Ignatian Leadership for Managers and Entrepreneurs

R.E. 224
Final Exam
1. Jesuit ingenuity has led them to break new grounds and conquer new frontiers,
especially in their global adventure (e.g., the Indian experiment of de Nobili, or the
enterprise of running schools in 5 continents for the past 450 years, among others).
a)

What extraordinary risk did they take in promoting the leadership trait of
ingenuity? How did they capitalize on this risk in order to further their
organizational goals and objectives?
The Jesuits risked their lives ahead of them when they decided to flee from their
country leaving their families, comforts and traditions behind in order to navigate
the world and fulfill the Jesuit Societys mission. Approaching a foreign territory
without any background or idea about the place, the inhabitants, and the culture
within that country posed a great risk or uncertainty on the success of the
mission. But with the Jesuits unconventional approach of demonstrating
ingenuity, all of that risk was overcome. With the help of the Spiritual Exercise,
they were mentally ready for indifference and detachments. They were able to
move on from unfavorable circumstances just like Xaviers experience in Japan.
With an indifferent attitude, he was able to let go and move on from a limiting or
not so fruitful agenda in Japan to a more promising opportunity in other Asian
countries particularly China. With Chinas big economy, large population, and
knowledge-rich people, the Jesuits took on a new challenge, exposed
themselves to new risks and found an ocean of opportunities to instill the Jesuit
values into the norms, culture, academics, and religion of the Chinese by way of
embracing the Chinese culture. They were able to take advantage of this and
later successfully influenced some to Christianity.
With their radical way of proceeding, the Jesuits departed from their traditional
monastic religious practices in order to execute speed, mobility, responsiveness
and flexibility the kind of values so unusual in religious traditions but instead,
practiced a prayer in action (ora et labora). They veered away from seclusion and
turned to embrace the world. Moreover, the Jesuit priest De Nobili, born in a
wealthy family, abandoned his attachments to wealth and lived a simple life.
These things are some of those extraordinary risks taken by the Jesuits in
promoting the leadership trait of ingenuity crucial to their religious mission of
preaching, teaching and helping souls.
The Jesuits capitalize on the risks by not treating them as threats but as friends.
Ingenuity taught the Jesuits to be comfortable traveling throughout the world
despite the costs. Detachment from personal fears and qualms were what
Jesuits like Xavier and De Nobili did to overcome the risks.

b)

Be able to identify a leader either in the field of business, governance, education,

or sciences and technology, who, to you, epitomizes the very essence of
ingenuity. Discuss his/her ingenuous leadership traits.

For me, I can vouch for my Audit Group Supervisor as a kind of leader who concretizes
the essence of ingenuity in her leadership style. Being under her supervision, I admire the most
her audit planning strategies. It is very organized in such a way that despite voluminous work
and very tight deadlines, the timely submission of our outputs is ensured. She makes a smooth
planning and scheduling of work assignments for each team in accordance with the Gannt chart
she prepares annually showing each team members audit areas/audit focus, the outputs
expected and the target completion date. Every month, she regularly call us for a meeting to
monitor how we are doing in our respective assignments and in which stage or where we are
already in the audit execution. In case of unexpected or fortuitous circumstances that may
hamper or delay our implementation, my supervisor would always have Plan B in mind and it
is often effective and immediate solution. Another trait that makes her ingenious is constant
enrichment of her skills especially when it challenges the performance of her and the teams
duties such as updates on audit standards that would require additional procedures. It amazes
me that despite her age, she is still craving for more learning, unlike any other typical old-aged
bosses who are resistant to change and never bother to learn. But to my boss, change is
something that she embraces and regards as an opportunity to be informed. She would take the
time and initiative to study the changes not just theoretically but really apply it in practice. She
was able to accomplish the templates that were used in the assessment of our audit teams
compliance with some international auditing standards. And then she would share to us what
she learned, coach us and immerse us in the fieldwork to apply that learning. Because of this,
our team passed the said assessment and we couldnt be part of this success if it wasnt for the
admirable skills and guidance of my supervisor. As much as she cares for our audit group in the
Local Government Sector, she also cares for other audit groups belonging to the National
Government Sector and Corporate Government Sector by taking the initiative to request the
Regional Training Center to conduct seminars/workshop for all auditors all over Region XI on
such updates with her as the speaker or trainer so as to keep everyone be aware and updated.
Because how can COA aim to be internationally renowned if the people in it are not competent
enough. Unlike her, other supervisors wouldnt even bother to make this move. I admire her
because she is not selfish of this gift of knowledge and creativity she had and using these skills
to also enrich the potentials of her fellow auditors in the workplace.
I also admire her bravery and objectivity in her decisions or audit opinions despite the risks
that she may face considering the political environment of our auditee. She is never swayed by
fear or biases, but remained firm in her decisions on audit findings amidst tensions with
auditees management or staff.

