An OFW Success Story: Optimizing One's Talent

A couple of months ago, we had our company outing in a newly opened resort La Andreax Beach Resort, named after the children of Antonio an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) who did well working abroad optimizing his talents.  The resort  is situated along the clean and pristine beach  of  Cabangan, Zambales. As with any other newly opened resort, the services were still short of perfect, but one can already prophecy a  future profitable family enterprise as our group truly enjoyed our stay in his resort.

What is the story of the resort? Antonio's 3 children (2 boys and a girl) loved to go on outings. It seemed natural that when he decided to come home for keeps that he would buy land near the sea.

FOOD SERVER CUM GRAPHIC ARTIST

Antonio was a graphic artist and designer of architectural plans. He studied at Central Luzon State University (CLSU) enrolled in agricultural engineering that he did not get to finish. It is a course mainly  focused on landscape, drainage and irrigation. He loved to draw and he was more interested  in graphics and design.

He had the opportunity to go to the Middle East, specifically, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia where he worked close to 20 years.  He  first applied as food service crew in Kuwait working during the day and at night  did part time work  doing sign boards. Then at the time when war   between Kuwait and Iraq broke out, he transferred to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. There  he continued to work as  food service crew and part time graphics, draftsman artist and designer of house plans. In the 1990s, there was  not much use of computers, but  when  computer graphics became popular he learned through trial and error.

START UP OPERATIONS

For 5 years, his income a month was at  400 dollars however,  when his talent as graphic artist was discovered in one month's time it jumped to $ 2000 dollars a month. In his  part time job done mostly  at night he was doing designs of football grounds for royalty, tensile structures for tents, Arab type  hotels among others. He did  designs, computed for structural materials, then executed, Thursdays and Fridays, the typical Muslim weekends. He  worked and bought books and engaged in self study.

In 2003 he came home and tried different businesses while dreaming to have a beach house. He came to Cabangan (he was originally from Isabela). He realized using his talent and experience that the place had  good potable water, he saw the sand as a natural resource . He started to design a sketch. The place was 3,200 square meters. He was amazed at his discovery: free sand and potable  water within a few feet.

BUILDING THE RESORT

He started work  Dec 28, 2012 went full blast Jan 2- March 30 (in  90 days), built a swimming pool (in 40 days) used mainly using local residents. But he  got experts: a welder, a  plumber, the person who did the swimming pool. It was  difficult to grow plants in sandy soil so he decided to convert his beach property  into a resort.

Through the help of his children they started to build the family business. At first,  he started in the transport business but later moved on to the resort. The children started to buy their own "kudos"  a certain number for each  child, their participation in the business.  Then he came across the Zambales property. He quickly checked out its location in Google Earth and found out it was a good location that only a tsunami can destroy.

He quickly adjusted to  the neighborhood, getting to know the barangay and municipal officials.  He has a grand design for the future: two pools (a kiddie pool and an adult pool) with fountains, 10 airconditioned rooms, a water refilling station; a mini canteen. In the coming months he wants to build a parking lot  to accommodate big buses. He is still thinking through the suggestions of local officials for a function room and a multi-purpose hall. He notes  his resort is a pleasurable  3 hours drive from Metro Manila, quite accessible for tired city folks seeking communion with nature.

OFW SUCCESS

What attributed to his success as an Overseas Filipino Worker? He mentions his diligence, perseverance and  ability to use both his innate talents and acquired skills. He dreams to use these same talents such as his  knowledge of design to do what is necessary to develop the land on which the resort is built.

He also mentioned his sense of values. He rose from poverty, he was loyal to people he worked for, he delivered good service, he expressed gratitude to people who gave him the "breaks". Today he wants to be a role model to others, specially to his children, a legacy built on strong values.

Brgy. Laoag, Cabangan, Zambales 

https://www.facebook.com/LaAndreaxBeachResort

Employee Engagement Through Innovation

Recently, Ancilla Enterprise Development Consulting launched a movement for national innovation by inviting Herman Gyr Ph.D. and Lisa Friedman Ph.D., principals of Enterprise Development Group, a consulting company based in Palo Alto, California to conduct a CEO Forum and an Innovation Skills Boot Camp. Gyr and Friedman have consulting practices that span Europe and the United States. Being at the center of innovation that is Silicon Valley, they came to share their insights and impart innovation tools and skills.

Sponsors to the events among others are national associations such as the AIM Alumni Association, People Managers Association of the Philippines, the Philippine Society of Training and Development and the Organization Development Practitioners Network and the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

We are fortunate to work closely with them as partners and we had the privilege to have deep conversations that resulted in this interview article.

Tita: Why is innovation so important in this day and age?

Lisa: For two reasons.  One, today many economies are struggling. Manufacturing is shifting. Business is shifting. Whole industries need to reinvent themselves. Many countries are losing their manufacturing base. They have to find solutions solve economic problems. They have to invent solutions to revitalize their economy. Second, man today is facing many big problems that did not exist before and they need to be solved. These problems are global warming and environmental disasters. He has to seek solutions and this means to innovate.

Herman: There is a third reason, the digital revolution. Look around you in this restaurant, people have gadgets that did not exist when I visited the Philippines 16 years ago, three people using Ipads, even that two year old watching a movie through a tablet, everyone with a cellphone. In the world today, things change very quickly all the time. There is the constant digital revolution, speeding up of new technical developments. A whole new world is opening up with potential for whole market. Take for example the apps stores innovated by Steve Jobs. What is wonderful is the world can benefit from innovation. A relatively poor person can have access to all information. This is a revolutionary moment, where we have access to information to express ourselves, to innovate.

