and throughout his career he has been concerned about dressing appropriately for his position.
On lesson number seven, Stengel said he would ask Mandela questions like, when you decided to suspend the armed struggle, was it because you realized you did not have the strength to overthrow the government or because you knew you could win over international opinion by choosing nonviolence?
Mandela replied, “Why not both?”
Stengel said Mandela’s message was clear: Life is not either/or.
“Decisions are complex, and there are always competing factors. To look for simple explanations is the bias of the human brain but it doesn’t correspond to reality. Nothing is ever as straightforward as it appears.”
On lesson number eight, Stengel said, “In the history of Africa, there have been only a handful of democratically elected leaders who willingly stood down from office. Mandela was determined to set a precedent for all who followed him – not only in South Africa but across the rest of the continent….He knows that leaders lead as much by what they choose not to do as what they do.”
Someone should send the Time Magazine article to Arroyo and highlight that paragraph.
Gloria’s only lesson is: Keep the bishops and Asspweron close to your heart and keep the national treasury closer to your pockets.
Off topic:
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita should be fired for clearing the Cagayan Economic Zone (CEZ) of used-car smuggling, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said Thursday.
Pimentel said the used-car business in the CEZ, a pet project of Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, was in violation of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s Executive Order No. 156 that bans the importation of used vehicles for resale in the country.
“Ermita doesn’t seem to know the scope and intent of EO 156. Perhaps if his boss knows what is happening—a mere subordinate openly disputing her EO—she should revoke Ermita’s post,” Pimentel said.
Mrs.Gloria Pidal simply does not have the “FIVE MUST HAVE ” qualifications (trust, integrity, compassion, courage, compassion) of a leader!
she is just a plain opportunist!
Evilbitch, I edited your July 31 11:22 pm comment under “Naloko kayo, no?”
Please take note. This blog is dedicated towards strengthening of democracy.
I won’t allow anybody to use this blog to promote anything illegal and to sow violence.
What’s Gloria Legacy to the Country?
* VAT
* Her grandchildren will google “gloria arroyo” 20 years from now and find these answers…zte,hello garci,cha cha,Pidals…
* A Strong Republic
* Another Marcos
* yawn……
* Time will tell.
YAWN, TE. But the bitch’s ‘greatest’ achievement for the family is: “Her grandchildren will google “gloria arroyo” 20 years from now and find these answers…zte,hello garci,cha cha,Pidals…”. Poor grandkids, they wouldn’t know what hit them.
Ellen, I think “edited” is different from “deleted”. My comments about “revolution” were entirely deleted.
The biggest mistake Gloria ever made was…
* Marrying Mike
* ZTE
* Reversing her decision not to run in 2004
* Hello Garci
* VAT
* She has never made a mistake!
My understanding of the word “edit” is to correct while “delete” is to remove. My entire comment was deleted not edited. I’m just saying my peace…
EQ,
Marrying Mike, a big mistake? I don’t think so. Truth is pareho lang silang mga salbahe. Kawawa ang Pilipinas sa mag-asawang iyan. Parehong hindi masuweto ng mga magulang I am told! Kasi iyong pinsan noong lalaki, kahit kapareho nilang palamura ng PIN, may konting finesse pa rin.
What I heard of the garutay when she was a kid was more than enough for me to conclude that she deserves what she gets. Kawawa ang mga kapatid niyang sa ama dahil na rin doon sa ina, I guess. Kaya inilayo iyan para siguro maiwasan na rin ang gulo ng pamilya. Pampalubag loob naman doon sa tiyo noong mga kapatid sa ama, binigyan ng position as ambassador nang maging presidente si Dadong.
Kawawang Pilipinas! Wala na ba talagang matino kundi iyong mga ikinulong?
Off topic:
MANILA, Philippines—A Filipino-American businesswoman who initiated an investigation into the alleged US assets of Senator Panfilo Lacson is now singing a different tune and has accused Malacañang of concocting the charges against Lacson.
