In search of a successful president

By Several elections ago, the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) and the People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP) jointly embarked on a research project on the roles of a successful president.

The purpose of the study was to determine the roles of a successful Filipino President, define each role and its rationale, and establish the behaviors and competencies associated with each role.

We are writing about this subject today with the hope that the President will find the time to read it and hopefully gain some insight as he ponders on his decision on who to endorse as his successor when his term ends on June 30, 2016.

To those aspiring to be President, this paper can be a helpful guide in making the decision whether or not to continue pursuing the Presidency. To the voter, we hope that this can be a useful tool for making the enlightened choice on who to vote for in May 2016 elections.

The research team was trained in the Competency Analysis Methodology by MAP member Victor Magdaraog, head of the Philippine operations of Development Dimensions International, Inc. (DDI), a global consultancy firm.

After comparing the leadership models espoused by several authors (DDI, Covey, Belbin, Mintzberg and Gallup), it was decided to adopt the DDI model.

Out of the nine roles in the DDI model, the team, after deliberations and using primary and secondary data, agreed to focus on five.

The research included interviewing two former Presidents, the Chief Justice, the Senate President, former cabinet secretaries, a labor federation president, a publisher, journalists, political analysts, university presidents and Moslem leaders.

In short, the interviews covered people who had been Presidents, people who had front-seat views of the Presidency, professionals who made it their career or business to monitor the presidency and other men and women who agreed to be interviewed and cared enough about the need for such a study to help their fellow Filipinos vote wisely for their President.

The interviews included “day in the life” questions, critical incidents questions, competency-specific questions, job challenges questions and vision of the future questions. The results of the research were then vetted in various fora in the country that included universities, civic groups and business and professional associations.

The five “must” roles of a successful Philippine President were identified by the study as follows: (1) Navigator-Strategist, (2) Mobilizer, (3) Servant-Leader, (4) Captivator, and (5) Guardian of the National Wealth, Patrimony and Peace and Order. We will discuss each and every role in the following paragraphs.

Role No. 1: Navigator-Strategist

The successful President steers the ship of state to the destination of a just and humane Philippine society. He/she has a firm understanding of the complex issues hounding Philippine society. He/she makes his/her decisions after in-depth analysis and has a clear vision of where the country should be going and why. The behaviors associated with this role are (He/she): Addresses the root cause of poverty and other social problems; Works through complexity of key national and global issues; Identifies opportunities and solves problems; Discerns and prioritizes among conflicting interests with the common good in mind; Effectively addresses crisis situations. The competencies needed to fulfill this role are: analytical skills, judgment, decisiveness and visionary leadership.

Role No. 2: Mobilizer

The successful President leads the Executive Department. He/she proactively builds alliances with concerned sectors to achieve complex objectives and builds consensus. He/she gets support of various interest groups and power brokers to implement key initiatives; works with both houses of Congress to get bills passed; attracts the best people to the cabinet and the bureaucracy, and appoints the most competent people to the judiciary.

Behaviors associated with this role are (He/she): Attracts, empowers and retains people with the right skills and motivations for government service; Ensures that agencies attain objectives; Anticipates and diffuses roadblocks to change initiatives; Uses appropriate persuasion techniques to gain support from interest groups and decision makers; Delivers results. The competencies associated with this role are: leadership skills, influencing skills, selecting talent, judgment, results orientation, drives performance.

Role No. 3: Servant Leader

The successful President serves the people with a genuinely caring heart and provides a good example for all to emulate or follow. There is a sincere desire to serve the interests of the people (instead of enriching self, relatives and family); has a hard work ethic, exacting work pace and very good work habits; learns continuously to decipher and acts effectively on the issues of the day.

Behaviors associated with this role are (He/she): Sacrifices personal, family or other vested interests for the common good; Displays humility and reaches out to all sectors; Practices good work ethic and learns continuously. The competencies associated with this role are: integrity, humility, continuous learner, tolerance for ambiguity and decisiveness.

Role No. 4: Captivator

The successful President inspires unity, trust and optimism among the people; moves people away from cynicism and builds trust in the presidency and government. He/she is able to inspire trust and hope in spite of the fractious nature of Philippine society and to win hearts and minds of an increasingly cynical citizenry.

Behaviors associated with this role are (He/she): Understands the ideals and aspirations of the ordinary Filipino; Conveys a simple but compelling picture of the country’s vision and goals; Effectively partners with media to inform and build support for programs and advocacies; Shows consistency in speech and action. The competencies associated with this role are: personal charisma, visionary leadership, influencing skills and communication skills.

Role No. 5: Guardian of the National Wealth, Patrimony and Law and

Order

The successful President ensures that the national wealth and resources are used properly, demonstrates strong political will, champions the fight against graft and corruption, maintains a level playing field, promotes competence and professionalism, and upholds the rule of law. The President must be the role model as well as the decisive leader in the fight against graft and corruption. A level playing field must be created to stimulate growth and investments. The President must also exert decisive efforts to stamp out lawlessness and provide peace and security to the general citizenry.

Behaviors associated with this role are (He/she): Advocates and practices meritocracy ; Champions reforms and stamps out graft and corruption in the bureaucracy; Champions necessary political reforms; Refuses to trade long-term for short-term gain; Displays courage in making unpopular but necessary decisions; Committed to the democratic process; Upholds the rule of law and order; Ensures the physical security of Filipinos everywhere, all the time. Competencies associated with this role are: integrity, analysis and judgment, initiative and innovation, communication, decisiveness, leadership.

(The author is the chair of the MAP National Issues Committee, and the board adviser and trustee of the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD). Feedback at [email protected] and [email protected]. For previous articles, please visit map.org.ph.)