Lisa:  Even the nature of change is changing. Everything is  speeding  up. People have always been changing but the difference is change today is exponential. Changes also have completely changed culture. Exponential changes are happening almost every 18 months. It all began with the microchip.

Tita:   Does man have the capability to cope with all these changes?

Herman:     Creativity is not a limited resource. Man is capable of developing new ways of thinking, learning, communicating and managing information. For example there is a physics experiment today that can only succeed if 7000 scientists are connected to each other, trying to discover the building blocks of the universe, how did it all started. During the time of Einstein he worked probably with a small group. Today with technology, one can study in collaboration with others, complex problems, thinking of things the world has never thought of, it is a new era of innovation.

What is exciting about this moment is that technology is very cheap with instant connection with the world, there is  no difference where you are in the world today. It gives the small country an advantage. Take for example the Philippines.  English provides you the opportunity to connect to the world, you have a global language, no reason why  you cannot develop a Silicon Valley here.

Lisa: In fact in the United States, many young people leave stable jobs and start things on their own. This is the story of most successful innovations.

Tita: Today the Philippines is a major business process outsourcing center from IT, finance, human resources, customer service. Over a million people are employed in said companies. Can this industry lead to innovation?

Lisa: Definitely, people working in these industries acquire skills that can be put at the service of innovation.

Tita:  How do you differentiate creativity from innovation?

Lisa: Innovation is taking your creativity into something that creates value in the market. This is innovation.

Herman: It is creativity that delivers a value to a market. Something new is not necessarily innovative. Innovation delivers value, creativity is an important quality to enable innovation.

Tita:  In the case of developing countries like the Philippines, can’t we just be followers, can we just wait for innovation to come in?

Herman: Innovation is all about creating a community of users. Community is built by a first mover. If we just improve a little bit, we fall behind exponentially. Innovation is an economic engine, that must remain viable. Innovation means innovating processes and products to existing customers who want more. It is all about inspiring and engaging employees and getting them involved in the process of innovation. If you don’t innovate you fall behind. You have the capacity to do things better. It maybe corporate culture that holds people back, if you make people wait, this destroys the innovative spirit, people lose energy.

Tita: Talking about culture. Can national culture be holding back our ability to innovate? Filipino culture is often described as one that has high power distance with a strong respect for authority, more collective than individualist, more short term in thinking and risk averse,

Lisa:  The opposite is in fact true. Philippine culture has all the ingredients for successful innovation. It is not the individual alone but the group, the team that innovates. It is not about being reckless but it is about truly delivering value to the customer by managing risks.

It is about creating a value proposition that pays off. It is about leadership inspiring innovation.

Herman: Let us debunk the negative myths of innovation. What is best for innovation is doing it with others, not alone. It is not taking big risks, but managing risk taking. Venture capitalists do not take unnecessary risks, the idea they fund has great chances of being successful in the market. What is the market opportunity? We teach the discipline of innovation.

Lisa: We teach how to do innovation in person or on line. We have tools where people can vote, teams work out their value propositions, we have judges who sit in panels, we have contests that surface best ideas tapping the wisdom of the crowd, we look at which value propositions get the most votes, the customers are your gauge.

Herman: This is the age face book and twitter where human activities and exchange of ideas are happening in virtual space, we can solve things together.

Lisa: We can have bottom up  campaigns that can lead to strategic areas. Leaders can ask  for innovation, people look at leaders to run innovation campaigns. Working for example with a client in London they will be running a campaign that will supports the summer Olympics, where leadership defines an area of strategic importance. People and leaders must know how to develop innovation, people should not be punished for innovating.

Tita: How did you get interested in innovation as a consulting practice?

Lisa:  We felt and saw the need. The companies and industries we were consulting with were changing rapidly. They needed to be redefined from television, newspapers, post office, telecom, health care. There is potential disruption in these industries due to change. Innovative processes are needed. There was need to reinvent industries, some growing quickly, others smaller and more streamlined. It grew out of the work of the dynamic enterprise we wrote in our book ten years ago. It is about how to look at the future.  This is the work we have been doing for 25 years. It is also being based in Silicon Valley and proximity to Hollywood the center for entertainment. We have developed powerful innovation tools that we have seen succeed across continents.

Herman: We are truly happy being able to share to Filipino CEOS and people who will support innovation what we have learned for the past 25 years.

In closing, we are grateful to the Principals of Enterprise Development Group for their selfless support to our campaign for national innovation.

Leadership Transition In Action

[published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer - November 11, 2012]

Top leadership transition is often neglected in companies. My key learning from a multinational client of mine is that managing leader transition saves time, effort and money. It also ensures continuity of business results and productivity. Often companies think only the outgoing and the incoming CEOS are changing. They do not realize that in fact the entire management team will be flexing to the new leader, each one emotionally going through their own endings, neutral zone and new beginnings.

Recently, I had the privilege of facilitating the leadership transition at Swedish Match Philippines. One part involves the ritual of saying goodbye to the outgoing Managing Director who was Victor Bocaling and welcoming the incoming Managing Director. As the accolades of Vic were shared through the night he reminded me of the self effacing leader that Jim Collins talks about in his book from Good to Great.

I reviewed the key qualities that Collins talks about and realized how Vic has moved from "good to great". First, is to get the right people on the bus. Vic invested substantial time interviewing candidates who would form part of his management team ensuring the right person for each position.

