How to Be A Leader

This month, Kollective Hustle’s theme is leadership. So, we talked to Filipinx leaders from different industries to gain insight on what it takes to be a great leader. Here’s what they said:

ARIENNE CALINGO

“Leadership is a gift. It is an opportunity to catalyze change within your community and sometimes even in the lives of others whom you’ve never met. A great leader values and optimizes different viewpoints and knows how to synthesize various ideas and strengths in order to achieve the best outcomes. Innovation requires a natural enthusiasm to explore several possibilities. It is also a team effort that encourages the collective input and perspectives of everyone, regardless of their position in a hierarchy. Leadership is for service, not self-enrichment.”

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Senior Educational Consultant, Hale Education Group | MEd (Harvard University)

DIANE PARAGAS

“I think being a leader means having the courage to make big decisions and own them even when you might be wrong.  I think the best thing we can do as leaders in our community is to get rid of crab mentality.  Let’s not tear down those in community when they succeed, instead we should be propping them up and celebrating their achievements.  It’s such an exciting time to be a Filipino Filmmaker we had a record number of films eligible for the Oscars this year and there are so many more emerging filmmakers out there with their own unique voices and stories to tell.  I think for myself it’s important to get more visibility and representation in movies and television but at the same time really try to elevate our craft and push boundaries.”

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Writer & Director of “Yellow Rose”

DR. KEVIN NADAL

“For me, the most effective leaders are those who are humble – people who recognize all of the people who have blazed trails for them to have the opportunities they have, while also earnestly understanding their power in advocating for a collective movement. Effective leaders are kind and genuine; because they truly care about the needs of others and have meaningful relationships with others, they have an easier time in organizing others to do things for them and with them. Finally, being an effective leader means understanding your limitations. Because no human being is capable of everything, effective leaders delegate, ask for help, and set boundaries. They engage in self-care, lived a well-balanced life, try their best to fulfill their purposes and life passions, and inspire others to do so too.”

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Professor, Author, Psychologist, & Activist

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