2. The reality of loving one's work is essential in the success of the organization. How
does love translate itself into an organizational agenda? What do you think are the cost

benefits of pursuing organizational goals and objectives through the practice of a lovedriven leadership? How do you see love-driven leadership being practiced in your own
organization?
Love in the organizational parlance means that you care so much about your
work and you take pride from your own work. Its when you realize the importance of
your work in affecting your life and in the lives of others it may be constructive or
worse, destructive. As a government auditor, my job is to ensure the transparency,
accountability, and equity of government transactions involving the use of government
funds. If I care about this mandate and significantly internalize my duty to carry out this
mandate, I can help build a straighter, corrupt-free government, and improve the lives of
many Filipinos. But if I choose not to care about it and just leave the system rot in
corruption, then the Philippines becomes poorer and poorer. Love in the workplace can
also be shown by treating your subordinates and co-workers in a way that respects their
dignity and tries to develop their potential.
This love-driven leadership can have both costs and benefits. The benefits would
be higher productivity, ease of influence
, makes work more enjoyable for each
person knowing that they are valued and they feel that they matter to you, thus,
improves working relationships. Since there is a good working relationship,
organizational goals are easily achieved. However, there are also costs or
disadvantages of giving too much love in the workplace. People may think that they can
already do anything they want without responsibility and accountability. Some may
abuse your kindness.
In our workplace, I think love-driven leadership is practiced by our audit team by
recognizing each members potential/skills/expertise. Since I am a new member in the
team, I ask the guidance or opinion of my team members whenever I find a certain task
difficult. Even though sometimes I feel the need to excel more than they do and believed
too much in myself that I can work on my own without asking their opinions, but I come
to realize and accept that they were more experienced than I was and they might know
something that I may have significantly overlooked. I also observed that even our senior
member in the team, despite her profound knowledge about her work, do ask our
opinion regarding her audit area and then we discuss it. Our exchange of ideas allowed
us to be more informed and more confident with our potentials. This also allowed me to
acknowledge and admire their respective abilities. We respect each others opinions and
this helps us work well together and produce good or even better outputs. Also, our team
both our supervisor and team leader recognize our potential by giving credit to our audit
observations and recommendations, and allowed us to shine in the organization. They
are leaders who do not disregard their subordinates efforts, but instead, they boast
about our accomplishments. They really made conscious efforts to recognize us by
recommending and justifying our teams nomination as the Best Team Performer in our
upcoming P.R.A.I.S.E Awards wherein best employees are duly recognized for

