Keynote Message of Dr. Teodoro C. Robles, President, Central Philippine University
during the 56th ACSCU Convention in Cebu City last May 15, 2017

The first thought that came to me when requested to deliver the plenary message is that, only pastors and church leaders could very well deliver a message on topics such as this, “Transforming Learners to become Christian Leaders.” Thus, a lay person like me could only depend on what scholars have to say on this subject matter.

So as an Educator for so many years like most of you the first step for me was to do research on the topic.

I read many books on leadership, Christian leadership and of course on what the Holy Bible says about Christian leadership. A book on Human Behavior in Organization by Carmel Mosura, et al defines leadership as the ability to influence a group toward the achievement of goals. There are definitions from other sources and looking at these secular definitions, there is a bit of a semblance as to how the Bible defines leadership. In John 10:11, the Bible says, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” In other words, the Bible emphasizes that the leader as a shepherd is not only a guide, but a protector as well.

The article, God’s Truth for Today’s Youth speaks of how Christian schools must use every opportunity to speak Biblical truths into students’ lives and help them become more Christ-like. This is the role of Christian institutions in transforming learners into Christian leaders.

After going through these resources, I realized that I will be speaking before fellow Christian Leaders and they must have read these resources and other books that may have been given by others when they assumed leadership positions in their respective institutions.

However what intrigued me is the epigraph “Lawyers, I suppose, were children once” by Charles Lamb in the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. For many, this story is about racial discrimination, bigotry, injustice, stereotypes, the American people, the division before Martin Luther King, Jr. became known for his Civil Rights Movement.

But, this is also the story of Scout, a girl in her growing up years, who saw the world through her father’s eyes. Her father, Atticus Finch, a lawyer, stood by his ground to represent in court a colored man against a white woman. Scout’s values were shaped by what she saw in her surroundings and by what her father taught her. Her “growth”, her “transformation”, her “coming of age” was highly influenced by the pieces of advice she received from her father, Atticus and by the things she experienced and observed. Scout lived and breathed the words and actions of her father and the things happening during that time. So you, see, I want to say the quote again, “Lawyers, I suppose, were children once.”

Like the girl, Scout, each of us present here today started from something. We have been or we are still being shaped by these three: the experiences we have had, the relationships we have built, and the institutions that we have been part of.

If we do some introspection now, what experiences did you have that made you the leader, a Christian leader that you are today?

Let me tell you mine. I was a reluctant President. Modesty aside, I was asked by some alumni if they could nominate me for the position the first time it was opened and then, the next time again. I declined, every time, twice or thrice. I was uncertain if I’m capable of becoming President. I remembered not handling many administrative or supervisory positions while I was in the United States, as I was content and very much happy as an engineering professor for 35 years. Simply put, I do not have the background to become a University President. But,  eventually, I accepted the challenge for reasons I can’t fully explain. And, I was brought in this podium by the position I was, at first, hesitant to take. And it has become an eight-year and counting learning experience. And I thank four (4) past presidents from two universities in the governing board for making it an interesting and enjoyable learning experience.

I accepted the presidency of CPU not as a job. I do not treat a position like it’s a job. When you look at something as your job, it becomes your source of income; thus, you will do everything to keep it. For me, this Presidency is not a job at all; it is a mission, so I can do this without having to compromise anything just to keep this in my possession. I work hard to be better at what I do, but I do that without having to neglect the values that were taught to me by the relationships I have built for many years. Speaking of relationships in relation to leadership, several people have to be credited for what I have become. My father’s experience as a high school principal of a school that relied only on tuition as a source of operational expenses, sub-consciously, taught me a lot about running a school especially in looking into finances. I learned by example from the three former deans of Central Philippine University College of Engineering when I was a student and later as member of the faculty, the influence of the American Missionaries at CPU, and my department heads from four other colleges in the U.S. Their lives made me value the fruits and even the sacrifices of having to work hard, in service to God and humanity. They, too, epitomized sense of responsibility: be responsible for the things that you have done or the decisions that you have made. And, perhaps, who I consider as the most influential of these relationships would be the one I have with my wife. Let’s admit it, all the married gentlemen here, behind a great man is an even greater woman.