Second, he created a climate where truth is heard. Vic confronted the brutal facts and led the company through the difficult times to succeed. His patience and perseverance in working through people issues paid off. Third, he kept things simple, clear about the mission, the values and focus. He pursued with relentless consistency the corporate strategy. Fourth, was to instill a culture of discipline, building a system of freedom and responsibility and practicing passion and commitment. Fifth was his ability to build cumulative momentum, creating alignment for results.

I decided to interview Vic for my own L-earning moments.


1. How did you develop your leadership style that combines a strong person orientation and a high performance culture?

I am fortunate to have worked in multilevel packaging development gaining technical expertise at Phimco. At the same time I had very good mentors and role models. One is Mr. Napoleon Nazareno, now President of PLDT and SMART. Poly was a great strategic thinker. Two is Cornelio Mapa, now chairman of SMPI (Swedish Match Philippines Inc.) He had an excellent view when looking at markets.

Both persons emphasized the importance of people in getting things done. Side by side, they asked for excellent performance. It took me many years to understand how to give 100 percent to both. I started working on myself in 1980, it took me for over 10 years to get the balance right.

As a young person they gave me the freedom to commit mistakes. They shared their expectations, gave me deadlines. When I went to consult they asked me questions to think about instead giving me outright the answers.

2. Share with me your educational background.

I came from MBA school and engineering school. As you advance in the corporate world you realize that technical competencies are not enough, one has to understand what drives and motivates people. As a Manager I realized the first 3 letters of the word are MAN, the ability to deliver results through people.

3. I noted that you have a strong culture of collegiality and solidarity that delivers good results. How did you get to this stage as an organization?

The first guideline to a strong culture is to be consistent. You have to constantly remind people of the corporate mission and core values. As a leader you have to act and deal with people while embodying the core values. People then discover from your example the norms. It is very tempting specially when it is convenient not be consistent. But as a leader you have to resist taking shortcuts.

It is also very important to be integrated as a person. How would I like to treated as a person? At the end of the year I take a day or two to be alone

(I am essentially an introvert but have learned to get out of myself in order to lead well) take stock what we did right, what could we have done better? Were we consistent to our mission and values? Can I look at myself in the mirror and like what I see?

4. How did you turn out to be a great manager?

I don't think I am a great manager. I did not aim to be a great manager. I simply want to do my best to accomplish what is required and try to uplift people who work for me.

I continue to read books on people and organizations. The latest book i read is on "the way of the shepherd". It is about continuously asking: how can I improve more? How can I do more? It is constant self-training.

5. How did you MBA schooling at Asian Institute of Management help you?

My first degree was mechanical engineering. AIM helped develop the business side of me and taught me many valuable techniques. My biggest takeaway is learning to deal with different people from different cultures. I realized that even if all my classmates came from Asia, we have cultural differences as Asians, so the need to be sensitive to people of other cultures. At SMPI, I work in a multicultural environment. My training at AIM allowed me moving forward to deal with bosses from different cultural backgrounds.

6. Was AIM your first multicultural experience?

No. My first experience (it was also my first trip abroad) was at the age of 13. My father sent me for schooling in a military school in the US at San Rafael, 20 miles from San Francisco. The experience of being away from the family and at an early age, adjusting to a military environment taught me how to cope and I learned how to live with people of different cultures. I was often mistaken to be Mexican but I strove to keep my Filipino identity as i tried to be tolerant of other cultures.

7. What do you value as a person?

Actually I am a private person with a high value for family. I am not a socially active person. But it must be my being a Gemini that has allowed me to be flexible, to evolve as a person. Career is important but love for family is a prime value.

I remember the time when the company was undergoing a difficult phase and I missed 3 to 4 years of my son's growing up years. I tried after to make up for those years being sensitive to their own growth, talent, ambitions and drives. Now are home is almost an empty nest as the children have grown up.

8. If you have a high potential executive assistant and you want him to succeed in the company what would you advise?

Three guidelines I will give. One, have clear goals. Two, learn to work with people. Not just through social media but face to face. There is no replacement for human contact. Three know the mission, values and goals of the company, develop strong alignment.

9. What was your typical week like at Swedish Match?
My typical week looks like this. 50% of my time is taken up dealing with direct reports, corresponding with superiors outside of the country and talking with customers. I focus on people issues 40 per cent of the time. 10 to 15 per cent i spend aligning and reflecting, this is because I have good people working with me.

10. What will life be after Swedish Match? What is still unlived in your life?

I want to support advocacies related to education. Our relatives have a university in Bicol, I wish to contribute more, give quality education. I want to go to the province to uplift this educational institution in whatever capacity possible.

I want to enjoy my family life so I will keep weekends free, go outside to the beach, spend time helping out in parish and community, enjoy being a computer geek. I will try give back in any way I can

11. Any regrets about the past 32 years?

I thank God for being blessed, even for the times of difficulties, even through 3 major restructuring, I am grateful for the opportunity to make the transition for people easier and more caring.

12. Any wishes for the new leader and management team?
I want to see the team to continue to do well run by Filipinos. Our Swedish management has to continue to appreciate local leadership and management and talent.

Be an Entrepreneur, Create Jobs

A core human resource challenge in the country today is job generation and employment. In fact the People Management Association of the Philippines has started to give this advocacy priority. For indeed having a job determines whether one survives and is able to take care of the needs of his family. A job or source of livelihood is  essential to avoid or alleviate poverty. Today  responsible entrepreneurship is one of the answers to job and livelihood generation

BELLA RESORTS

Last week Ancilla my company composed of 28 head office employees headed for  Bella Resorts in Matabungkay, Batangas. We found this simple resort that is clean, with a swimming pool, fronting the beach.  We were met by the manager. But I noticed this elegantly dressed lady cooking in the kitchen. Intuitively I asked if she was Bella and she was.

