IF THERE’s any sound advice on leadership, take it from none other than the man who’s had decades of public service under his belt and is at the helm of the University of Guam – Dr. Robert Underwood.
At the Association of Government Accountants Guam Chapter’s general membership meeting held yesterday at the Outrigger Guam Resort, UOG President Dr. Underwood spoke about “Leadership and the 60th Anniversary of the University of Guam” and highlighted three keys required for successful leadership.
According to Underwood, one must possess three qualities in leadership: ambition, knowledge and courage.
Underwood implied that ambition is a given, because those who run for public office are usually ambitious. However, not everyone possesses the second quality – knowledge – which may be a bit difficult for some.
“Know what you’re doing. ... What are you doing?” he said. “Do you have enough knowledge of public policy in order to be able to tell people to trust you?”
Underwood continued with the third quality, which he considered the most difficult – courage.
“The last quality is the most difficult, and that’s courage, because everybody gets tested,” he said. “You’re going to find a point in time in your life when you’re trying to be a leader where your courage is tested.”
He advised the members to have the courage to be able to confront a hostile crowd, as it often comes with the job.
"You’re going to have to deal with the courage of your convictions because you know the rules, you know the ethics, and you know what you're supposed to do.”
Underwood concluded by drawing the relationship between experience and education. He cited the saying, “Experience is the best teacher,” then asked, “If experience was the best teacher, why have schools?”
Underwood explained that education gives individuals the knowledge to deal with their experiences, despite relying on experience alone.
“We think experience is going to teach you things, but we really don’t understand how things happen,” he said. “And how do people understand how things happen? Well, we go to school.”
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