Curbside Stories

It may be December and everyone is excited to have a vacation, but I am here in the office waiting for my turn to share what I have learned from reading chapters 5 to 7 of the book by Brian Tracy entitled Focal Point . We always do these kinds of stuff, reading portions of a book and share it to every employee. This activity is one of the programs of the human resource to train the employees. It is actually a two point process, the speakers (usually managers and department heads) get to learn new managerial skills, including public speaking, and at the same time rank and file employees get to hear their managers deliver the message. This book hopefully will teach its readers on how to simplify their lives to double their productivity and to achieve their goals ultimately. There are 12 steps on how to do it but the point of this book is to make personal changes to allow new opportunities to come in, both in personal and career life.

When I was in college, all I could dream of is how to become an owner of my own business or to become a boss. I started working as a clerk at age 21 in a local government office. I stayed there for about two years before deciding to work in a private company. It was a breathe of fresh air from the corrupt system of the government but I stayed only for about year. I was even asked a promotion but I refused because I believe that there's still a better chance for me out there. Finally, in 2007, I was hired as an executive secretary, also in a private company. After three years, I was promoted as a department head of IT and later on as a department head of marketing in addition to my IT duties. I have 5 people under my supervision. My dream of becoming a boss came true. I thought before that it was the perfect job with all its perks--high salary, respect, authority, the sense of being in control of everything. It's not, because behind all the responsibilities and perks is acco...

1. Leaders engage themselves in filtered information, they surround themselves with bureaucracy that thinks the same way they do. As a consequence, although they reach agreement, oftentimes that agreement is not contemporary and not in any way relevant to what's going on in their marketplace. 2. Leaders who engage in selective hearing, in other words, they hear what they want to hear but not necessarily what they should.  3. Wishful thinking that when the business is off, the market will come back, they all do, they see the world through rose-colored glasses, they see the world as they want it and not as it is.  4. Fear. There are cultures that suppress reality. They punish people that have views that are confrontational or that are different from the norm. Organizations that suffer from this don't get real information, as a consequence, you behave in a way that's not contemporary with what's going on around you. This is from Larry Bossidy's speech ...

I dream of going to Disneyland even when I was still a kid. I grew up watching all the Disney princesses and I think that Mickey Mouse is the most lovable mouse ever. Indeed there is some sort of magic that makes people dream of going to the happiest place on earth. How Disney maintain that certain level that is beyond comparison is something that tickles my imagination. When I went to the bookstore to find reference books for my research, I stumbled upon a book entitled The Disney Way by B. Capodagli and L. Johnson. I read the foreword and before I know it, I was already at the cashier paying. I could not put the book down. It was amazing reading their management principle is almost the same as any other large companies, maybe, just maybe, the only thing that differentiates Disney from the bunch is that the have with them the most committed and happiest employees who believe in their vision to make Disneyland the happiest place on earth. I will let you in on Disney...

This week is just one of those days when I feel I am at my lowest... Let me explain. My house was flooded for days because the public works had to widen the road so they dumped soil to flatten and make even the surface. The excess soil covered our drainage system. When we asked the contractor to remove the soil so that water will not stagnate, the foreman said it's another contractor's job. I was so devastated to hear the lack of concern. That moment of truth hit me... it is not war but the lack of concern that will annihilate us. We were forced to spend money to hire someone who would dig up the soil to get rid of stagnant water that is attractive to dengue mosquito, leptospirosis and all other debilitating diseases. Monday is the first day of work and the only day in our weekday wherein all department heads gather for a flag raising ceremony... I was expecting to receive some words of encouragement from our boss to get us through the week with enthusiasm, but to ...

I was so pissed and stressed earlier this day that I went to the bookstore to buy a book. I have been planning to have a grand vacation since time immemorial and in my to-see places list is Disneyland--the happiest place on earth--to experience the magic of being in the land of pure innocence. Having Disneyland in my mind made me buy this book--The Disney Way: Harnessing the Management Secrets of Disney in Your Company. I may not go to Disneyland any time soon but at least I get to take a look into the mind of the man who made a mouse famous--Walt Disney.

I work as a marketer, and advertising is an inevitable task in my profession. Aside from conceptualizing the look and feel of an advertisement, our department is also responsible to look for contractors who are excellent at printing posters , campaigns, and all other printed marketing materials. Just recently, our department had a hard time conceptualizing a promo for a specific new service, it was good to know that aside from poster printing , our contractor ( Visit the site here ). also had great ideas to share with us. We went with their suggestion and the campaign went so well that we are planning to make it an annual event. I do not have a bachelor's degree in business, but I do not consider it as a disadvantage for me. My being chosen to work in this field has brought me so much experience and it is continuously inspiring me to learn new things. It really doesn't matter if you do not have a degree in business, for as long as you have the guts, the ambition and the cou...

This is an eBook from Good Reads. Although this book was produced out of warfare and is currently used in the military, it can also be applied in business. My favorite excerpt is... "If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle." In every business, it is important to have a SWOT analysis of both the company and its competitor. It will be a guide in creating a strong marketing strategy.

Me with fellow Philippine Marketing Association officers and Prof. Henry S. Tenedero (in yellow). Prof. Henry S. Tenedero is one of the funniest men I know. Aside from being an educator and advocate of multiple intelligence, he is also good at making people laugh. There was never a dull moment when he lectured about Marketing with the Heart in Mind as the main topic of the seminar that the Philippine Marketing Association-Cavite Chapter hosted with the theme Exhilarate! The Extraordinary Marketing Experience , held yesterday at the Lyceum of the Philippines-Cavite Campus. Prof. Henry's wacky pose with me and my co-employees who attended the seminar. Before he began teaching the participants on how to create an extraordinary marketing experience, he asked first if we think we are genius--which he followed with the question if we are global or analytic  Being global means seeing the whole before the parts while being analytic is the opposite or seeing the parts bef...

