"It's not who you are that matters, it's who you know that does"
Minsan na akong naninwala dito noon. Ang importante daw ay ang mga "contacts" mo para makaungos sa buhay.
Kaya pala ganun na lang kung kumapit, dumikit, sumipsip ang karamihan sa atin para makatsamba ng pagkakataong makagawa ng deal at transaksyon.
Sa isang banda may katotohanan naman di naman ito kung iisipin mo. May maganda kang ideya, produkto o serbisyo pero wala din namang saysay kung wala kang customer.
Ang problema nito, may contacts ka nga pero palyado naman ang ideya, produkto at serbisyo mo, eh di wala din di ba?
Kaya nga maraming beses nangyayari ang kurapsyon ay dahil "below standard" ang mga inaalok nilang serbisyo sa publiko kaya kinakailangang "magpadulas" para lang makapasok sa mga iba't ibang transaksyon sa gubyerno.
Baliktarin naman natin, bakit di muna natin tutukan ang sarili natin bago ialok sa ating mga contacts?
Bakit di muna natin bigyan ng oras na ayusin ang ating ideya, produkto o serbisyo bago mapaso ang mga customer natin sa pangit na ideya, produkto o serbisyo?
Kasi naman mga tol, magamit mo man ang contacts mo pero nadala naman sila sa iyo eh balewala din.
Di na uulit. Walang repeat order.
Kaya ang mas maganda siguro, baguhin natin yung kasabihan na "It's who you are that matters, it's who you know that does".
Gawin nating "Who you know won't matter if who you are does not"
An amazing leader, innovator, thinker has passed. From Europe to Asia, throngs of fans flocked to Apple stores worldwide to offer flowers, effigies and even their ubiquitous logo: apples to celebrate the life of Steve Jobs. One message says it all in one store in Manhattan; printed in bold letters the words “I Thank You”
A woman went to a fortune teller to consult the future of her wealthy husband.With a great degree of concern the psychic announced “Your husband will be found dead before the end of this week!”
Apparently unperturbed by the shocking news the wife then blurted out “Do you think I will get away with it?”
Now I will try to be a little controversial for writing this but I have always been uncomfortable at the thought that I completely have no control over my life; emphasis on the word completely.The line that says all the world’s a stage and that we are merely actors makes me believe that I at least have time to rehearse right?
Do you feel that you are not getting anywhere near your dreams?Do you feel things have been the same, the same tasks, same cubicle and coworkers for the longest time that you’re actually getting sick of it?
This is a story I lifted from author Tony Buzan’s book “Embracing Change” here’s how it goes:
I don't have a car. Yes I commute to and from work and clients everyday. I understand the squeeze at the MRT's and chasing buses and jeeps.
I don't own a mansion.
I don't own designer clothing or any bling, the most that I own is my dream shoe my Jordan 6 retro which I got on sale. Most expensive thing I own.
Most people (especially girls) salivate over the thought of their LV's or Hermeses, or that new pair of shiny rims or audio system or Apple gadget. I don't have any of those though owning one wouldn't hurt either.
What do Bill Wennington, Otis Thorpe and Cliff Levingston have in common? One, they are probably names that you have not heard of and two, all of them have championship rings.
For the record I am not a Dallas Mavericks fan. Never was. In fact I am a huge D-Wade fan; I bought and wore all of his shoes and even bought his jersey. But during this finals series I was seriously rooting for the Mavs to win, and they did.
During the initial press conferences it was evident that the Miami Heat were the clear favorites going into the series and the Mavs were the eventual underdogs. The rest of course, is history.
Why did the Mavs win and the Heat lose? Greg Anthony former Knick summed it best; in a 7 game series the team that wins it in 6 and on the road is clearly the best team. Hey but wait! Don't the Heat have 3 of the best players in the league in King Lebron James, Chris "Invisible Man" Bosh and D-Flash Wade?
Please allow me to share with you a personal story.
