INSPIRE LEADERSHIP CONSULTANCY SEEKS TO CHANGE THE LANDSCAPE OF PHILIPPINE BUSINESS RELATIONS

‘People don’t want to be managed, people want to be led.”

This is the particular successful brand of leadership that Francis Kong endorsed at a recent Victorinox Travel Gear event. A trainor and speaker from the Inspire Leadership Consultancy, Kong is also the director of Business Matters, a nonstock, nonprofit organization, “which seeks to open the Filipino’s eyes to the fast changes happening all over the globe” by holding talks, seminars and lectures for over 10 years to date.

To Kong, the revolution is already happening. This transformation was brought on by technology, a changing landscape of competition, increasing options available to consumers and information. And this change needs a new set of leadership skills.

“Before, you have the structured hierarchical bureaucratic form of business. So you manage people. Today, in the flattened organization, you cannot manage people. You lead them,” he explained.

The difference between managing and leading, Kong pointed out, is huge. You manage the details, technicalities, software and the like, but not the people. “In management, you command and control. In leadership, you talk about collaboration and cooperation,” he said.

A businessman, broadcaster, author, columnist, professional speaker, trainer and consultant, Kong’s approach to business relations stems from his extensive experience. It is this in-depth knowledge that has brought him to John Maxwell’s 360 Degree Leadership principles, the topic explored in the leadership forum that Inspire Leadership Consultancy and Victorinox Travel Gear organized last December 2007. A licensed John Maxwell trainor, Kong always tries to drive home one valuable leadership lesson in his talks: that anyone can lead no matter his level or official capacity.

“[Leadership] is about influence and how to maximize relationships in order to get some things done within the context of modern-day needs,” he stressed.

The ability to embrace progress is also the same value that has attracted him to Victorinox Travel Gear. “Victorinox Travel Gear for me personifies the modern-day leader who is flexible and reliable.”

Kong stays on top of his game through relentless learning. “The one beautiful thing that Anthony [Pangilinan] and I experience in what we do is we get to meet people all the time. People come to us. They talk to us about their challenges. They talk to us about their needs. As trainors in those industries, we certainly have a realistic picture of what’s going on that’s beyond the newspaper headlines that you see. That’s how we keep ourselves updated. The learning process is there. We are perpetual students.”

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The Modern Leader

‘People don’t want to be managed, people want to be led.”

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Something had to give

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