Personal Narrative: My Father

The strongest leader I have known in my life is my father, Salvador Anchondo. Along with being the strongest, he is also the most ethical leader I have encountered. The vast majority of people who know my father will agree. He is often described as rigid and very scary but he is always respected. He strongly enforces compliance to his rules or his organization in those who follow him either for work or in his personal life. When problems comes up, he is harsh to react and unforgiving. With these traits, one could easily say he is casting shadows on his followers but it is just the opposite. For those in his close circle, the light shines through. My father is a spiritual mission-driven man. To understand him, you must understand his

My grandfather showed no anger toward my grandmother for having tried to take his life. He just thanked his son for protecting him and asked him to forget the incident. To this day, some still hate my father for pushing my grandmother, but those individuals choose not to see the fact that my father has never struck or disrespected a woman in his life. That single incident was in reaction to his mother’s attack only. He acted in the ethical manner to try to save a life. After his brothers and sisters left home and his father passed away, he stopped all communications with his mother. By then, my grandmother had sought treatment and help. My father chose not to risk having my grandmother around his immediate family. Due to his callous decision, my aunts and uncles turned their back on him. My father, on the contrary, continued to help his siblings as he became aware of difficulties they were having. He always assists with their well-being in mind and without ever asking for gratitude or repayment in any form. Although they have not been kind to my father, he does not seek any apologies because in his mind, they have done no wrong. He sees his siblings as children who

He loosely employed the “Do What’s Right No Matter the Cost” ethical approach (Johnson, 2012, p. 158). He did what he believed was right. While on her death bed, his siblings pleaded to him to make peace with her. He never did. In his mind, he did what was best for my family and would not undo his decision. He made the decision to remove her from our lives to save us. He did not want my mother, brother or me to grow up in a life with a destructive person such as my grandmother. Being a spiritual man, my father did seek religious counseling about his relationship with his mother. Being Catholic, he sought the forgiveness of God through confession. He and the priest spent an afternoon together discussing all of my Dad’s decisions in dealing with his mother. My father, although certain that he had made the right decision, did not want to offend God. He was absolved of his sin and my father was at peace with God. His only challenge now is to forgive his mother. This is a task he has struggled with for years. I hope he finds peace in his heart soon. Hearing all the stories, there are better decisions my father could have made but in his mind and heart, he did the best he could do for his family. His decisions were always based on the well-being of