I am now typing this using my new bluetooth keyboard. .This is awesome. What would be the effect if the screen … the Android screen moved automatically to where the cursor is. This is really awesome. It can help me type long documents with my smartphone, which has Google Docs and Microsoft Word.
I can draft my blog posts here.
Now if I could just know how long the battery lasts…. It has a built-in battery which is rechargeable. But it doesn't have specifications in the box.
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About four weeks ago, I have been designated officer in charge of our division. While I talked in the past about leadership, and I have had my brief stint in leadership position when I was in college, I tried my best to stay away from formal leadership designations. My ideal job and character in a bureaucracy was Jack Ryan, who has been described by his Chinese enemies in Tom Clancy’s Executive Order as nothing more than an assistant. They listed his positions prior to the US Presidency as Deputy Director for Central Intelligence and National Security Advisor, emphasizing that he was not ready to take on the role of leading his country and its military at the critical time as described in the book.
Of course, I am not saying I am like Jack Ryan. It’s just that I like the role of someone working behind the people who are seen in the cameras. I like to see the results of my work rather than be seen working. Partly, I must admit, I prefer that so that if I make a mistake, it would not be public as well.
I posted previously about what I expect of a leader. I did not expect that I would be formally assigned to such a position rather very soon. Sure, I thought of being a leader, but those were more of daydreaming instead of visioning.
I don’t want to be a leader. I am more of someone who wants to go into the details rather than thinking of the big things and what the end should be like (though of course, I have been trained that the end should be clear so that the strategy and means will be aligned with it). I thought of myself as a manager than a leader, an operations person than a commander. And between a task-oriented manager and a person-oriented supervisor, I thought of myself as the latter.
But perhaps the real reason I don’t want to be in a formal leadership position is because I have rather high expectations of leadership.
Sure, I also understand that leaders are people, prone to mistakes and every other human frailty. However, it is difficult for me to accept weakness and failure from myself. Sure, I could “forgive” other leaders so long as they do not fail on the more important aspects of leading people. But I feel like I would be a hypocrite if I would fail to deliver on those same critical aspects or dimensions when I get to such a formal leadership position.
You may notice that I frequently use the term “formal leadership position.” That is to recognize that leadership is not always formal. I supported my previous supervisor, who was in the position that I occupy now, by being the informal leader, ensuring that while tasks are carried out, the human dimension of the team is not forgotten. I also tried to be more of a team member rather than a team leader, but leveraging my technical expertise to be a coach and mentor to those in lower ranks.
There are so many new things that I would like to write about, as this new role is teaching me a lot of things – and by teach, I mean in the sense that while I previously know best practices in leadership, I see how different and difficult they could be to implement or execute when you are already there. Still, surely, my previous discussions with my supervisor when I offered alternative perspectives helped me cope with this new role. I hope that I could deliver without losing myself in the process.
Forgive me, this is a very spur of the moment post. I wanted to try the bluetooth keyboard that I bought and typed this whole post in the Microsoft Word app of my Android smartphone. So I have no opportunity to edit this into a very coherent text. I hope I could get back to this to refine this and add more thoughts.
Until next.
P.S. Kudos to Asus Zenfone 3, which I am using now. I switch between Microsoft Word and Chrome in writing this post.
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