A few years ago when I started SUCCESS COACH® I literally experienced what most people would call the proverbial “birth pains” in business. Part of those pains was the need to establish yourself as a legitimate, credible service provider. The first couple of months in the business was like hitting a concrete wall; very few leads and almost no nods. Contracts were slow and few in between that I had to live off whatever savings I had left and even resorted to borrowing money from people just to get by. There were even times that I had to skip lunch if ever I was on the road because I wouldn’t have enough money to get back home. I honestly started to doubt if this was the path I truly wanted to take.
Tonight I just came from a basketball tournament sponsored by our local barangay. It’s only the second game in our league but I could already feel my complete anatomy asking for an overhaul. I’ve got a bruised right shoulder, a nagging left shoulder, a head bump, sprained pinkies, an aching left heel, a malfunctioning left knee and a case of tennis elbow. I just recently turned 35 this April but I definitely feel like 55 in basketball years. I definitely have reason to believe that people like me should be made shareholders of Alaxan. In Accounting parlance I am now what you might call “fully depreciated!”
Last Saturday March 19, 2011, yours truly and a group of friends went to the Pediatrics Ward of the Pasig City General Hospital to give away a few blessings to the less fortunate.The smiles and thank you’s were definitely worth all the effort.
This was made possible because of YOUR contribution!
For every engagement of SUCCESS COACH’s seminars, training programs or business consultations, a portion of our professional fees are set aside to benefit the LESSONS OF LIFE Project (LOL Project), a non-profit organization created to advocate personal development as well as to help patients in need at different charity wards.
A man was driving along a rural road one day when he saw a three legged chicken running down the road. He was amused enough to drive along side it for a while, as he was driving he noticed the chicken was running 30 mph.
Pretty fast chicken, he thought, I wonder just how fast it can run. So he sped up and the chicken did too! They were now moving along the road at 45 mph!
The man in the car sped up again, to his surprise the chicken was still running ahead of him at 60 mph!!!
Sports teams have cheerleaders, rugby teams have their Hakas, kids have their Lolas! Sure you're cute and talented and all that, but without a really good push it's really harder to get where you want to be.
So this new year where do you want to be? Do you want to lose weight? Want to improve your career or earn more money? Do you want to finally tie the knot if not find someone to tie it with? Well whatever it is you wish for to improve this 2011, let me give you some "cheers" or mantras, words to say to yourself to help lift you up to that level of improvement.
A vision is not just a picture of what could be; it is an appeal to our better selves, a call to become something more.
Rosabeth Moss Kanter
I want to share with you a conversation I had with a client of mine whom I consider also a friend Mr Jon Herrera. Jon along with his sister Rosario are the people behind some of the newest and trendiest places such as Greyone Social, Status Magazine, Styles Entertainment, Trilogy Boutique, Embassy Superclub and now Encore.
After just several years Jon and company had been able to create and reinvent the way we shop, dine, party and be entertained. As early as 2003 I've had this sort of prediction that a new breed of businessmen, from different originations, philosophies and cultures are going to take Philippine business by storm. The umbrella company of Styles Entertainment is definitely one if not the first of them.
I was having lunch with Jon early this year and I was asking him how he started on his journey to success. His answer to me was very simple yet profound. He said
"Everybody sees the swan but not the ugly duckling that came before that."
Simple, but very true.
He then went on to share his story with me when he was just 18. He said he wrote down in his journals his visions for his future. He wanted to be a DJ, own a cafe and restaurant and be a successful entrepreneur. Coming from a conservative background in the States he did have his share of doubters and naysayers, but went on to burn his ships as the story goes and never looked back. True enough though, acting as if it was impossible to fail Jon realized his dream of becoming a DJ, owning a cafe and restaurant, while having the time of his life doing it!
So what made the difference for Jon that's so elusive to so many? Was it a cosmic alignment of the solar system that made the sequence of events conducive for him to succeed or was it just a lucky roll of a dice? Did he have something about him the same with every other successful person that none of us has discovered yet?