How about the organizations that I was affiliated with that have really shaped my leadership skills? Well, I remembered one time in the United States when my wife was appointed as the Treasurer of the Filipino American Association of Wisconsin and I became reluctantly, the Secretary to the Treasurer. A year later, she stepped down as Treasurer, and I reluctantly (I seemed to have fondness with reluctance) took over. Interestingly, nobody wanted the position. Many wanted to be the President, nobody wanted to be the Treasurer. And I asked myself, is the job of the President easier than the Treasurer’s. See? From where I stand now, I must say that I have truly made an upgrade.

Anyway, going back to the organization, we were told that it was suffering from mismanagement of funds. It was a seesaw of good management followed by poor management over the years the organization existed. Savings is always a good target for spending. My wife and I tried our best to help the organization recover from a serious financial problem sometimes stepping on some people’s toes. The organization taught me how important integrity is. Around us will be tests that would make or break us and even the values that we have had they been not strong. Integrity is what kept me going. Integrity helped my wife and I in restoring financial stability in the organization. We served under four (4) presidents for eight (8) years until a decision was made for us to move to CPU.

Truly, our leadership styles have been shaped by the people we have met, by the experiences we have had and the institutions that we are or we used to be a part of. And this same truth is applicable to our students.

Cliché as this may sound, but with great power comes great responsibilities. We have reached that level where much power is granted to us, thus much responsibility is expected from us. As we are in the academe, perhaps, our biggest responsibility is in transforming the young minds whose educational journey is entrusted in our respective schools. Let us take note of the word TRANSFORM, and ask ourselves the big, HOW?

If we take a look at some of the personalities in the Bible who have led for the greater good, they have set the standards of what leaders should be: Moses had the heart to lead despite being flawed, and he mentored Joshua, a follower first before becoming a leader; Joseph held on to his values despite being tempted; Daniel was concrete with his faith and was full of courage as he stood by the right ground, to name a few. Of course there is none finer than Jesus Christ! What can we take from these leaders? That everyone can be a leader… but not everyone will have the heart and the values that Christian leadership requires.

From several definitions of Christian leadership, I came up with this one: Christian leadership is a dynamic relational process in which people of integrity and passion are guided and fueled by Godly principles.

So, now, how do we transform our learners to Christian Leaders? I will insert the “Walk your talk” principle on this one. Remember the saying, “You cannot give something which you don’t have?” That is the very same concept applicable here: We can only transform others if we, ourselves, are also transformed. An effective preacher is one who lives what he preached.

How I wish there is really a full proof formula to transform learners to become Christian leaders, but there really isn’t. However, I would like to focus on three things that I personally believe are needed in Christian Leadership as it applies to academe. I am sure that there are more but time is important so I limit myself to three otherwise we could be here the whole day.

First, Christian leadership demands HARD WORK

Hard work is not and should not be measured in simply getting the job done. Hard work is seen in the quality of the accomplished task. And if we want “quality” in these finished products, we, make it clear to the people we work with; however, more than that, we epitomize “quality” in the roles that we play, in the tasks we carry out, in the decisions we make.

Yes, hard work is something that we demonstrate to our students and employees. This, like any other positive traits, will have a domino effect, not drastically, but slowly and surely.

Let us work hard, therefore, in becoming better as a person, a part of the academe, a leader. To illustrate hard work, it is important that we maximize the impact of our strengths. Where are you good at? And how do you utilize this area to significantly contribute to better your respective institutions? The Holy Scripture reminds us that our strengths are blessings from our Almighty Creator. They are gifts that should be used properly and exhaustively. Every day, every single day, let us seek to maximize the impact of our strengths. Let us not hesitate to find out what we do well and, more importantly, do more of it.

However, as we are blessed with strengths, so are with weaknesses. Hard work also entails that we minimize the impact of our weaknesses. What is it that you don’t do well? As we have found answers to the question, we can do less of our weaknesses or we can surround ourselves with people whose strength is our weakness.