My writer's curiosity piqued I decided to interview her. She is Bella Dizon, born in Manila, from Filipino-Spanish parents, a former Karilagan model, who migrated with her first husband to Australia, spending 33 years in her adopted country. She raised 3 boys who are all professionals today.

Bella also represents a model Filipina who simply retires and transforms herself depending on the circumstances. She started her carreer as executive secretary, then in Australia studied to become a registered nurse, then later turned restaurant entrepreneur, now she is a resort owner (cum cook).  As we chatted away, I can sense her state of accomplishment and fulfillment. She is proud of his sons who are all professionals or entrepreneurs.

Then in 2006, after vacationing at Matabungkay Hotel she decided to purchase a retirement place fronting the beach. She built a beautiful house spending pristine days admiring the beach, the rolling waves and the lovely sunsets. However as the days passed she started to feel bored and lonely. She also saw the need of the community in the Ligtasan sitio for work . She gathered this through interaction with those who helped around her house. Multi talented she loves cooking, in Australia she worked as a nurse and even set up a rib and chicken place.  One thing she learned from her dementia patients is to always keep busy and make the mind work.

More people are coming to her place convinced mainly by word of mouth from customers.  It is only recently that she developed a web site. Soon the nipa huts gave way to more concrete air-conditioned rooms that mark her resort today. She employs 4 regular staff and 8 contingent staff who help out when the number of guests increase. Her mission today is to generate jobs and be of service to the community. Her resort now accommodates comfortably 60 to 70 guests.

She has  a vision for her resort. She wants to expand its capacity to be able to hire more people. She wants the resort to be a model to the locals of  a functional yet clean place. She recently hosted the wedding of an Australian marrying a Filipina. She entertained 130 visitors showing her the possibilities for tourism in the future, also for a lot of local celebrations such as christenings and anniversary parties. She is also bent on continuous improvement.

When asked how well her resort is doing, she smiles and says she delights in taking a vacation overseas once a year. She believes in hard work as well as in recreation. When asked about the values she instills in her staff she  emphasized fairness and  discipline. She also believes in managing the levels of stress of the staff.

Our wish and dream is for more Filipinos who have worked overseas to come retire and invest in our country and generate jobs. We congratulate Bela for her successful coming home transition to a new role.


Photos from: www.facebook.com/bella.beach.1

Deepening The Career Coaching Culture

Good day! Another opportunity for sharing learning moment.

Recently, we did a run for a multi-national insurance company desirous of getting its executives and managers to become people career coaches. It is the truth that while many companies claim to be concerned about career planning and management, they devote little time and resources to it. Their words do not match their actions.

This company is different. It takes coaching for career management very seriously. Together with us in Ancilla we have partnered to develop a system that works. Recently we did another training program to introduce new managers and executives to the system and how precisely they have to coach. In fact after two years of implementation, we are about to plan and introduce further innovations.

Career coaching has many benefits. It is a talent management tool that allows companies to keep the best of scarce talent. It saves money since search can be quite expensive. Then a new employees takes time to grow in terms of the learning curve and reach optimum performance.

The training program does not simply introduce the system. It trains managers to practice best coaching practices using role plays of actual situations that occur in the work place. Using a triad, playing roles of coach, coachee and observer accordingly, the learning is focused and intense.

Playing the observer role hones the person’s ability to give praise as well as constructive criticism that works.

In role playing, managers learn how to manage even difficult situations. In one instance one coachee played the role of a disappointed employee, who feels he has been bypassed for a promotion that he felt he deserved.  Presenting this situation in plenary the other participants were able to contribute other ways of handling the situation. 

What are the key principles that work for effective career caoaching for this company?

One the career coach is not the immediate superior. Often the immediate superior runs after the day to day results often neglecting career coaching. The career coach meets with the coachee once a quarter. S/he gives a listening ear. S/he monitors the development actions agreed upon. S/he prepares a coaching log that is then submitted to the human resource unit.

Two, the career paths are clearly spelled out from entry level to senior manager level. They spell out clearly what is required from the person desirous of getting to the next level. They include projects to be successfully undertaken and competencies to be acquired. The required performance appraisal rating  level expected is likewise included.

Third, decisions on promotions are jointly decided by the coach and the immediate boss. Once a year, candidates for movement and promotion who have completed requirements are recommended.

Try out these key principles that work.  

Financial Wellness For Everyone

One of the fastest growing industries in our country today is the business process outsourcing sector. It is frequently cited as a key pillar of our economy. Indeed it is a unique industry in the sense that it responds to the requirements of a globalized, interconnected world. But there is also the downside around the impact on people and the inherent lifestyle changes it spawns. Like how young people are paid so much and yet are able to save so little and worse get into debt.

How can we be a helping hand to this sector so that we can ensure that the young people who join this industry continue to live healthy meaningful lives?  How can we reach out to young professionals and entrepreneurs who have just joined the work force so they live value centered lives?

One of the elements of an integrated life is living a productive working life. It also means knowing how to care for the financial resources or income one derives from work to serve oneself and family.

For this article, I interviewed Chinkee Tan. He is a well-known media personality, popular with young people as one who gives solid and valuable advice. He is dubbed as a wealth coach. He will soon lead the first of the learning series on "Business and Life Skills for Everyone" that kicks off on July 26 at the AIM Conference Center.

Tita: Give us  some of your outstanding experiences and background that led you to specialize in personal finance and wellness consulting?

