So I just got back from a party, and was in the mood to update. It is currently 3:15am.
I've been wanting to talk about the upcoming elections for some time now, and I figured that now would be the perfect time to do so -- since my school organization, The UP Junior Marketing Association (2009 Agora awardee, by the way), just held elections for next year's Executive Committee. The elected officers were announced earlier tonight, at the event I came from.
To be completely honest, it was surprising that I found myself agonizing over choosing who to vote for throughout this week. I had never been particularly fond of politics and have, in the past, tried as much as possible to stay away from it, so the fact that I was putting this much thought into the elections was rather uncharacteristic of me (which, perhaps, is a good thing, in this case). It might have been that it really was just difficult to choose between equally qualified candidates, but I would like to believe that part of what made this process challenging for me was that I felt that my vote could and would directly affect me -- that my single vote had the power to alter the future in ways more tangible and accessible within the context of the org, rather than when compared to something like the University Student Council.
Safe to say, a lot of thought went into making the decisions on who to vote for. It was a rather deep process, if I say so myself -- imperative was answering a single question: What is a leader?
The answer(s) to this question, I believe, vary from person to person, but my stand on it, first and foremost, is that leadership positions have to be both earned and deserved. The people aspiring for those positions need to have the credentials to back them up -- their experiences and the accomplishments must speak for themselves (and they will speak volumes). Second, is that a leader cannot be output-based. The ends never justify the means. As a leader, you need to be people-oriented, leading the people who elected you through a process of learning and growth to reach a goal. As it is said, the journey is more important than the destination. And finally, a leader needs to have a holistic, comprehensive, practical vision. He must know the organization he will lead by heart -- it's strengths and weakness, in order to facilitate a better and brighter future, with ambitious yet realistic action.
And at the end of it all, I am proud of myself for voting for who I did. I did what I thought was best for the organization. And although some of them did not win, I believe that, ultimately, the success of any social organism depends heavily on the people. I enter the next year with an open mind and complete faith that school year 2010 - 2011 will be a great year for JMA. Good night.
With regards to the national elections, however, if it's anything like electing an ExeComm for an organization, then I have a lot of thinking to do. For now though, enjoy this flowchart meant to acquaint people with the new automated election process. And I hope what I have said here helps you in your own decision process.
I've been wanting to talk about the upcoming elections for some time now, and I figured that now would be the perfect time to do so -- since my school organization, The UP Junior Marketing Association (2009 Agora awardee, by the way), just held elections for next year's Executive Committee. The elected officers were announced earlier tonight, at the event I came from.
To be completely honest, it was surprising that I found myself agonizing over choosing who to vote for throughout this week. I had never been particularly fond of politics and have, in the past, tried as much as possible to stay away from it, so the fact that I was putting this much thought into the elections was rather uncharacteristic of me (which, perhaps, is a good thing, in this case). It might have been that it really was just difficult to choose between equally qualified candidates, but I would like to believe that part of what made this process challenging for me was that I felt that my vote could and would directly affect me -- that my single vote had the power to alter the future in ways more tangible and accessible within the context of the org, rather than when compared to something like the University Student Council.
Safe to say, a lot of thought went into making the decisions on who to vote for. It was a rather deep process, if I say so myself -- imperative was answering a single question: What is a leader?
The answer(s) to this question, I believe, vary from person to person, but my stand on it, first and foremost, is that leadership positions have to be both earned and deserved. The people aspiring for those positions need to have the credentials to back them up -- their experiences and the accomplishments must speak for themselves (and they will speak volumes). Second, is that a leader cannot be output-based. The ends never justify the means. As a leader, you need to be people-oriented, leading the people who elected you through a process of learning and growth to reach a goal. As it is said, the journey is more important than the destination. And finally, a leader needs to have a holistic, comprehensive, practical vision. He must know the organization he will lead by heart -- it's strengths and weakness, in order to facilitate a better and brighter future, with ambitious yet realistic action.
And at the end of it all, I am proud of myself for voting for who I did. I did what I thought was best for the organization. And although some of them did not win, I believe that, ultimately, the success of any social organism depends heavily on the people. I enter the next year with an open mind and complete faith that school year 2010 - 2011 will be a great year for JMA. Good night.
With regards to the national elections, however, if it's anything like electing an ExeComm for an organization, then I have a lot of thinking to do. For now though, enjoy this flowchart meant to acquaint people with the new automated election process. And I hope what I have said here helps you in your own decision process.
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