On April 24-25, 2012, Social Enterprise Development Partnerships, Inc. (SEDPI) conducted a training on Leadership and Supervision for key management staff of Cooperative Rural Bank of Bulacan (CRBB). The training, which was held in Malolos, Bulacan, aims to inspire and impart practical principles and skills needed to become an effective leader. A total of 18 top and middle management officers from CRBB attended the training.
CRBB has 35 member cooperatives and more than 4,000 associate members. Their total assets amount to Php4 billion, with 18 branches located in Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna, and Makati. Among the products and services they offer are savings, loans, money transfer, and payroll services. They also have 9 microfinance products catering to microentrepreneurs and overseas Filipino workers.
Leadership and supervision are among the most relevant functions of managers. To enhance the participants’ knowledge on how to perform these functions better, the following topics were discussed: leadership styles and approaches; the role and dynamics of teams; conflict management; measures of financial performance; and supervisory and communication skills.
The training focused on innovative structured learning experiences which encouraged active participation from the participants. Ms. Jet Nolasco, Senior AVP of CRBB, said that she appreciated the training because the learnings were applicable and practical, and because the examples given were easy to understand. She also commended the trainers for being fun, approachable, and knowledgeable on the topic.
Among the trainers who delivered the training were SEDPI’s President and CEO, Mr. Vincent Rapisura, and SEDPI’s Chairperson, Mr. Edwin Salonga. Four other program officers also took part in delivering the training: Ms. Florence Adviento, Ms. Denise Subido, Mr. Romeo Arahan, and Ms. Cherryl Si. They were all rated excellent in terms of knowledge, delivery, and overall skills as trainer. According to Ms. Angela P. Dela Cruz, CRBB’s Human Resource Development Officer for Training, “SEDPI not only achieved our expectations, but exceeded them as well.”