IN EVERY DIFFICULTY LIES OPPORTUNITY

Chinkee: I got exposed to the financial realities of life at a very young age. When my father's business collapsed, my mom took his place, she took on the role of  bread winner and I was  helping her trade. She was selling toilet paper wholesale and my role was to be the delivery boy of my mom. I can still remember going through grade school with not enough lunch money, so I would peddle my toilet paper business to my classmates, teachers and principal. That started my entrepreneurial spirit and also my dream and passion to become rich. But in order for me to become rich on the outside I need to be rich first on the inside. I need to invest in educating myself about financial education.

Tita: What are the 3 things that a call center agent or young entrepreneur or starting professional  do to ensure financial wellness and a solid future?

CREATE, HANDLE, GROW MONEY

Chinkee:

Create Money

The first step to financial wellness is to acquire the knowledge, the skills and the ability to earn money.Some say money is the root of all evil but the good book says "The love of money is the root of all evil." But if I may add by saying "The lack of money is the root of all evil." We can never be financially well and free if we do not have money to start with.

Handle Money

It does not really matter how good we are in creation but if we do not know how to handle our money, it will be useless.  At the end of the day, "It is not how much money we create but how much money we save."  Money skills are important in order to learn the basics of personal finance but I realize being a wealth coach for over 7 years that even if we teach people the right skills, unless they change their attitude towards money things will remain the same. For things to change, something needs to change. 

Grow Your Money

The third and final stage in order to create financial wellness and independence is the ability to make your money grow. There will come a time that you will stop earning money. We all know for a fact that if we do not learn the ability to  make money work for you, there will come a time it will be used up. These are the three most important building blocks that a person need to learn in order to achieve financial wellness.

Tita: Is it necessary to have a finance background to excellently manage one's finances?

Chinkee: One of the greatest lies that people often hear is that financial literacy is only for people who are well educated  or those who have taken special courses in investment banking. The fact is financial literacy and management should be for everyone.

Tita: When should you learn about financial management?

Chinkee: The moment you start spending money, you should already learn how to handle  your money. We should learn how to handle our money or money will handle us.

Tita: How much does one have to save without feeling deprived?

Chinkee: Savings is not about deprivation.One of the misconceptions of savings is that you need to live like a miser in order for you to successfully save. Savings have never been about deprivation.You can still enjoy life and buy anything you want as long as you put it in your budget.

Many people confuse savings with budgeting. They often think that  this is synonymous with one another. In reality, it is a world apart and very different. Savings is setting aside money for future use while budgeting is simply money allocated for spending.

Tita: A lot of young people today have pawned their ATM cards (where they draw their salaries) to lenders causing them to be demotivated at work? Can you suggest a process that could get them out of debt?

You can get out of debt. If you can't swipe it, you can pawn it! Pawning ATM nowadays are not a rare occurrence. It has been prevalent practice so that people engaged in it think the situation  is already normal rather than abnormal. This is just like using your credit card recklessly or doing cash advance. The major difference is that you pay higher interest. 

There is a four step process on how to get out of debt. First, you  have to make  a major DECISION. You have to decide first that this is not the lifestyle that you want to have. If your salary is not enough, you resort to borrowing. Once your salary comes out, you pay your debt and then it goes back to having not enough. Then it goes back again creating a vicious cycle.

Getting out of debt is more of an emotional rather than a logical thing. You need to come to a point in your life that you resolve to change your situation. Tell yourself you are sick and tired of living a life of borrowing and paying. Until you come to that point, things will never change. There are 3 more steps that you can learn in our live session that we will do on July 26 from 1 to 7 pm pat the AIM Conference Center.

Tita: What sort of investments would you recommend to a single employee with a take home pay of P 15,000?

Chinkee: The first major investment that you can make is in YOURSELF. Invest in financial education. Read books, attend seminars and ask people who have been there and done that. As I often tell my students "Knowledge is money and money is knowledge." If you want to make more money, you need to acquire more knowledge. Because knowledge empowers you to make wise financial decisions and choices.

It is you who is going to make the decision where to invest and put your money to work for you. If you do not know what to do, how can you make your money work for you. Passion and excitement will not bring you the millions. Often times they make you lose the millions as well. But knowing what to do and where to invest is one of your major steps to financial wellness.

Tita: How much does an engaged couple need money wise before one gets married ? before one decides to have a baby?

Chinkee: This is one of the frequently asked questions in my pre-marriage counseling seminars. There is no such thing as a an ideal amount to save before you get married. If you are trying to hit the ideal amount, you might reach 60 years of age and still  be single. My answer to this question is "As long as you are of legal age, have a stable income and willing to live within your means, you get married." 

Preparation is key to success in financial planning.

You must be able to have the ability to foresee or forecast upcoming expenses.

Having a baby is one of the most expensive investment a couple will go through 

in their financial life.

Here are the things that you need to expect.

Pre-delivery - monthly natal check up and vitamins the mother needs to take.

Delivery - hospital expenses /  medical fees / doctor's fee / normal or Cesarean delivery. Post delivery - monthly check up for the baby / vaccination / diapers / infant formula milk / vitamins. And many more ...

Tita:  How do you see the investment climate in the country? What would you advice in terms of investments?

Chinkee: The investment climate of our country is at its finest. The trust factor in our government is also at an all time high. We have been consistently paying our country's debt thus increasing the foreign investor confidence to lend more or invest more in our country. We are  just one step away to become categorized as an investment grade level  country in Asia Pacific. A major sign is the growth of our stock market plus the growing BPO industry.  

