Republic of the Philippines

POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

DEPARTMENT OF COOPERATIVES AND SOCIAL
DEVELOPMENT
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN COOPERATIVE

COOP 20063
Cooperative Marketing and
Fair Trade Movement

WEBINAR REFLECTION

SUBMITTED BY:
Vicente, Vethina
BS Cooperatives 2-4

SUBMITTED TO:
PROFESSOR NAME
Dr. Hilda F. San Gabriel

DATE OF SUBMISSION
February 6, 2022
 Republic of the Philippines
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
DEPARTMENT OF COOPERATIVES AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN COOPERATIVE

Four days ago, I participated in two webinars our fellow 2nd-year students organized. The
focus of the webinar was addressing many facets of cooperative leadership, and the resource
speakers from days one and two offered their expertise and experience as cooperative leaders, as
well as their inspiring leadership philosophies, which can be eye-opening for the participants. In
this reflection paper, I will discuss what I have learned from the cooperative leaders of our
different organizations from a personal perspective. During this two-day webinar, many
excellent resource speakers presented their expertise on leadership inside a group or cooperative.

The Federation of Free Farmers Cooperative was represented in the webinar's opening by
Mr. Raul Montemayor, vice chairman of the Philippine Cooperative Center. I wholeheartedly
concur with his statement, “We need to make cooperatives accessible to younger people." To be
quite honest, I knew very little about cooperatives when I began my studies at Polytechnic
University of the Philippines. I have no idea what it offers assistance to the community. I concur
with Mr. Montemayor's position that the cooperative community has to be expanded, especially
to include the next generation of cooperative leaders. The well-known saying "Ang kabataan ang
pag-asa ng bayan," also uttered by Mr. Montemayor, has a significant bearing on the
cooperatives' future. He is certain that this nation can raise young cooperators to guide the next
generation despite the paucity of students in cooperatives.

Prof. Ellenita "Ellen" Mantalaba, executive director of the National Cooperative

Movement, gave the final presentation of the first-day seminar. She speaks on "The Profile and
Quality of a Leader," which began with a question about whether or not leaders could be created.
Since I've thought that we are all born with unique talents and skills that we may develop
through experience, my response to that question has always been that leaders are made. While I
do believe that leaders are created rather than born, we do have the capacity to practice the
abilities we hope to possess in the future. We develop ourselves to become who we are today, get
the respect of others around us, and learn how to make sensible decisions, especially when it
comes to the most significant issues, much like a leader does. It is always up to us to manage and
develop our skills daily from various people and situations.

FINALPAPER_VICENTE 2|4
 Republic of the Philippines
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
DEPARTMENT OF COOPERATIVES AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN COOPERATIVE

In order to endeavor to do the right things, she provided the three characteristics of a
cooperative leader, which included being fearful of God. A leader will be dependable because
they respect and carry out God's plan, their mission. Additionally, have a beneficial influence
that is extraordinary and will inspire cooperative members to conduct good deeds. Second, a
leader needs to be kind because he shows his followers generosity and compassion. He would be
in charge of assisting members in pursuing common objectives. Because he displays empathy
and attentive leadership to the members, being compassionate will greatly benefit the
cooperative. As a community builder, last but not least, because participants will experience a
sense of belonging. It will improve members' skills, experience, and diversity in the workplace,
which will contribute to the success of the cooperative. A community leader's responsibility is to
keep track of crucial information regarding finances, taxation, and other cooperative activities.
Include the mission, goal, and cooperative laws as well. The three characteristics of a
cooperative—being God-fearing, compassionate, and community-building—were the same as
the three Hs of cooperatives, which stand for Head, Hands, and Heart. Every choice is made with
the head in mind because it is accountable for carrying out its responsibilities to coordinate tasks
and direction. The hands would then be the doer, carrying out the action that is inspired by the
heart and given the head's blessing. He must have excellent management and communication
skills since the hands take action. The heart also stands for wisdom in judgments and
circumstances that may arise in the future. As a result, it is related to the willingness to change
because it will be simpler for employees to accept change if they have a better understanding of
how it will effect them.

About five subjects are being covered by the speakers on the second day of the webinar.
Mr. Gary Leonardo will speak first about the "Role of a Leader in Strategic Directions and
Management." I like Mr. Gary's explanation of the strategic role a leader should play. the fact
that because they are the organization's top, leaders must be innovative and creative. In addition,
they are good at making decisions and have good decision-making abilities. Because having a
growth mentality and focusing on the future are essential characteristics of a strategic leader.

FINALPAPER_VICENTE 3|4
 Republic of the Philippines
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
DEPARTMENT OF COOPERATIVES AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN COOPERATIVE

And I can say that the strategic thinking formulae were the most valuable lessons I learned from
Mr. Gary. That having a "clear strategy+effective operation" is the key to successful strategic
thinking. Because if you have a clear strategy but poor execution, the results will be unknown.
The same is true for barely surviving; with an unclear strategy and an efficient operation, it will
appear as though you are just winging it. Failure is predicted by the last part of the formula:
"unclear strategy+ineffective operation." Consequently, if we are doing strategic thinking, we
should select what is the most effective formula if we want to succeed.

As a result, I learned a lot throughout the two-day webinar that will help me if I want to
be a leader in the long term. Because I also think that certain people are born leaders who are
also becoming into leaders. And while I don't want to be prejudicial, I can say that they will
become wonderful leaders since they went through a lot of experiences before they were able to
do so. And I only want to mention the two quotes that stuck with me during this webinar. First
up is a line from John C. Maxwell that reads, "Leaders become great not through their power but
through their capacity to empower others." Which, in my opinion, is crucial because a good
leader is one who can give their followers the power to alter something about themselves. This
also relates to the second quotation, which is by Myles Monroe and states that "leadership is the
potential to influence people via inspiration fueled by passion, formed by vision, produce and
conviction, and ignited with purpose." And with that, I can say that all of these lessons will serve
as a guide for how to develop into a leader who is prepared to serve with purpose and empathy,
rather than just a leader.

FINALPAPER_VICENTE 4|4