By: Ptr. Jake Flores
The concept of Learning Organization is suitable for the current condition of our country. A Learning Organization is one that is continually expanding its capacity to create its future. This is one of the key factors that help make our dreams for our motherland come to pass. It contributes to the realization of a positive change for the benefit of our countrymen. I consider this concept this as an “Eye Opener” to every organization. It is essential to every individual who has extreme passion to change this nation for the better. Each person needs to be responsible for his or her action, since everyone is part of the whole.
We have roles to perform in supporting the development of our country or organization. Each of us has the freedom to speak, listen, write, read, think, and reason out and we can do all these depending on our skills and mastery. At the same time, we have to give others a chance to speak while we are in the position to listen. Many of us lack the patience to listen but very quick to speak. Many of our leaders are like this. They are afflicted with what is called Learning Disability.
One of the Learning Disabilities is the fixation on events. We tend to fix our attention on short term events while we fail to see the longer-term patterns of change behind these events. We fail to understand the causes of the patterns that create the events. A person who does not see the entire pattern is not capable of seeing the more fundamental change that is needed. Such a person sees everything as being contained within a limited visibility. He or she can’t see the relevance of other ideas that are not included within this immediate pattern.
To overcome Learning Disability, we need to identify our strengths and weaknesses. We have to accept who we are in the sight of others and learn to adopt new ideas from others that will give us a better solution for our problems. We need to learn how to accept our failures. As Peter Senge reminds us, “You can never say, ‘We are a learning organization,’ any more than you can say, ‘I am an enlightened person.’ The more you learn, the more acutely aware you become of your ignorance”
There are those among us who could be classified as ”Natural Leaders”. The natural leader will use primarily his charisma or his intuitive and inborn aptitudes, skills and personal characteristics in leading people. But this kind of leader has no organized knowledge and skills for managing an organization. They don’t want to innovate and experiment. As a result, the development of their organization is stunted.
Allen says “The leader who does not change will be outmoded and become incapable of effective leadership as surely as the brontosaurus that failed to adapt became extinct.” This statement is undeniably true. One can ignore it only to his own harm. The remedy is to evolve from being a Natural Leader to a Managerial Leader. A Managerial Leader is one who have disciplined himself and learned to temper his intuitive tendencies with the professional skills of management. The Managerial Leader sets a goal that he seeks to achieve. Whatever procedure he uses, he sees to it that he arrives at the desired results.
Every organization needs to become a results-oriented organization. We have to overcome shortsightedness to achieve this. We need to overcome the fear of change. If you want your organization to be a Learning Organization everyone in the organization need to take risks whatever it takes. Learning is a lifetime journey. This kind of organization has a visionary leader, they see beyond what others see.
Experience the ‘Kairos” stage of faith to overcome these disabilities in your life. Life is so beautiful. Your life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% of how you make things happen. If you want to grow, get out of the prison walls which the system of your own thinking has created. Accept change and and learn to adapt to your environment while holding steadfast to the eternal principles you have set for your life.
A blessed greetings to NYSL (National Youth for Servant Leadership) for the successful launching of its Official Handbook. From a small seed, you have grown into a large tree where various kinds of birds roost, symbolizing the different talents and skills of its members who collectively advance the organization’s goals.