Also, working with people entails hard work. We come from different backgrounds, we take our “culture”, part of what we are accustomed to, in our work places. We have worked with people whom we’ve had differences. We clash even. I’m just trying to let you reminisce meetings in your respective board rooms. I mean, if you look back to these discussions and even arguments that you had (and will still have), differences are revealed. And it takes a lot of hard work to be in the same room, same institution with individuals you don’t agree with all the time.

In times like these, may we remind ourselves that we need to work hard to reach a compromise for the common good. 1st Corinthians 12:18-19 tells us that God brings people into our lives whose personal style is different from our own. Despite this, because we are part of one body, we will strive to use these differences to complement us. 1st Corinthians 12:20-21 reminds each of us that, indeed there are many members and yet there is only one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you, nor the head to the feet, I have no need of you.

Second, Christian leadership requires FAIRNESS.

Decision making is, perhaps, one of the most difficult tasks that a leader performs. I believe that the experience of staying extra hours in the office looking at the papers that scream “DECIDE NOW” or “NOW, WHAT?” is not new to us. We all have late nights at the office or even extending office hours in our respective homes, even in the early morning hours just so we could come up with a decision. What makes this task difficult and draining is the many considerations that a leader has to look into. My word, yours, happens to be the final say. Daunting. Always daunting, isn’t?

But, I try, we try, we should always try to be fair all the time, to decide for the common good and not just for the advantage of the chosen few.

I am guided by this verse from Philippians 2:3-4, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind. Let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”

Third, Christian leadership entails HONESTY.

Honesty is easier as a concept than to be put into practice. What makes this even more difficult is because culture plays a major role in our definition of “honesty”. When we were asked for an honest opinion regarding, let’s say, back in college, (wow, that’s a lot of backtracking to do, but, yes, let’s do that). Recall a time when you were asked, “So, what do you think of this?” and you answered, “It looks okay (okay lang).” when in reality it does not look okay to you, it is bad, it can still be improved, or maybe the idea should just be forgotten. The point that I am arriving here is that, if we want better results, better work, we must be honest about the standards that we set. In the process of doing that, let us not be afraid to hurt other people’s feelings. Christian leadership is about practicing honesty without the sound of ridicule or the intention of embarrassing others. Objectivity is the key here. Remember, we do not work for ourselves. Bad decisions have been made because we don’t want to hurt other people’s feelings especially if we strongly disagree. Our learners who are part of our respective school organizations or student governments are not working for themselves. We are all working for the common good. And the common good can only be achieved if we are honest about our take on matters that have to be addressed, our plans for the future, our assessment of the programs implemented. Many times one has to say no or stamped requests “Disapproved”. We are in an organization working to better the institutions that we are part of and we are cascading that message to our learners. The book of Ephesians tells us in Chapter 4 verse 25 that each of us must cut off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.

We set the example of what Christian Leadership is. Being in the position grants us with more power to influence our learners, to inspire them, to transform them. Our deeds and decisions, the signals that we send, the values that we communicate will reach them and they will make an example out of what we show to them, what they see in us; thus, let’s work even harder, strive to be fair all the time, and do our best to keep our integrity unscathed. May we be living examples of what Christian leadership truly is.

Going back to the epigraph, “Lawyers, I suppose, were children once.” I hope that the extent of the “power” granted to a Christian leader has become clearer to us by now the same way that it has painted a more vivid picture of leadership to the man who, many years ago, was reluctant to have it.

In closing, I offer you this challenge. As academic leaders of the institutions where you belong, have you been faithful in delivering the kind of Christian education that would produce Christian leaders? Apart from giving your students the kind of education to make them competitive as professionals, have you considered, developing professionals that will stand out from their peers because they exemplify the virtue and characteristics of a Christian leader?

I thank ACCSCU for the opportunity given to me today to speak before you. I thank the leadership of our organization for organizing this event. I thank all members for continually advocating Christian education and desiring to produce Christian leaders in the society that will become the salt and light of the earth.