Au revoir Sir Gerry! ( 1st part )

"Gratitude is never invisible or silent." This statement struck me while I was listening to Edge Radio last week. Mr. Webster calls it "acknowledgment of having received something good from another."

As I was waiting for our Awards night to commence, I had the glance of the man whom I truly admire and give my highest regard. Mr Gerry Bacarro, our LEADER and RGEB to most of us, was generous enough to pose some pictures with the Sales force. I was a bit hesitant to approach him since it felt like asking for a picture with the President of the Philippines. Nonetheless, it took some guts to finally approach him, tapped his shoulder and told him " Thank you very much Sir for everything, you've been an inspiration especially to us na taga Mindanao." Then we had the "Kodakan" moment- a precious moment to say the least. It may have been the last chance to say Kudos to the person that has led Pfizer to greater heights and to where Pfizer stands in the industry now.

A couple of days ago, he shared his unparalleled wisdom as he was imparting his farewell speech to us and shared his realizations. These were as follows:

1. In order to succeed, you should OVERCOME your greatest fear.
2. You have no right to dream to be great outside, if you don't have a Champion-like spirit inside.
3. Without a challenging vision ( small or big) of a group, it would be like driving at night without headlights.
4. A high IQ could get you anywhere, but being good with people and working hard can bring you far.
5. In order to succeed, you must build leaders sincerely and unselfishly.

There are very few whom I've known who has exemplified true Leadership, unyielding passion and competence characterized by diligence, intelligence and hard work like Sir Gerry Bacarro- a leader like no other.