exemplary performance during the year. Because of this, we feel that we are loved and
we matter in the workplace, hence, we are more motivated to work.
3. The Jesuits' sense of "adventurism" in China is one case study of how the Jesuits' mode
of proceeding has set them apart from the rest of the pack. From the early days of
Jesuit missionary work in China led by De Goes, Ricci, until the days of the Johann
Terrenz Schreck, Nicolas Trigault, to the renaissance man Johann Adam Schall, the
whole China mission was, for the Jesuits, both a "coup" and a source of conflict.
a) What could be learned from the Jesuit's leadership experience in China, taking into
consideration their strengths, weaknesses, threats, opportunities?
A major learning from the Jesuits leadership experience in China was the
importance of adapting to the environment or situation. This proved useful for the
Jesuits in their mission to spread Christianity over China especially that the Chinese
scholars were very suspicious of foreigners particularly Europeans. Their approach
to evangelization was not through colonization but through cultural adaptation that
is by learning to live the Chinese way. The Jesuits, Ricci in particular, immersed
himself in the Chinese culture by mastering the Chinese language and studied the
Confucian doctrines. His display of intellectual prowess in various disciplines such as
mathematics, physics, astronomy, etc., showcasing the magnificence of Western
civilization, impressed some Chinese scholars who were eventually influenced and
won over to Christianity. The Jesuits were able to successfully exemplify leadership
in their mission in China through this adaptation strategy. According to Lowney, one
of the characteristics of a heroic leader is the ability to embrace change and take
risks. The Jesuit modo de proceder requires a leader to be mobile, open to new
ideas, blind to national borders, mutually supportive and restlessly disposed to
continuous improvement. The early Jesuits were never afraid to take risks in every
foreign territory where their mission would take them. They were bold enough thats
why they were able to affect influence over the innately conservative culture the
Chinese had, thereby opening China to the world.
Apart from the success of the Jesuits in the academic realm, however, there were
also trials encountered with their mission in China. Adapting Chinese culture created
conflicts among the Jesuits and other missionaries. Non-Jesuit missionaries
criticized them for significantly breaking tradition in performing religious rites.
Nevertheless, they stood by their ministry on the basis of opportunity and not by
limiting themselves because of the constraints dictated by the Church. They
remained strategically flexible and innovative that caught the attention of narrowminded critics.
b) Think of a particular organization in todays contemporary corporate environment,
with similar adventuristic tendencies as the Jesuits, that has made a mark in its
own field and discuss its achievements.

I think the Apple Company has that adventuristic tendency similar as the Jesuits.
Because of its founder and CEO, Steve Jobs, Apple became the market leader in
modern-day innovation not just in the mobile communication industry but also in other
industries like music. Steve Jobs is an icon of innovation. He redefined what innovation
means through his products such as the iPhone, iPod, and iPad, iMac. Since Steve Jobs
was an innovator, he was definitely someone who has taken risks many times in his
career brought about by the rapidly changing technology. His career can be viewed as a
consistent pursuit of innovation because of research, experimentation, and risk-taking. It
is evident in the rapid modifications and upgrading of Apple products sold in the market.
Apples laudable success in modern economy can be significantly attributed to its
founders unceasing curiosity, passion, continuous improvement and willingness to take
risks. Apple Co.s success spread like wildfire and immensely created wealth for its
stockholders.
Some of Apples accomplishments were the invention of the iMac which becomes the
fastest-selling PC in history with its radical all-in-one design. Apple also introduced digital
appliances such as the iPod portable music player and iTunes digital music software. Its
straightforward solution to buying songs online revolutionized the digital music market
that had captured over 90% of the market share. Another innovation made by Apple was
the iPhone which was one of the first smartphones without a keyboard. This market
leadership became such a success that many
4. What is the core principle behind the Jesuit practice of heroic leadership? Expound your
answer by citing specific examples in Jesuit history. Then, be able to cite a parallel
example of your own.
The core principle behind the Jesuit practice of heroic leadership is Magis the restless
drive to look for something more in every opportunity and the confidence that one will
find it.
In their mission of dominating the world education market, the early Jesuits did not just
select any ordinary recruits but those that are great intellectually and spiritually. They
want recruits who are aptissimi or the very best. They set very high standards for
recruitment but when they observed that those who are superior are only few, the
Jesuits took that extra mile of training these recruits to be aptissimi. Jesuits were not
only teaching but also began running a school in Gandia when the duke of Gandia
offered the Jesuits to endow the school.
Because the European educational system was badly fragmented at the time since there
was no proper curriculum, the absence of elementary and secondary education at some
cities and only the rich can afford to send their children to schools, the education market
presented the Jesuits with various opportunities. These were opportunities that the
Jesuits swiftly seized. The secondary education in particular suited the Jesuits