I have had the wonderful opportunity to help several companies create and develop their own Values, Mission and Vision statements. Most if not all of them do this to reevaluate their corporate direction and culture. These companies ask the ultimate questions: Why am I here? Why do I exist, and am I on the right track?
Picture yourself like a ship, complete with a dock, sail and crew. Chart a clear course and more often than not you will reach your destination. Get that same ship, complete with everything but a destination and you will get nothing but a piece of metal and wood being swept by the waves treading where the winds take it. You'd be lucky if you ever leave the docks at all.
The very first but also most important step in Personal Development is creating your own vision. Unfortunately this is where a lot of people get stuck or get it all wrong. "To become a millionaire by thirty" or "Simply fulfill my dreams" won't cut it. I have several signposts for you that I hope can help you draw up a clear vision for yourself:
1.) Whose dream is it? - a lot of people get caught up in the hype of materialism that they are lead to believe someone else's dream is also theirs. Are you pursuing a career that YOU chose yourself or did someone else plot it out for you? I took up Accountancy in college only to find out I didn't want to spend the rest of my life behind a desk. I found out later on that I enjoyed designing and being creative. I particularly enjoyed interacting with people, a lot of them which was something I wouldn't have been able to do in front of ledgers and worksheets.
On the other hand, so many of us believe that having a six figure salary is the penultimate point that you have "made it" Tell that to a friend of mine named Eugene who works as a highly paid executive in New York. He does get his six figures, the quarterly travels and all the perks but never considers himself a success. His setbacks in his personal relationships mask the glitter of all the rewards he's been receiving. Wouldn't you want to be working so hard and be genuinely thankful, not resentful for where you have gone? If you kept on doing what you are doing now, where would you want to be? This brings me to the next point:
2.) What pushes you? - I sincerely believe that one of the best motivators for any person is the opportunity to be recognized for something they do well. With that being said I understand why some many people dread going to work everyday. They simply are not in a position where they have the chance to shine, or are doing something that does not credit their talents and skills. What is it that you are good at? Is it making and executing sales presentations, designing marketing collaterals or putting together software programs? This is called your core competence.
Your core literally means from your center, your gut. This is what keeps your creative juices flowing, it's what excites you to come to work in the morning and stay up a little bit more at night. Eventually this core competence is what picks you out from the crowd and gets you ahead. Identifying a person for what he does well and rewards him for it in time pushes them to go further in performance and deeper in commitment.
Sadly not too many of us are in a position right now where we are chasing a dream we have always wanted, or do something that fuels our God given abilities but do not despair. Today is as good a day as any to reflect and take action. Companies go to great lengths and distances to conduct strategic planning sessions. I just hope they don't come out of those brainstorming sessions just to reiterate a singular vision of being more profitable.
Ask yourself the questions I posed on those signposts, see if your personal mission aligns with the culture of your company and that it fosters the development of your talents and skills. If you suddenly find yourself lost and in need of a push, just keep that image of where you want to be, how you can help other people and make a difference right in your sights. Then ask yourself the same question Jon gave me once you've finalized your vision:
"I'm sorry Randy, but we’re not into training right now."
I was floored, appalled even by the presuppositions of some corporate "leaders" we have today.
"I know that already" or "Been there, done that" is their common response. They have this chip on their shoulders the size of boulders. But rather than be offended I actually pity them sometimes. They actually don't know what they're missing. And believe me, they're missing a lot.
I tend to blame our current system of education sometimes for this predicament. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against teachers and the teaching vocation per se. Being a coach and trainer I am as much a teacher in that regard. Besides, teachers same as firefighters and policemen are such noble professions that I hope we could promote more.
The art of mentoring has given way to instruction. Do this and that without question. Our state of teaching has become predominantly left brain centric that it has lost touch with the "why's" and more of the "what's".
Kids nowadays don't know why they had to study Logarithms, Musical beats and the lifecycle of frogs. They're bored and resistant. That's why they would try to avoid the word studying as much as they can as if traumatized by the entire 14+ years of educational incarceration.