Our professor in our Special Topic course in MBA class is really awesome! He is too awesome because he was able to inspire me to buy books about banking and finance. Me becoming interested in a subject involving accounting is way beyond my wildest imagination. In fact, Accounting 101 is one of my least liked subjects when I was in high school. It is one of the reasons why I favored taking up a science degree course  in college rather than a business course. I really admire our professor for allowing us to understand the lucrative banking industry in the simplest possible ways. His Socratic style of teaching really fires us up each time. And he is generous in giving a recitation grade to anyone with the smartest question and answer. I specifically bought this book, Money Credit and Banking , because the authors' examples involve companies and financial institutions in the Philippines... something that I can relate to because I know more or less what is happening in my c...

"The greatest tragedy is that while most managers, supervisors, and colleagues genuinely appreciate the people with whom they work, they often neglect to verbally express that appreciation." "While character traits are not easily observable as specific accomplishments, they are in the long run far more important to an organization." "If words of affirmation are to be most effective, they must be given in the context of a positive, healthy relationship." Source: The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace by Gary Chapman

I was lucky to have these two books borrowed from my boss. She reads a lot and she is not selfish in sharing her new knowledge and learning to us. She actually showed us five books that she bought in SM Mall of Asia but these two really caught my attention. The first book is entitled The 21 Most Powerful Minutes in a Leader's Day  by John C. Maxwell. It is actually a devotional book that will hopefully inspire a manager to be a leader or a leader to be a better one. This book is a supplement to the author's book entitled The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership .  The second book is The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace  by Gary Chapman and Paul White. It is about helping organizations to empower their people through encouragement. It generally discusses the ways on how managers and leaders should properly appreciate the efforts of their human resource and why appreciation is a good form of investment. What have you read so far? Can you recommend ...

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"My grandfather once told me that there are two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. He told me to be in the first group; there was much less competition." -Indira Gandhi We had a successful business opening today. All the efforts and stress I have been through paid off. But, I know my work doesn't stop here. I still have a lot of polishing to do for the operation and I am hoping to survive it as well.  A co-employee praised me for a job well done. I was deeply humbled by the praise but I can't take all the credits because I didn't do it alone. In fact, I can't do it alone.  And I thank all those who helped and will continue to help. I salute all of them!

I work in a very dynamic and challenging company. Every day, we are challenged to do things that seem impossible to achieve. My boss is a visionary. He sees everything in different perspectives that we sometimes think he is already being too irrational. He frequently introduce us to different business models, giving us various formulas, adapting the TPS and so on. If there is one thing, though, that he really wants to point out is employee engagement . He wants us to feel that we belong to a special group. To ensure that each and employee feel that he belongs to a group, we conduct various seminars and activities that are enriching to the body, the mind and the spirit. He always make it a point during those gatherings to emphasize that we are one and that we carry with us a brand, hence, we should keep that brand tarnish free. Just recently, we had a seminar about accountability. A healthy work relationship is built on trust, motivation, commitment and loyalty. I believe that for a co...

As I am writing this post, I am attending a seminar about The Oz Principle: Getting Results Through Individual and Organizational Accountability by Roger Connors, Tom Smith and Craig Hickman. I am not an attendee but a facilitator. The authors relate the characters of the famous children's tale The Wizard of Oz  namely Dorothy, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion and Tin Man to the characteristics of the people in the organization possess. Here is the book at a glance from eNotes : With an unusual combination of cleverness and managerial perceptivity, the authors of THE OZ PRINCIPLE have latched upon an eye-catching yet appropriate metaphor to describe the state of America’s personal and corporate climate in the 1990’s. They believe Frank Baum’s delightful story of Dorothy’s adventures in the land of Oz can serve a blueprint for redesigning individual and corporate attitudes toward responsibility. Contemporary individuals must discover what Dorothy learned: The key to su...

Are you stressed right now? Click on these links to learn how you can avoid or relieve stress.... Coping Up With Workplace Stress Easy Ways To Reduce Stress

My friends and I have been planning to put up a business since we were in high school. We thought of putting up a restaurant, a boutique, an internet cafe and even a gasoline station. We wanted to have our own business in preparation for our retirement. We have been too busy the past years that we have forgotten about the plan until recently when one of our friends who now works abroad asked me to research about franchising a restaurant. I thought, why not. If there is one thing that unites us, it is food. I did a little research on franchising a restaurant business. Like with any business, we need a capital to start with buying a franchise. My other friend suggested we apply for a business loan because we do not have that big amount of money to buy the franchise. So, we thought of having a business loan.  I have heard of unsecured business loans wherein a lender will not be required of a collateral such as property. One of the advantages of an unsecured loan is that ther...

Photo from mobilephoneconnect.com It is none other than President Benigno Aquino III! The most coveted phone was delivered by Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, chair of Globe's parent firm, Ayala Corp., in person in Malacanang two days before Apple iPhone 4s was officially launched in the Philippines. Globe president, Ernest Cu, clarified that it was not for anything else but to acknowledge President Noynoy's loyalty to Globe Telecom since he has been their subscriber for years now. For techie lovers out there, you can also own an Apple iPhone 4S by clicking here and here .

This is video is a guerilla marketing of Coca-Cola but it sure made me smile. The truck makes stop-by to various locations around Metro Manila. I just wish Coca-cola's Happiness Truck would drop by our neighborhood. Wouldn't it be nice to see first hand what will come out of that truck? Will they ever give a house and lot? The lechon coming out of the truck is the most hilarious and unexpected!