competitive strengths then. By creating a Ratio studiorum (or a plan of studies), the
Jesuits gained competitive advantage over other schools in Europe that are completely
unorganized. They seized the opportunity to help the poor children who cannot afford
school. What made their work noble was that offering education to the poor for free and
that was something beyond foolish for every European institution to ever consider. Only
a magis-driven leader can do that. Only the Jesuits were able to make possible this
seemingly impossible thing to most Europeans.
In the organization where I belong, I think I best showed magis in the performance of my
job as an auditor by being EXTRA-courageous to seek for the truth in order to fight
corruption by digging more, meaning to say, participating in the substantive investigation
to gather sufficient evidence, interviewing the people involved and evaluating the system
through a series of walk-through tests, and even to the point of being open to the
possibility of having to testify in court against erring government employees. It is magis
because it requires us of something that is beyond our normal approach to things.
Another example that I can cite in relation to seizing an opportunity is our similar
opportunity to help others. Me and my audit groupmates in the workplace were also
given an opportunity to help others, so we grabbed it, with a spirit of magis if there was
something more we can do outside our job then that is to help our co-employees who
were devastated by Typhoon Yolanda in Leyte last year. Were the only audit group in
Region XI who offered this kind of heroic move with the initiative or ingenuity of my
supervisor. It made a seemingly impossible thing a possible one through the
resourcefulness of the group. We voluntarily donated part of our budget allocation to
make this heroic deed possible.
5. Personal awareness is instrumental in shaping Jesuits in their constant struggle to
develop their pool of human resource. To a greater extent, the need to undergo a
personal internal journey has set the Jesuits apart from their contemporaries. This
distinctive characteristic is ever more important in today's organizational landscape.
a) Synthesize what you understand by this Jesuit trait, mentioning in particular how
this practice is made operative among the Jesuits themselves;

Personal awareness is knowing oneself, ones strengths and full potential, weaknesses,
and values. Its a constant self-reflection of what one wants, what impact he would like to
make in the society and in the world. The Jesuits lived a life of self-reflection and
constant self-development. When they were just starting their schools, they had
manpower problems. They fell short on staffs. But unconventionally, they solved this
problem not by hiring more recruits but instead tightened the recruitment process. This is
because the way to guarantee a long-term solution to this problem is by having as many
best talented recruits that are formally and highly trained. The Jesuits invested on the
personal development of their recruits in the process of forming future leaders that could
sustain the founder, Ignatius de Loyolas values for as long as the world endures. These

recruits were trained to determine their strengths, weaknesses, reflect on them, and how
to conquer them by focusing on their strengths in a daily exercise called the
consciousness examen. This training the Jesuits went through helped a lot in the
nature of their work as missionaries. Since they are religious and missionaries at the
same time, it is amazing that they can still reflect quietly while on the run and thrive in a
world around them that has so many distractions, changes, challenges such as the
period of unsustainable growth, understaffing, etc. The continued existence of the
flourishing Jesuit schools today is the legacy of those self-reflective Jesuit recruits who
were made leaders who produced more leaders through generations in this Jesuit
formation which started 450 years ago.

b) From your synthesis, be able to draw a parallel experience on your end to show how
the leadership pillar of self-awareness has led you to discover an inner trait in becoming
a better leader in your own organization.

I knew very well that my strength is really on understanding people and appealing to
their self-interests. What I do is just observe the people around and know their strengths
and weaknesses. It is an advantage for me if I know these things because I can easily
work on their emotions and earn their trust. This way, influencing them would be easier
for me. By this realization of my own strength, by understanding and knowing how to use
this ability, my leadership skills will become honed. I used to be impatient before, I didnt
want to understand the people I work with and what I want was for them to always
understand me in all situations because I feel I am the leader, I am in the position, and
whatever I suggest should be the thing to do. However, I observed that this style of
handling people doesnt work well. I sensed some resistance and it was hard to control
people. As a result, my target outputs were not achieved the way I want them to be. And
when this became frequent, this made me reflect at the end of the day on what really
went wrong. And so when I was able to identify my shortcomings, I helped myself by
practicing on how to deal with people correctly by working on my patience and
understanding. Mastering this attitude in the workplace made situations better. I became
more relational in the workplace. With this experience, I realized that it is not through our
position that we are able to affect influence on people but rather it is through appealing
to their interests and earning their trust that makes it possible. A major lesson it taught
me was that leadership must be a two-way relationship wherein subordinates will have
the opportunity to be heard and give feedback to the leader. This way, subordinates will
feel that they are important and that their leader cares about their personal development
and success.

6. What is the life-force behind Jesuit education? With its achievements, including its
limitations, how has it contributed towards the training and empowerment of leaders in
shaping a better organization? a better world? Apart from the recognized Jesuit leaders
and pioneers, to whom/which does Jesuit education owe its continued success today?
The life-force behind Jesuit education is the focus on the service of faith through the
promotion of justice.