Editor's Note

September 8 is a red-letter day for Manila Rotarians. Today, RCMers will exercise their right to vote and put together the Club’s Board of Directors who will serve in the coming Rotary year 2023-2024. Today, the collective will of the members will be manifested through the election of a group of men who will constitute the policy making body of the Club.

Identifying and choosing leaders, especially electing Board members of the oldest Rotary Club in Asia, is not a simple nor straightforward exercise. Leadership is a complex, multifaceted capability, with myriad nuances and subtleties. While the Rotary Club of Manila has a deep bench of leaders and effective managers, and although the nominees all have the qualifications, as well as the heart and passion to serve the Club, Manila Rotarians are called upon to keenly and judiciously choose the right candidate who will sit in the Board at the right time, and will do all the right things – with integrity, vision, courage, strength and creativity.

Today is the day when the members will go through each nominee and decide who among them will be able to best serve the interest of the Club. Yes, today, RCMers will make the choice who among the nominees will be elected to constitute the Club’s highest governing body.

When an organization chooses a leader, the decision-maker or voter normally looks for qualities which he thinks will be good for the organization. But why is it that voters are usually bad in choosing good leaders? Is it because they are looking for the wrong things in a leader? Is it because the right things are difficult to judge? Or is it because a voter is attracted to a candidate whose attributes do not necessarily make a good leader in the long term?

It is not surprising for voters to be drawn to the magnetism and charisma of a candidate. However, these qualities are not enough. Every organization needs a leader who has a healthy dose of integrity, fundamental ability to tune in to others, self-awareness, and the ability to make good judgment especially in difficult situations. Indeed, one must choose a leader who has the ability to control the connection between what he feels and the way he acts, one who can zero in on what is important, and one who can courageously resolve conflicts, provide vision and direction, and possess the passion to inspire and attract followers.

Thankfully, in every election for Club directors and officers, Manila Rotarians have chosen the right leaders who do the right things, and who do things right. The Rotary Club of Manila will not be where it is today had it not been for its high-quality, top-performing, and carefully chosen leaders over the years. Looking at the current list of nominees, each Manila Rotarian will most certainly be assured that he will electing from among a group who will competently steer the Club towards greater heights in the coming Rotary year.