This is the time for us Filipinos to take advantage by investing our money locally not internationally. Even the major business tycoons can smell our local economic growth. Unprecedented growth of the real estate company has been building high rises and low cost housing left and right. Our local tourism has also been booming, new buildings like malls have been popping out like mushrooms.  In terms of personal investment, there are so many financial tools that you can invest and allow your money to grow. Allow me to give you one of the major rules that you cannot violate in investment.  

Rule Number 1. Never invest in something you do not understand no matter how profitable it may be. You cannot drive a car with your eyes closed.  It is just a matter of time before you meet a terrible accident. That is exactly what most people do, they invest with little or no knowledge at all. They lose all of their life savings in the process. I may sound like a pirated dvd but financial wellness is the result of a well informed financial decisions and actions.

Whatever happens on the outside is only a result of what is happening in the inside. If you see a person making bad financial decisions and choices, it only reflects what is really happening in the inside. If you want to know more about increasing your FQ (Financial Quotient) on how to create, handle and grow your money. We would like to invite you to be part of our Learning Event set for July 26. Please contact. phone nos or email.

Tita: Thank you for all the useful tips.

Midway White Beach Resort

As mentioned in my column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer I had this inspiring conversation with Borge Echavez who owns the  Midway White Beach Resort along the coastline of Tubigan, Initao, Misamis Oriental. It was the venue  for the Team Building Program  for the start-up plant of Philip Ong in Cagayan de Oro  named Pro Natural.

Midway White Beach Resort is just an hour away from Cagayan de Oro City . It has white sand and relaxing wonderful views.  Water sports include jetski, kayaks, banana boat. It also has a zipline that starts at the top of a tower on the shore and ends with an exciting splash into the ocean. The children of Borge, though still young monitor the performance of these facilities.

The workshop had twenty or so very talented participants, mostly young in their twenties and thirties and participants from head office in Manila. They were actively engaged in the program that   involved team building exercises to bond the group. It also included cross functional dialogues to  ensure quality internal customer and supplier relationships inside the plant. The evening ended with my doing executive coaching for the plant manager to manage her entry into the group.

I took the lead as facilitator, ably assisted by Mike Puangco (seated on the left front row), my eldest son who managed the team activities.

One challenging exercise is the 10 ball race. How does one manage to transport ten balls that will touch all the palms of the participants present. See picture of participants in action.

Saturday was a free day for everyone (it was also the company outing). After going to mass in the morning, Jenny Maniego (who's a program coordinator in Santeh foundation) and I went to market to buy sports clothes (in plain speak t-shirt and shorts). I was not prepared for a resort. Then we took the zipline, Jenny first. Then I followed. It was an adventure in managed risk. I noticed the safety precautions undertaken by the resort staff who prepare you to zip  (head gear, hooks etc.). Afterwards, Jenny  (shown in picture below in blue shirt ) and I (left in white shirt) rode the banana boat pulled by a jetski. What was different from the other riders, we gave strict instructions not to dump us into the ocean. They showed us how to ride (pretending that one is in horseback)  and not to tilt one’s weight to one side. It was our responsibility to keep ourselves in balance, We enjoyed the ride. 

Then we had a sumptuous lunch that included a tasty lechon! 

Entrepreneurship At It's Best

By Tita Datu Puangco

Recently, I flew to Cagayan de Oro to help " form" the new management team of an aqua and hog feeds plant named Pro Natural. Traveling from the airport, one can witness the brisk activities of rebuilding after the devastation wrought by the recent Sendong typhoon. I did not know that the workshop was to be held in a beautiful unpretentious resort called Midway owned and personally managed by Borge Echavez, 32 years old.

I was quite impressed by the level of customer service of the person assigned to assist us. He was quick on his feet, pleasant and respectful of the rules. Once he was offered something to eat. he politely declined the invitation because it was against the rules and that there is a proper time and place for the service assistants to eat.

Our training room left much to be desired, the air conditioners were not enough to cool the blistering heat being transported to us from outside. At one time we decided to open the windows and the doors to let the sea breeze cool us. But the group managed to work their best given the challenging environment. The joy of bonding, camaraderie and of course of good and delicious food worked wonders on people's learning.

Borge shared with us the history of the resort. His father bought it for 500 pesos a going away gift from wealthy and famous Muslim families whom he served for 10 years as a houseboy. He bought the resort in 1980. Borge recently got an offer to sell the resort for P 90 million that he courteously turned down.

In 2001 Borge took over after his father died. It was not easy because the enterprise had debts that even resulted in a foreclosure of property. After paying off debts to get back the property, he realized he a had to go back to study to manage the resort.

In one of the seminars he attended he was impressed by one of the speakers who talked of the importance of "personalized hands on operation" and the secret of success being " to befriend every guest " so that they come back for repeat business or spread through word of mouth the great service they received. He adopted the strategy and true enough he achieved a high 90 per cent repeat visitor record.

Then keenly aware of the trends in resorts he decided to attract the young through water sports including jet ski, kayaks, banana boat. He also added a zip line with a difference. The end point was a delightful splash into the sea. His first zip line he acquired at P 200,000 And the investment he recovered in 3 months time. Then he invested in a longer one for
P 400,000 and the experience of a quick return on his investment was repeated. When I took the zip line I noted the concern for safety and also the signing of the waiver protecting the resort from unjustified legal suits.

Another factor for success is good financial management that ensures that he keeps himself relatively free of debt. Borge also attracts groups to the resort through reasonable and competitive low packages for groups as few as 12 persons that include 3 meals, 2 snacks, rooms, all rides, jet skil, zip line, banana boat, kayak, glass bottom boat, beach volley ball and airport transfers for minimum for less than P2,000 per participant. He also understands customer seasons, one for the summer is attracting families and company outings and the seminar and training session from July to December. He has preference for government institutions who do several training batches year round.

