Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly, and they will show themselves great. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
I remember a teacher I met in College who was the first to decipher to me the fluctuating dimensions of the word TEAM during a team-building type workshop and seminar for our Publication. It is:
T-RUST
E-MPATHY
A-FFECTION and
M-UTUAL SUPPORT
It was second day in a journalism seminar which I and my colleagues attended last month when we encountered a perceptive speaker who writes for five different papers. I did not focus about his discussions about the difference between News and Feature writing. I did not take lectures on the seminar instead I focused abut his personal journalism given scenarios. I remember him saying “…ang mahirap sa pagiging journalist ay yung kailangan mong patunayan sa mga kapwa mo reporter na may ibubuga ka, at the same time kailangan mo ring patunayan yun sa sarili mo…” which I think is certainly true. I am in this publication for over a year now. It’s tough. The real challenge here is this: PROVING THAT YOU ARE SOMEBODY TO YOUR OWN SELF. I am now on my third month of being in the Publication’s Editorial Board. It’s tougher. Another challenge is this: PROVING THAT YOU ARE SOMEBODY TO YOUR SUBORDINATES. I received too many criticisms for the past two weeks, maybe it was about my leadership or my articles but the greatest criticism I ever received was this statement “…grow up.” that line cut me. When I knew that it was sinking on my mind, I already thought of giving up my position in the Paper. To me, it sounded like I never really learned anything for the past 17 years of my life… (so it may sound dramatic). The mere thought of it makes me cry. Strong more questions started popping out my mind. “Am I really an immature leader?”, “Are my efforts not enough so somebody who knows me blurted out that I should grow up?” I was losing my only trust to myself until I look at the whole picture here and it was a bit ironic. Here is where I found more trust. It is when somebody gave you your lesson the hard way because he knew you’ll be stronger despite the criticisms you are able to receive. It is trusting through a very thin labyrinth and I call it “tough learning”. Here is a picture of TRUST.
I was going home when I saw six children on the street playing basketball. It was the same old street going down home. I saw one boy, filthy, his usual shirt smutty from an all day playing-under-the-sun routine with other children. He grappled for the ball and his friends stood by him and waited for his next move. Apparently, the other team posted for the same side of the court focusing on how the ball would go in until he paused for a second or so… he threw the ball to the center of the ring but it just fell before it and then to the ground, after another second, I saw a frown freckled in the boy’s little lips. Two of his friends went to him and whispered something like how old best friends comfort each other after years of their own struggles in a coffee shop when somebody is very low at the moment. I thought of the common bonds I had with the people in our Publication just last year. We didn’t just build a working organization towards a common goal but we build friendship and family. I remember writing a banner article for a special issue when a mistake occurred accidentally upon an interview I made and it reflected on print so our adviser was very furious that morning upon reading a copy of the 1000 pieces printed one-page issue. I was thinking about my termination the next moment he will move but it was only my paranoia. It was really a hell out of an apology. Because of my single mistake, 1000 pieces of paper were trashed and we end up printing another thousand copies of it. I thought they would kill me until my Editor that time said “…kasalanan ko rin, ako nag-edit eh. Let’s do better next time.” Here is where I found empathy. It is to understand more in the middle of your teammate’s lousiest mistake. It is to still have that smile even if somebody in your subordinates is having a hard time doing his/her tasks. It is all in the “knowing why” and in the “understanding when”. Here is a picture of EMPATHY.
Last week, I was so lucky to participate for the 3rd Media Sportsfest. It was participated by journalists from different campus, local, and national papers. The best part of the whole event was the game called “Extra-challenge” where all members of each team needed to participate. It is a game where everybody has to move forward through stepping in a long wood with ropes tied into their hands from the wood. Of course they can’t move towards their goal when they wouldn't step forward using the same right or left foot at exactly the same time. Truly, a team needs cooperation and cooperation needs affection to integrate. I remember our team leader that time, a big man with a big husky voice who handed us towels when we’re sweating from a sack race and then I saw the other teams’ leader who called for bottled water for his teammates after a tiring game. That is showing affection. When I first enter the paper, I never really showed affection to my Editors and even to the other staffs. I love doing coverage alone. I’m not good in showing affection; moreover, I never showed that I cared for what they’ve been doing until one of them talked to me and said something I was really stunned to hear. “…ang bato, kahit gano katagal, nalulusaw din sa tubig, yung mga bahagi nya, sasama din sa tubig, ganun sya nagcocompliment sa ibang bagay”. It wasn’t about how tough the stones are but it’s when it melted with water, it looses almost every parts of itself. It was another irony I hated to decipher. Here is where I found affection. It is caring for your fellows, sharing them what you have learned and what was good instilled in you even if it looses some parts of yourself. That is what I call “real giving”. Sometimes, it even endures sacrifice. Here is a picture of AFFECTION.