Blanquita Pelaez claimed that it was Major General Delfin Bangit, the former chief of the Presidential Security Group (PSG), who had ordered her to make up the charges against Lacson involving the latter’s US-based assets.
Point is bakit nagbayad si Lacson? Para patahimikin iyong swindler sa mga assets niya sa Tate?
Lacson did not pay the swindler. It was Malacanang. The swindler said most of the payment she received from Malacanang went to her SF lawyer, a certain Atty. Rodel Rodis.
No, BD, I was in the US when the court decided and ordered that Lacson to pay Pelaez, and Rodis was paid his fees for defending Pelaez. The case was actually filed at a court in Alameda County where my folks live. Kaya nga nawala ako ng gana kay Lacson because of that. I was hoping he would fight his case to the finish if Pelaez was actually swindling him and not vice versa, and if he was really right and not guilty.
You can google the news on that decision as a matter of fact.
Is that so? Thanks. You got the first hand info. When Lacson was still the PNP Chief, he refused to pay Pelaez those handcuffs PNP ordered. That started their fight. But why is Pelaez now retracting and accusing Malacanang? She even apologized to Lacson. These days, everything we hear and read is no longer reliable.
Mandela is not just a leader. He’s a hero.
And it’s really all about leadership for if you have one leader who’s got no followers, that leader is just taking one very leisurely walk. Make no mistake, those people who were clapping like mad cow disease are no followers but were just there up there to suck up what they could and get some merry Christmas if not some great wonderful political appointments.
A leader should be able to communicate. That was never shown on SONA. There were a dozen cabinets and not one department has their summary of whatever is in the state they were in. Dang! We don’t even know if they exist! What are these cabinets? I guess everyone knows.
A leader should have character. Knowing what’s right from what is wrong.
A leader should have the conviction or the passion to get things done. Go back to the previous SONA, even the latest (2007) super regions super disappeared!
A leader should be competent.
Ahhhh.. let’s move on!
A leader should have common sense.
Nuff said! let’s move on.
A leader should have the charisma and damn, I’m not talking about some flashy terno made of whatever local shit out there – rather it’s the ability to inspire, otherwise how do you trust somebody when you’re not even inspired?
I know, my comment is now one blog entry and i’m sorry, but I could hardly find someone up there who could really articulate a plan to lift us pinoys from all the mud that we’re in.
Kung me pera lang akong pambili nang boto kakandidato ako’t rarampa sa Batasan at dun ako mag-sa-santacruzan! Grrr! Sinong gusto maging sagala?!
A friend sent this to me, I thought a very interesting article about whore Gloira, and I would like to share it with everyone, if Ms Ellen doesn’t mind.
La Gloria’s U.S. Junket
By Perry Diaz
Six months ago, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo went on a three-country European junket with an entourage of 192 which included the entire First Family (nine persons), 34 congressmen and their spouses, and 50 business cronies. By the end of 2007, Arroyo had traveled to 18 countries — one every 20 days! — and spent P588.5 million. In 2006, she traveled to 13 countries and spent P398 million. In 2005, she traveled to four countries and spent P154 million. This year, the cost of her travels continue to rack up millions of taxpayers’ money.
Her forthcoming “working” visit to the United States on June 23 to 29 once again manifests her high-flying addiction to junketing. Arroyo will meet with President George W. Bush at the Oval Office to thank him for “all the help he gave to the Philippines during the eight years of his term.” The two leaders are also going to discuss ways of “strengthening” U.S.-Philippines relations. It seems to me that that is always the reason for a Philippine President to visit the White House. I wonder if Arroyo realized that Bush is now a lame duck President and will be out of office next January. Shouldn’t she wait until John McCain or Barack Obama becomes President? Of course, that would be another opportunity for her to come back next year.
While in the U.S. , Arroyo is also going to attend a dinner organized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the ASEAN-U.S. Business Council. It will cost Arroyo $8,000 for a table for ten. As to how many of her retinue of politicians, government officials, and their spouses would attend, I wouldn’t be surprised if all of them would want to go to the dinner. Of course, Gloria will pick up the tab which will eventually be paid for by poor Juan de la Cruz.