Pop quiz hotshot: What's the prevailing factor in the success of most businesses today?
Information.
It is the currency that fuels Social Media, the World Wild Web and the stability of the stock market. It is being informed that keeps most businesses from being outrun in a growingly competitive environment. It is the MBA graduate who keeps the senior employees always looking in the rear view mirror and the tech geeks lording over a fiercely expanding industry.
Our ability to learn and be updated has been so convenient and immediate that you can check your stock portfolio in the middle of the street. You can research your Biology homework with a press of a button or find and talk to long lost friends anywhere in the world.
The concept however of "outsourcing" information from consultant companies seem to be unnatural for some of us. I can only surmise that this stems from a certain level of personal insecurity. Honestly I couldn't blame them. Not too many would want to admit that there are things that they don't know or understand. It would simply be construed as a sign of weakness.
No worries Macho Man, but how about everybody else in your team?
Warren Bennis in his book "On Becoming A Leader" said:
"Adults learn best when they take charge of their own learning. Taking charge of your learning is a part of taking charge of your life"
Most people believe that learning stops midlife, and that the rest of a person's life is spent then on teaching and nagging our kids and grandkids with stories of old. Well these people should say that to Picasso, Churchill and Sigmund Freud.
Learning never stops, unless that is you've been living under a rock. Henry Ford said a person who stops learning is old. So if you are desperately looking for an anti aging supplement, try a book or two once a month for life. Increase dosage every month thereafter.
The most learned people would be the first to tell you that they never stop looking for ways to inspire, instruct and increase their lives so that they can inspire, instruct and increase the lives of others. Imagine this, if the average person reads around 220 words per minute and reads a book for 20 minutes a day everyday, that person would have read twenty 200 page books in one year!
So what you say? I heard this story one time from Author and Cultural activist Alex "Pinoy" Lacson during his days in UP. A classmate of his bragged he will one day be the Editor In Chief of , UP's official paper. This man had a vision, and was totally committed to it that for one hour per day everyday he would read a book. He did this habit for all of his collegiate days until he eventually landed the editorial gig in his senior year!
And the stories such as these abound. The saying is true. Anyone who can read but doesn't is just as good (or bad) as anyone who can't.
Where do you stand? How much do you know about the intricacies of your job, your industry and your business? Do you consider trainings, seminars and workshops as an unnecessary blot in the expense ledger? Or are you secure enough to say you need and want to learn, feel and experience more?
If you are a parent, manager or someone whom people look up to, do yourself a huge favor and pick up a book, or plug in a motivational cd. You not only improve that gray matter in between your ears but also create a good example for everyone else to follow. The best amongst us were NEVER content of what they already know and were always looking into continuously improving themselves.
As many others I have found 3 steps in the learning process and they are:
1.) UNLEARN - What you thought you knew yesterday is probably all wrong today. Customer demands, technology and business processes evolve in a blink of an eye that it is true that to miss a beat is to miss the boat. Be ready to let go of what you thought was right and all it's prejudices and start looking outwards.
2.) LEARN - The process of acquiring USEFUL information. Finding the necessary resources that will help you improve in your field. But learning isn't just gobbling it all up, but rather a process of synergizing and synthesizing. Pick up what is useful and relevant then weed out those that don't sit well with your perspective.
3.) RE-LEARN - Self education literally becomes a habit, and a good one at that. Be tenacious and hungry for improvement. The little increments of improvement done daily creates the world class performer. They say talent is never enough and it's true, unless you pair it with a drive to relearn.
This goes back to the proverbial getting out of your comfort zone and adapting to the changes in the industry. They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, I say it depends on the trick and the dog. 20 years or so from now I would probably dread learning what would be the "in" thing in technology and communications but will give in nonetheless. Right now we are probably wondering what else could replace Facebook or Twitter? Heck nobody ever thought anything could beat Friendster and Myspace!