Last night when I was on my bed, I received a text message from a former writer I worked with last year. The message reads: “u’ll never knw how mch u needed ur friends until u look back along the rope & realized how many knots they tied to keep you from falling.” I felt that I was the only secluded thing in the paper when we started discussing out about an Editorial Board exam last year until it happened and now, I still have that secluded feelings. Still, I have that doubts in my own self I had when I was taking up the competitive examination for the top positions of the paper and how one of the panel in the closed door interview with us still haunts me in my nightmares. I remember them giving me topics for banner articles for news or giving me a chance to talk during a heavy meeting discussion. I never really gained enough confidence until now when everybody would dare leave me the Office’s main key. I remember when our adviser that time, when we’re in a meeting, let us chose what sections we wanted to write for. It was freedom at the same time, there is support. We also applied it in our term now but in a smaller scale. I also remember them letting me took care of Cursie, the fighting fish we had in our office. I remember telling my adviser my excuses one time when I can’t attend to a party though I know nobody will cover it except for me, he just said “sige…bahala ka” with a false smile. He doesn’t know how much I felt sorry so I got up and started fixing my make up so I could attend to the ball rushing and whenever I hear other staffs saying they would quit, he would just allow them to. He doesn’t know how I thought that he doesn’t care. Here is where I found mutual support. It is realizing that somebody urges you not to back out for your tasks. It is letting you be free in whatever way you chose because they knew you need it to grow up. Someday, you’ll realize how much they tied ropes just to let you be your real self. Here is a picture of MUTUAL SUPPORT.
When I looked back at every single detail of how different people left something in me and how they contributed to what I am now, I can’t help but to grin and be thankful about it. It is there in the open air on how we build teamwork with each other. It is a matter of so many perceptions on how you decode so many lousiest scenarios into the positive picture of it. Learning is a continuous process though it maybe in the hard way, or the apathetic way, or through criticism, failure and rejection. A very demonstrative way of learning from others and others, learning from you is upon teamwork- I read this from a book I already forgot years ago. The challenge we have here is that: LEARNING AND KEEPING THE TEAMWORK IN.
---Mirasol Buenaflor---
I remember a teacher I met in College who was the first to decipher to me the fluctuating dimensions of the word TEAM during a team-building type workshop and seminar for our Publication. It is:
T-RUST
E-MPATHY
A-FFECTION and
M-UTUAL SUPPORT
It was second day in a journalism seminar which I and my colleagues attended last month when we encountered a perceptive speaker who writes for five different papers. I did not focus about his discussions about the difference between News and Feature writing. I did not take lectures on the seminar instead I focused abut his personal journalism given scenarios. I remember him saying “…ang mahirap sa pagiging journalist ay yung kailangan mong patunayan sa mga kapwa mo reporter na may ibubuga ka, at the same time kailangan mo ring patunayan yun sa sarili mo…” which I think is certainly true. I am in this publication for over a year now. It’s tough. The real challenge here is this: PROVING THAT YOU ARE SOMEBODY TO YOUR OWN SELF. I am now on my third month of being in the Publication’s Editorial Board. It’s tougher. Another challenge is this: PROVING THAT YOU ARE SOMEBODY TO YOUR SUBORDINATES. I received too many criticisms for the past two weeks, maybe it was about my leadership or my articles but the greatest criticism I ever received was this statement “…grow up.” that line cut me. When I knew that it was sinking on my mind, I already thought of giving up my position in the Paper. To me, it sounded like I never really learned anything for the past 17 years of my life… (so it may sound dramatic). The mere thought of it makes me cry. Strong more questions started popping out my mind. “Am I really an immature leader?”, “Are my efforts not enough so somebody who knows me blurted out that I should grow up?” I was losing my only trust to myself until I look at the whole picture here and it was a bit ironic. Here is where I found more trust. It is when somebody gave you your lesson the hard way because he knew you’ll be stronger despite the criticisms you are able to receive. It is trusting through a very thin labyrinth and I call it “tough learning”. Here is a picture of TRUST.