Arroyo’s junkets and her other expenses have cost Juan de la Cruz a lot of money. A recent report by the Commission on Audit (COA) showed that in 2007 Arroyo’s foreign and domestic travels totaled P622.6 million. That’s 239% more than the all the salaries of the employees in the Office of the President which would include all executive offices, agencies, commissions, and committees under her.
In addition, the COA report showed that P618.6 million were disbursed as “donations” to unknown beneficiaries. And add to that another P531.9 million for all types of expenses such as confidential expenses, consultancy expenses, extraordinary expenses, representation expenses and allowances, other personal benefits, year-end bonuses, “cash gifts,” and honoraria. The sum is a whopping P1.8 billion. That’s a lot of moolah — enough to build 36,000 Gawad Kalinga homes.
During the 110th Independence Day last June 12, Arroyo cut the cost of the Independence Day program at the Rizal Park to show the people that she’s willing to conserve money at a time of rising food prices. However, on the night of June 12, Arroyo hosted a glitzy reception at the Malacanang Palace for the diplomatic corps and the country’s elite.
What is appalling was the ostentatious display of pomp at the Malacanang reception, especially the revival of the elitist dance, the “rigodon de honor.” Arroyo handpicked the 20 couples — the country’s rich and famous or, I might say, the cream of Gloria’s “Enchanted Kingdom” — who participated in the rigodon.
It is interesting to note that the last time the rigodon was performed in Malacanang was on June 30, 1981 during the third inauguration of President Ferdinand Marcos. When Cory Aquino ascended to the presidency after Marcos was overthrown in 1987, she prohibited the rigodon from being performed in all official functions, an oblique rejection of a dance considered to be fitting only for the high and mighty ruling elite. After 27 years of not performing this unnecessary display of power and affluence, Gloria revived the rigodon at a time when the people are in dire need and impoverished.
After all the speeches at the June 12th reception had ended, the media people were unceremoniously told to leave. Thus, nobody from the media witnessed the “rigodon de honor” except one — outgoing Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye. Bunye disclosed and described the rigodon in detail — including the names of the participants — in his weekly newspaper column. Arroyo should have told him to leave the reception too.
Arroyo’s junkets and high-maintenance lifestyle make a lot of people wonder if she realized that the country is in a state of chaos and decay. Recent polls show that seven out of 10 Filipinos cannot afford to buy food nor pay their electric bills. With the price of rice going up as high as P50 per kilo today, how can a family of five survive on a daily wage of P70? Yet, we have the country’s leader squandering money left and right that could otherwise be used to provide shelter and food for the powerless poor. Is she likened to a modern-day equivalent of Nero who fiddled while Rome was burning?
Bitchevil, i don’t want to waste any more time and space on this subject. Your comment was edited, not deleted. I did not delete. It’s there.
Here it is under “Naloko kayo, no”
bitchevil Says:
July 31st, 2008 at 11:22 pm (Edit this comment)
Most were against the postponement or delay of the ARMM election. Yet, the Evil Bitch and her cohorts once again managed to get what they wanted. Before it’s too late, we need a patriot to end the Evil Bitch reign. This patriot could come from her own people.
Now, any more entry on this, I will delete.
“I know Francis de Borja but I have not authorized him or anybody to make representations for any matter that involves cases of Meralco and the Lopez family,” Lopez said. “We have retainers and lawyers to handle the legal matters. Further, Francis is not a lawyer nor is he connected with Meralco.”
ONLY LAWYERS KNOW HOW TO BRIBE?
Gloria Dorobo cannot be like Mandela, who is in fact not just a hero/rebel but a man of royal blood. Si Garutay trying hard to be a somebody pero lumalabas ang tunay na pinanggalingan—lahing dugong aso.