Borge is also keen in preparing for succession, training his young children to work in the resort as his father did with him. Each child is assigned to monitor one major revenue stream on weekends. A young daughter takes care of the catering business. another boy the water sports and still another the zip line. Each one is paid P 100 per day during the weekend.

So, are these success factors in explaining success? In financial terms, resort revenues of P 400.000 to P 2 million a month. Other less tangible factors include his good relationships with both Muslims and Christians, and as a Christian he pledges a tithe to his community. he believes in " helping each other " as a practice.

Slowly he is replacing huts made of native material into concrete houses. In one section of the resort brisk construction is happening. One can already imagine the bright future of this resort and the blessings in store for the family that runs it.

It was a privilege talking to Borge. he is someone who can be mistaken as a coast guard, tanned with broad shoulders, wearing beach slippers with a walkie talkie in hand, making decisions and talking to customers. In Midway, unlike other resorts, one finds the learning entrepreneur, right at the middle of the action.

Managing Leader Transitions

By Tita Datu Puangco 

I rejoice every time I have the opportunity to do a leadership transition intervention for companies. I realize the benefits when a Mancom or Excom gets together to ensure through proper leader transition business continuity. It sensitively honors the legacy of past leadership and ushers in new  leadership that ensures new perspectives and approaches.

Recently, I had the privilege of acting as facilitator to this critical leadership challenge to a company that is leader in its industry. It  always amazes me how a series of simple questions answered and shared in sincere dialogue can increase trust. It builds the much needed bond among members who can move forward with great confidence towards the future.

I have witnessed it in a client company that is a leading institution in micro finance. The family owned institution decided to hire an experienced banker retired from a unibank. The two-day transition  workshop built a strong foundation of credibility and drove away fears and lack of confidence of the home grown officers. Since then, from the unified leadership, the institution has experienced much growth.

The training intervention has to be designed by first strengthening the bonding typical of a first stage team building exercise. Then it moves to a two-stage dialogue. The new leaders answer a set of questions guided by a consultant while the others work out answers to another set  of similar questions.

Then a sharing of answers follow with one side listening and asking questions of clarification . Then the tables turn with the other side sharing answers and enter retaining questions.

The session then concludes with norm sharing and a listing  of next steps. I realize creating a risk free environment where people can express their thoughts freely and candidly with consideration result in a windfall of goodwill for everyone. If any of our readers want sample questions, I would gladly share.

The opposite is true. A fast growing company was greatly hampered by cliques among the leaders, the clique of the old , the clique of the new and a number of leaders caught in between the politics of the two cliques. Leadership however refuses to see the need to confront the situation. Little by little resignations started to happen as the environment inside the company has become a contest poisoning the environment, discouraging talented employees from remaining and productivity remaining at low levels.

My learning, handling leader transitions result in big gains for an enterprise.

Art of Successful Career Shifting

By Tita Datu Puangco
[Published April 22, 2012  in the Philippine Daily Inquirer]

You are in a job that does not fully optimize your talent. You graduated from a nursing course and have difficulty landing a job. You are a call center agent who can’t adjust to sleeping during the day. These and other reasons may make you consider shifting careers. There is a part of you that wants to cling to the old comfortable job and skills, yet the yearning for a fulfilling job encourages you.

Leider and Shapiro, in their book “Repacking your Bags”, ask: where is your smile? They encourage you to answer the following questions: Are you living your own vision of the good life or somebody else’s? Are you having more or less fun than you did 5 years ago? They formulated the concept for the good life“ as living in the place you belong, with the people you love, doing the right work on purpose.” If you have lost your smile, then it is time to consider shifting work or career.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE JOB­

Where do you start? First step is to get to know better the job that you are attracted to. Interview people who work your dream job and find out how they got to their jobs. You may also offer to do on the job training with a company that offers them. For some , the Chinese saying,” one step backward and two step forward” may apply

NETWORK EXTENSIVELY.

Step 2: Ask your friends if they have in their network people who can introduce you to the sector that you are interested in. In this age of social networking, people can introduce you to people in the know. Keep an active curiosity. Be open.

INVENTORY YOUR SKILLS

Step 3: Take an inventory of your skills and competencies. Remember to do an exhaustive list to include general, managerial or technical skills. Then ask yourself which skills are transferable to other jobs and those you enjoy most.

MATCH WITH SKILLS IN TARGETED JOB

Step 4: Make a list of skills and competencies in your targeted jobs and do a match of your earlier inventory. For those that match, are they your strong skills? If not what can you to build them? You may want to attend training programs or find a certificate course

DEVELOP YOUR JOB OBJECTIVE

Step 5 : Develop your job objective. Your job objective in essence becomes your vision. It is important because it calls attention to your potential and alerts the employer on the type of job you seek. You may choose to do it the short way or th long way. What is important is to clearly state your functional interest. It can also express what you want to offer. Make it work oriented rather than self directed.

WRITE AN INTERESTING RESUME

Step 6: Write an interesting yet concise resume covering your competencies, knowledge and skills as well as your work experience. If you are interested in a career shift note down your strengths that you can tap for the position applied. Then email your resumes to acquaintances and friends who can help pass it on. The goal is to get as many job interviews as possible that increase your chances of landing a job. Or be on the watch for job fairs where companies go out of their way to woo applicants.

