By Matrose Galarion, Philippines
As an educational leader, I believe that excellence is encouraged and sustained in an organization when people see you taking the active role of a coach and mentor. This allows you to encourage excellence among people, which has a multiplier effect on the success of your organization. When you are coaching, you are developing, empowering, and giving value to the needs of individuals. You are helping others become better contributors, leaders, thinkers, and decision-makers. Thus, my training in 2014 at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) on transformational leadership shaped me on how I can inspire positive changes in other people by being committed, enthusiastic, and passionate about what I do as a public servant and on how I can help others commit themselves to excellence and succeed as well. 
My current work as Chief Education Supervisor of Policy, Planning, and Research Division of Region III, Department of Education provides me an opportunity to take an active role in strengthening the competencies of other education leaders, school principals, and teachers on strategic planning, policy review, research management, and data management. More than developing people’s competencies in these areas, I encourage people to focus on shared core values rather than merely following business processes.
As a result, Region III has developed more relevant and responsive strategic and operational plans and implementation guidelines, increased the number of research conducted for policy formulation and used data-driven decision-making for the improvement of policies, programs, and practices. Further, this commitment has created a greater impact on the increased access of learners to education, quality of basic education, and governance in the region.
By articulating clearly my vision, commitment, and passion and by emulating how excellence can be achieved in the performance of one’s duties and responsibilities as a public servant, I have influenced other education leaders to experience the same passion and motivation to fulfill the same goals for our learners and teachers, to be committed to the highest degree of integrity, to deliver high-quality services and to steward government funds to maximize cost-effectiveness and accountability.