Sabi nga, hindi puedeng magbunga ng santol ang manga? I doubt na maganda din ang pinanggalingan noong baboy. Kundi pihado namang iba ang dating kundi sila lahi ng mga mandarambong! 😛
The government should stop hiring kins of people in either judiciary or legislative departments , other independent agencies and newspaper people. This way no one can be suspected of influencing critical decisions. There are 80 plus millions Filipinos and we’re not short of talents.
it should NOT be Nelson Mandela alone that deserves respect and accolades. it is simply not possible for him, alone, to pull it off.
the same salute should be extended to the vast majority of of black South Africans who knows HOW to take care of its patriots and heroes.
if Mr. Mandela were a Filipino, my educated guess is that he would still be in prison, if not murdered earlier, reviled and spurned by the educated, golfing, wine-sipping middle-class Pinoy lot.
the African National Congress (ANC), and their leaders, notably Nelson Mandela, were branded by the US of A., and several European governments for several decades, as either terrorists, communists, atheists, scums, and what have yous.
his people, and even those outside his tribe, the black African expatriates, resoundingly rejected these labels, and push on through their collective liberation until victorious.
can we expect the same of Pinoys?
(what’s that again, Mr. Mandela adores Muammar Khadaffy, and Fidel Castro?)
with imports flooding the market; from bigas, bawang, sibuyas, and even monggo, textiles and garments, etc., local industries meant to fed and clothe the people are mostly dying, if not long-dead altogether.
with no immediate, not even long term, relief in sight the government has become, for decades now, the single biggest employer-entity in the country employing more than a mil to staff a bloated bureaucracy.
the government actively in the hiring mode is not harmful per se. what revolts me to no end, is the culture of impunity among the administrators to hire people whose main role is to maim; literally, dissenters into oblivion.
and figuratively, beat to pulp democratic structures that serves as breakwater to floods of abuses, and grand-scale and massive thievery.
so we read the COA report that in the previous year’s time ALONE, the Palace occupants spent over 500 mil pesos in gallivanting abroad;
an (supposedly) independent constitutional body limiting itself to merely reporting, not filing a criminal case;
an incredibly inutile oversight committees of both Congress and the Senate, allowing this to pass without a serious look;
can’t Pinoys take cue from the South Africans?
with imports flooding the market; from bigas, bawang, sibuyas, and even monggo, textiles and garments, etc., local industries meant to fed and clothe the people are mostly dying, if not long-dead altogether.
with no immediate, not even long term, relief in sight the government has become, for decades now, the single biggest employer-entity in the country employing more than a mil to staff a bloated bureaucracy.
the government actively in the hiring mode is not harmful per se. what revolts me to no end, is the culture of impunity among the administrators to hire people whose main role is to maim; literally, dissenters into oblivion.
and figuratively, beat to pulp democratic structures that serves as breakwater to floods of abuses, and grand-scale and massive thievery.
so we read the COA report that in the previous year’s time ALONE, the Palace occupants spent over 500 mil pesos in gallivanting abroad;
an (supposedly) independent constitutional body limiting itself to merely reporting, not filing a criminal case;
an incredibly inutile oversight committees of both Congress and the Senate, allowing this to pass without a serious look;
can’t Pinoys take a cue from the South Africans?
Ellen,
my apologies for the repeated double posts.
let’s look at you dinning table, glass on your table, chairs and tables light bulbs are imported, rice, sugar ,salt, cooking oil vegetables like carrots, bawang , garlic etc are imported Gasul and the stove is imported. The only thing not imported is YOU !
The only thing not imported is YOU ! dont forget about salt, its also imported
meron pa naman yata tayong bagoong at patis.
Bakit imported na ang asin? I remember one of the things I used to point out to tourists when I was working as a Japanese-speaking tourist guide ay iyong mga salt beds sa Las Pinas on the way to the church there where the bamboo organ was. Noong maliit pa ako, we used to go swimming to the beaches in Las Pinas—ang daming jellyfish kaya pag-uwi namin puro kami kagat—at dumadaan kami doon sa tindahan ng asin doon fresh from the fields. Nakaka-miss pag wala nang salt beds doon. Kawawang bansa. Puro tao na lang ang exports! Yuck!