If there is one thing that the recent hostage-taking fiasco has brought to everyone’s attention, it is the need for this country to have credible leadership. It’s great to have charisma, it is important to be honest, it is noteworthy to try hard even if one is not a genius or a superhero. But one thing is crucial – it is necessary to have a visible and credible leader who commands the respect of his people and of the world.

Unfortunately, the recent hostage-taking fiasco which left eight foreign tourists dead, reportedly from the hostage-taker’s weapons alone, has put our country in the most embarrassing position, and neither has our President emerged in the best light as a credible leader. Where he could have shown initiative and picked up the phone himself to assure the Hong Kong authorities that he was in control, and not waited to be called, gave the impression of total irresponsibility.

If that mistake was due to wrong advice from any of his hydra-headed communications group, then it may be necessary to lop off these heads.

If diplomatic protocol was such an issue with respect to telephone calls, was diplomatic protocol observed by announcing a unilateral decision to send a high-level delegation to Hong Kong – for what purpose, to say sorry? And wasn’t it embarrassing to be snubbed? Actions like this are not done unilaterally, there has to be back-room dialogue through foreign department ministries to arrange a visit among top officials.

Further, the President could have showed some compassion by seeing off the dead tourists himself, never mind that this was not his job. As one could see, on arrival in Hongkong the bodies were met at the airport by no less than their highest executives. And that reported smirk! A defender said over the radio, “talaga kasing smiling face ang pangulo.” Ecclesiastes reminds us that there is “a time to weep, and a time to laugh, a time to mourn...”

The exhortation to “move on” is well taken, if real measures to ensure that a repeat does not happen.

But the Filipino tendency to forget the past is why we keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again. We tend to joke and make light of things, and so even matters that must be taken seriously are often disregarded or ignored. It is much easier to laugh things away.

The tendency to blame others and especially the past will not make this country’s problems go away. Of course, the police force claims lack of funding for the necessary equipment, training and materiel. Of course, media is excoriated for its zeal to bring the news out in “real time”— but when lives are at risk, shouldn’t some measure of prudence have been exercised?

And if such self-disciplinary care is not exercised, was there no responsible leader to raise a “desist” order? After the Olympics experience when media inadvertently (maybe) exposed the positions of the government special forces trying to rescue the Israeli athletes, Germany has reportedly kept media away or at least a good distance away when such terrorist activities are taking place.

Leadership must be perceived. It is not a quality that automatically comes to a person in high office. But people know and can see that quality in a person, however highly or humbly placed he may be. Can leadership be learned?

There have been a number of management tomes and gurus who have enumerated the qualities of a leader: Vision, integrity, maturity, initiative, organizational skills, ability to listen to others including acceptance of criticism, transformational capacity, and tolerance are just a few of what have been extensively written about.

Not among the usual management references on leadership is a book I found, entitled “The Leadership Wisdom of Jesus,” by Charles C. Manz (1998). (It may be mentioned that in 1995 an earlier book, “Jesus CEO: Using Ancient Wisdom for Visionary Leadership” by Laurie Beth Jones came out). While Jones focused on vision, Manz concentrated on empowering leaders, as suggested by the teachings of Jesus. He introduces his book as “a call to wise and compassionate leadership.” I will not try to summarize the book, but pick out one or two kernels of wisdom that I found very enlightening, and applicable to one who would lead our people.

Manz advised that the first step to becoming a leader is to look in the mirror. And to take the advice, “First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbour’s eye,” which he said suggests that we are ignoring our own log by presuming that we should direct and control others when we haven’t even bothered to explore our own humanness and shortcomings. It is a leadership that is exercised out of a sense of caring and commitment to the well-being of those being led. To become an effective leader for others, the author says, first learn to lead yourself.

He further advises that “effective leadership requires compassion. When flawed human beings begin to lead other flawed human beings, compassion is the only dependable leadership ingredient that flows from real wisdom.” Wise leaders, moreover, Manz says, recognize that we all live in glass houses, and substitute compassion for stones.

He suggests that real leadership comes from within, and wise leaders lead others to lead themselves.

A mark of a leader, he moreover says, is the ability to forgive, and then see the opportunities for learning in the mistakes of followers.

Wise leaders foster followers’ commitment and teamwork.

Finally, Manz says that wise leadership involves planting good seeds in good places at the right times, and then letting great things grow.

Mistakes have indeed been made, and past errors need to be corrected. True, it is necessary to move on, but in doing so, we need a leader who should have all of those qualities mentioned by the gurus of management and leadership, but most importantly, one who shows himself to be in command, to be visible, and taking from the lessons of Manz, one who is compassionate. We hope that from the ashes of the holocaust of the hostage crisis, a true and credible leader may soon be born.

merci.suleik@gmail.com