REHEARSE FOR THE INTERVIEW

Step 7: Prepare and rehearse for the interview. Write down a list of possible questions and prepare answers. Ask a friend to rehearse with you the interviewer-applicant interaction so you can refine your answers while maintaining authenticity and integrity.

ANTICIPATE CHANGE

Step 8: Identify the helping and hindering forces in making the career transition. Find out how you can optimize the helping forces and how to minimize, neutralize or eliminate the driving forces. Develop action plans to facilitate your career transition.

COMPARE RISKS WITH BENEFITS

Step 9: Consider the risks compared to the benefits. Anticipate the potential discomforts of moving from your existing job and prepare mentally and emotionally for the endings, moving through the neutral zone, then moving to your new beginnings. Consider likewise the financial adjustments by ensuring you have enough savings when you make the career shift.

LEARN THE NEW JOB

Step 10: Starting in a new job requires enthusiasm and energy. Manage your stress as you adapt and flex to the new job. Remember your learning curve has to rise. Be patient with yourself and make time for building learning partners in your new workplace.

Shifting career is not easy. But if your new job is aligned to your talents and skills before long, you will find not just a smile on your face but money in your pocket as well.

Leader as Servant

By Tita Datu Puangco
[Published April 15, 2012 in the Philippine Daily Inquirer]

With the Lenten season just over and the joy of the Risen One today Easter Sunday, as leaders we turn inward to reflect on our roles as leaders. Due to the request of a client I started to review the concept of servant leadership that I shared in my last column. I also launched "servant leadership" in my company Ancilla. Ancilla means to us "helping hand" or "handmaiden". How appropriate for a company dedicated to Mary, the handmaiden of the Lord.

SERVING INTEREST OF OTHERS

One of the principles of servant leadership is that, "the leaders serve the interests of others, above their own self interest for the good of the organization as a whole". It was a message, we put on all desk tops to remind us constantly that we have to be servants to one another.

In this period it is proper to think of the God man, who showed the way as role model of the servant leader. He who is God, has chosen to lead by being one, by choosing to become like us. He showed the example by spreading the "word" that brings us to touch the eternal. He healed people, he loved everyone as he loved himself, he washed the feet of disciples, he fed bread to the multitudes. He was the role model of the servant leader.

LEADERSHIP CONVERSION

Servant leadership is a leadership model that requires maturity. It is not easy in the sense that servant leadership as a practice requires personal conversion. Often, leaders are put to a test. Recently, we were excited to deliver to a project with tight deadlines. The team did not meet the deadline. In our company it had no precedents. It just does not happen but it did.

My first impulse was to express disappointment and react negatively. But it would mean the opposite of thinking of serving the needs of those led for the common good of the organization. Instead, what is important is to inquire how people were feeling and doing considering that they spent much time and energy delivering on the project. I have to be a servant leader. I have to understand the situation as something to embrace and accept, an offering for the Lenten season. On the other hand, we also have to engage in appreciative inquiry, looking at what helped or hindered the situation.

Before the meeting, 3 members of the team asked to meet with me. They came forward to express that they were holding themselves accountable and wanted to share the truth of their views of what happened. It was a refreshing change from the typical regrets and recriminations that would ensue from a similar situation. I realized that they were adults coming forward because their leader has acted as an adult wanting to know what happened without blaming.

Then when the whole team met, we did force field analysis brainstorming what helped and hindered the situation, we discovered that the root cause was the absence of the orchestrator, the project manager who would wield the baton ensuring doing the right things the first time and on time. This was the proverbial, anybody, everybody and no body. In essence it was my failure, the failure of leadership. Readily I accepted the mistake and we started to move on to discover the right things to do for the next project.

What amazed me was how the atmosphere moved from sadness to joy from fatigue to greater enthusiasm and commitment. Here I was learning the right behaviors of the servant leader. But there are more lessons for me to learn or unlearn.

AUTHENTICITY

One was to be authentic, leaders are to be open, real and approachable and accountable to others. We avoid the tendency to defend ourselves, instead we have to admit our mistakes. We recognize that we have much to learn as we have much to teach. We have to know how to listen and ask questions and be sincere to find the answers. Authenticity is being honest and demonstrating integrity. People can trust what we say as we fulfill our promises.

PEOPLE GROWTH

Two, is developing people. Leaders take responsibility to help others grow to their full potential as leaders. Every interaction is a helping opportunity that can encourage growth and development. In fact, mistakes and failures provide the springboard for learning. Servant leaders recognize that people as they are have present value as well as future potential. I realize that my most memorable bosses were those who took time to coach, mentor and counsel me, moving me forward in terms of leadership maturity. But my best bosses were those who acted as role models, setting the example. They also brought out the best by affirming rather than putting down people.

BUILD COMMUNITY

Three is building community. Servant leaders aim at making people work together in caring, achieving communities. They recognize that equally important to achieving results is concern for the relationships of people doing the job. This means, getting people together to spend time to reflect and heal and get to know one another. They encourage friendships. I remember clearly one of the "great place at work" characteristics is having a best friend at work. They go for win win relationships working in a collaborative manner. Servant leaders value differences careful to sense their own biases and taking care not to play favorites or make others feel less valued.

PROVIDE AND SHARE LEADERSHIP

The other servant leadership practice is valuing people by serving them first,believing and trusting in people, and listening non judgmentally. They also encompass providing and sharing leadership. This means developing a vision, taking initiative and clarifying goals. It likewise means sharing leadership so that others get the opportunity to lead, empowering people to act for the good of the group and the mission of the organization.

May we truly have the joy of Easter by giving ourselves as servant leaders to others!