I was going home when I saw six children on the street playing basketball. It was the same old street going down home. I saw one boy, filthy, his usual shirt smutty from an all day playing-under-the-sun routine with other children. He grappled for the ball and his friends stood by him and waited for his next move. Apparently, the other team posted for the same side of the court focusing on how the ball would go in until he paused for a second or so… he threw the ball to the center of the ring but it just fell before it and then to the ground, after another second, I saw a frown freckled in the boy’s little lips. Two of his friends went to him and whispered something like how old best friends comfort each other after years of their own struggles in a coffee shop when somebody is very low at the moment. I thought of the common bonds I had with the people in our Publication just last year. We didn’t just build a working organization towards a common goal but we build friendship and family. I remember writing a banner article for a special issue when a mistake occurred accidentally upon an interview I made and it reflected on print so our adviser was very furious that morning upon reading a copy of the 1000 pieces printed one-page issue. I was thinking about my termination the next moment he will move but it was only my paranoia. It was really a hell out of an apology. Because of my single mistake, 1000 pieces of paper were trashed and we end up printing another thousand copies of it. I thought they would kill me until my Editor that time said “…kasalanan ko rin, ako nag-edit eh. Let’s do better next time.” Here is where I found empathy. It is to understand more in the middle of your teammate’s lousiest mistake. It is to still have that smile even if somebody in your subordinates is having a hard time doing his/her tasks. It is all in the “knowing why” and in the “understanding when”. Here is a picture of EMPATHY.
Last week, I was so lucky to participate for the 3rd Media Sportsfest. It was participated by journalists from different campus, local, and national papers. The best part of the whole event was the game called “Extra-challenge” where all members of each team needed to participate. It is a game where everybody has to move forward through stepping in a long wood with ropes tied into their hands from the wood. Of course they can’t move towards their goal when they wouldn't step forward using the same right or left foot at exactly the same time. Truly, a team needs cooperation and cooperation needs affection to integrate. I remember our team leader that time, a big man with a big husky voice who handed us towels when we’re sweating from a sack race and then I saw the other teams’ leader who called for bottled water for his teammates after a tiring game. That is showing affection. When I first enter the paper, I never really showed affection to my Editors and even to the other staffs. I love doing coverage alone. I’m not good in showing affection; moreover, I never showed that I cared for what they’ve been doing until one of them talked to me and said something I was really stunned to hear. “…ang bato, kahit gano katagal, nalulusaw din sa tubig, yung mga bahagi nya, sasama din sa tubig, ganun sya nagcocompliment sa ibang bagay”. It wasn’t about how tough the stones are but it’s when it melted with water, it looses almost every parts of itself. It was another irony I hated to decipher. Here is where I found affection. It is caring for your fellows, sharing them what you have learned and what was good instilled in you even if it looses some parts of yourself. That is what I call “real giving”. Sometimes, it even endures sacrifice. Here is a picture of AFFECTION.
Last night when I was on my bed, I received a text message from a former writer I worked with last year. The message reads: “u’ll never knw how mch u needed ur friends until u look back along the rope & realized how many knots they tied to keep you from falling.” I felt that I was the only secluded thing in the paper when we started discussing out about an Editorial Board exam last year until it happened and now, I still have that secluded feelings. Still, I have that doubts in my own self I had when I was taking up the competitive examination for the top positions of the paper and how one of the panel in the closed door interview with us still haunts me in my nightmares. I remember them giving me topics for banner articles for news or giving me a chance to talk during a heavy meeting discussion. I never really gained enough confidence until now when everybody would dare leave me the Office’s main key. I remember when our adviser that time, when we’re in a meeting, let us chose what sections we wanted to write for. It was freedom at the same time, there is support. We also applied it in our term now but in a smaller scale. I also remember them letting me took care of Cursie, the fighting fish we had in our office. I remember telling my adviser my excuses one time when I can’t attend to a party though I know nobody will cover it except for me, he just said “sige…bahala ka” with a false smile. He doesn’t know how much I felt sorry so I got up and started fixing my make up so I could attend to the ball rushing and whenever I hear other staffs saying they would quit, he would just allow them to. He doesn’t know how I thought that he doesn’t care. Here is where I found mutual support. It is realizing that somebody urges you not to back out for your tasks. It is letting you be free in whatever way you chose because they knew you need it to grow up. Someday, you’ll realize how much they tied ropes just to let you be your real self. Here is a picture of MUTUAL SUPPORT.
When I looked back at every single detail of how different people left something in me and how they contributed to what I am now, I can’t help but to grin and be thankful about it. It is there in the open air on how we build teamwork with each other. It is a matter of so many perceptions on how you decode so many lousiest scenarios into the positive picture of it. Learning is a continuous process though it maybe in the hard way, or the apathetic way, or through criticism, failure and rejection. A very demonstrative way of learning from others and others, learning from you is upon teamwork- I read this from a book I already forgot years ago. The challenge we have here is that: LEARNING AND KEEPING THE TEAMWORK IN.
---Mirasol Buenaflor---
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