Ever thought if your style of management is the same in other parts of the world or do you still believe the garbage bag Leave Alone Zap You style is the best approach? Red or BlueOcean? Ever heard of Green Ocean Marketing?
Don't know where to start? Try looking into material related to your biggest passions whether it be cooking, personal development, self help or business. Subsribe to blogs like these and useful articles on the web. Click that "Like" button on sites of inspirational people and organizations. Or better yet, pick up the best selling book of all time even without pictures; the Bible, and feed not only your mind but also your soul.
Today marks exactly one year from when me and my two kids finally stepped off from our neighbor's roof after two days of Ondoy's deluge. There were several lessons I derived from this experience that similarly affects organizations in itself. I want to invite you to reflect on this analogy and how we can adapt to it.
We weren't even on our own roof since our house had a protracted roof design so I had to swim across raging floodwaters a total of 5 times to bring my 2 kids, my in laws even our dog to the house across the street.
By the time the clock struck 6pm the waters had reached the second floor of our house so we had to make a decision to stay and perish, or take the risk.
In a cruel twist of fate all our windows were weld shut, no emergency exits. You don't think of this stuff when everything's fine and sunny. One brave neighbor had to swim under the waters to find their saw and hand it to me amidst the risk. I simply knew I didn't have enough time. Again our good neighbor tied a tire interior to downed power lines and threw it our way. With the help of 3 guys I was able to shuttle my family to the other side.
It wasn't much of a picnic on the other side either. We were a total of about 5 families on that roof since it was the nearest and highest. For the next two days and nights we had to endure the cold nights and scorching daytime sun. Only the kids were the ones who ate since supplies were scarce.
We barely made it with very little resources and a lot of natural curveballs thrown our way, but after 2 days of sun, rain, hunger and mosquitoes we made it out alive.
I know others had it worse and lost loved ones during that event. Looking back now there were 2 things I realized with this experience:
1.) Problems redefine priorities - A lot of furniture, clothing, jewelry and appliances were lost during that storm. Coming down from that roof we knew we were carrying with us nothing else but our most valued possesion; our family alive and intact.
Problems regardless of magnitude can disturb, shake up and distress anyone. Just look at how many lives were directly affected, even the ones in non affected areas and how a nation's emotion was stirred just watching the sequence of events.
Adversity has it's way of changing at how we view things, and how we put them in their proper perspective. In the movie "The Day The Earth Stood Still" humankind underwent an ideological cleansing of sorts facing the possibility of extinction. We were in fact facing the same situation. Had the waters risen any further there was no other place for us to go. And for most of us the thought of our own mortality does redefine suddenly our priorities.
Some experts say the likelihood of Ondoy happening again is next to nill. Nobody believes these "experts" anymore and honestly I don't care. Myself like a majority of people affected by Ondoy and Peping understand the perils. We saw death right in the eye; children, women, dogs and elderly people included. Anyone who has been in a traumatic experience can either tremble in the thought of a reoccurrence or they would grin and say "Bring it on!"
Oh and by the way my kids were laughing the whole time I was leading them across the fllodwaters!
Which leads me to realization number....
2.) Community is more powerful than unity - John Maxwell said in one of his talks that it is literally impossible to achieve the notion of unity because it meant everyone in the organization all agreed. If you believe that he says, you're probably smoking something.
A world, organization or entity that NEVER disagreed on anything is impossible. Unity can be achieved on one or several goals and visions, but not exclusively on every ingredient and methodology on how to achieve it. Everybody can be united on issues of world peace, climate change or how to reach this year's quota. But when the question emerges on HOW to achieve it, unity goes right out of the window.
Community on the other hand is closer to the truth as possible and is readily achievable. When you are in a community, it is automatic to presume that we have differing opinions and don't normally see eye to eye. We accept it as a fact that we don't always agree, but the key factor in a sense of community is that all of us understand and acquiesce that we are part of ONE team.
We can have our disagreements here and there, heck some might not even like how you look but eventually surrender to the bigger picture, that all of us form a singular organization, a sum bigger than it's parts.
I didn't even know the names of those people who helped me and family during that time of crisis, but helped nonetheless. Could they have had any pre-ordained assumptions on who I was a a neighbor? Maybe, but helped nonetheless. Could I have slighted them in any way even inadvertently in the past that might have changed their dispositions? Maybe, but helped nonetheless.
Look at your team right now. In the face of problems and imminent risk, do they bind together or scurry off in different directions? Is everyone united in celebrating this year's success but scattered and indifferent when the numbers were low the last?
Rather the usual united hoopla that happens during plenary meetings, try to establish a culture that will say "I may not have agreed with your idea, but I will support it nonetheless" then go ahead and celebrate it afterwards.
Build that level of confidence and trust in each other through the highs and lows. And when the lows do come up, grab each other by the hand and say..
Waking up on a Monday morning and dreading this day or even coming across it. You open your eyes and say “Shit! It’s a fucking Monday again!” You get up hesitant and weary, wishing this day could be erased from the calendar. (Which you would still say “Shit! It’s a fucking Tuesday again!”) You do your regular routine and find out you ran out of toothpaste, or soap, or coffee or several other things that adds up to your frustration. You’re in a rush fearing the traffic and the rush of the first day of work and school only to find out that the traffic was actually worse than you imagined. You enter the office door exasperated, sweating and annoyed and it is just the first few hours of the day. At this point you could swear that you wished today would end quickly, including the dragging sales meeting.
Does your Monday look exactly the same? Yes, counting even the swearing? I might not be a statistician but I can very well say that this happens to probably 8 out of 10 people, including my old self. Let me tell you something about this phenomena and how to turn it around in your favor.
Your first thought of the day is one of the most important one you’ll ever have. This thought will dictate the mood you are in for the next 24 hours. If you think anxiously and with disdain the moment you wake up, the rest of your day will take that exact shape. Why? Simply because we become what we think about. Our thoughts create the emotion that will determine our actions and predominant thinking. Hence, we look at our environment negatively, get irritated by small things and cause us to affect others in the same pessimistic way.
So what do I do?
First, get the habit of waking up in the morning with 3 words; “Thank You Lord”. Then start your first few hours of the day thinking of all the things you must be thankful for. Doing this gives you greater appreciation of what you have, rather than the ordinary, mundane things that you don’t. This will shift your conscious attention to that of positivity. Now this might not help ease the traffic in hindsight, but this will give you more focus on the thought of gratitude for still having a job, or still being able to walk, see and hear.
Do this today, in fact do it this everyday as you open your eyes to a new morning. You’d be surprised to see all the beautiful things you have taken for granted are in fact your greatest treasures.
I was at MOA last weekend to meet an American contact named Herman. We had dinner at the open strip at the Cruise Bar and helped ourselves to some live entertainment. The band coming up was named Expose and the lead vocalist Mark was friends with my companions and was very accomodating.
My friends told me that Mark was a real entertainer so i was a little excited to see him play. I've always loved live music and this one was no exception. When the band started playing their first song Bad Romance by Lady Gaga i saw Mark move like crazy! I guess the best description i could make was that he had energy like Gary V but was totally slapstick funny like the Porkchop Duo. The guy was a hell of a singer too.
I was telling Herman over a few beers how I entertained I was. That was then he leaned over and said something to me was very profound:
"He gives his heart into what he's doing eh?"
That actually got me thinking. Here was Mark who was pouring his heart out in his performance and the audience of course gave him his due applause. The place was actually packed with regulars because they wanted to see him play. They chose to stay at that bar because there someone was giving more of himself over the other bands in other places.
How much of your heart do you give into your performance? Do you give it all or do you hold back for fear of criticism? Obviously Mark had the following that he has now because he gave 200% of his energy towards doing something he loves to do. And yes he is good at it at that.
If you don't believe me head out to the Cruise Bar at MOA on a Saturday night and be entertained. Ask yourself also if you're giving the same effort as he does.
.jpg)
.jpg)