Curbside Stories

I have a lot of things to be thankful for, the first one would be I am still alive today to greet the new year. Last year was a breaking point for me, to re-think about the life I wanted to be for me and for my child. Although there were many disappointments, the blessings that were given to me are more than enough for me not to hold grudges. I got promoted, I think it was the best part. So, what will 2014 have for me... I bet, it's still the best! Happy new year to all! God bless us!

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 ...

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 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...

Photo from appszooom.com My patience measures from here to the moon and I rarely confront someone in the office about bad behavior because I am mad, until today. I just learned that one person in the office is spreading lies about me and my department. Everything that this person said were complete lies. I was furious. I had to do something, I had to correct the lies. I went to their office to ask about what she was telling. She could not look me in the eyes and her gestures were completely inappropriate to what she's saying. She even changed the topic so that I may forget about the real issue. She's already caught red handed but still she's denying everything, even pointing others to escape. I don't see the point anymore of talking to her. I ended the confrontation with these words: "Don't say anything if what you are going to say are lies." She has been involved in so many rumor mongering issues and was given disciplinary actions it bu...

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.

"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear." - Nelson Mandela Well, my Managerial Accounting subject is not yet officially over since we still have classes on Saturday and I still have to pass my take home final exam. But, I am pretty sure (my confidence level is at its peak) that I will move on to the next chapter of my MBA... Information Management System. The moment that I learned that I will have an accounting course, butterflies immediately went fluttering into my stomach. It reminded me of the days when my least liked subject was Accounting 101. Looking back to my experience, the frequent basic accounting I meet everyday at work and the cold and clammy feeling I get while reporting process costing and budgeting... I can say that you can never really escape from your fears. Face your fears. Face them more often until you feel you are not afraid an...

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...

"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 ...

A great marketer knows that one way to attract customers is to excite and exhilarate them. But do you know how? Attend this seminar to find out! Register Now!

"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...

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...

Last year was a challenge for me. It was also rewarding. God has been so good to me that I could not find any good reasons to complain. I may have failed to fulfill my duties as a Catholic but despite that, He has showered me with more blessings that I could handle. I didn't even ask for some.  I started to feel "vacation" only after the 29th of December. Although rather short, I was able to spend 4 meaningful days with my family. We spend New Year's Eve in grandmother's house, we watched a movie, and even get to experience farm living for a while. It was fun! I am now on work mode, but still misses waking up at noon and sleeping so late. I could already sense pressure as early as today. I have to condition myself again for me to survive another year at work. I celebrated my fifth year at work, well, at work. So lame. I am grateful (seriously) that I was able to serve a truly unique group. There is nothing else in the world like it, believe me. I coul...

I was once a b2b telemarketer of an Australian company back in 2007. It was a trial job after working in a government office for almost three years as a clerk. I only had vague idea on what a telemarketer is supposed to do. Years back, telemarketing is something you only get to picture in a call center company and only a few industrial companies had b2b telemarketing division. I thought calling another company to offer a product was simple. It took some time before I was able to somehow master the art of telephone communication that incorporates marketing and eventually, sales. Hearing yeses from clients was the most rewarding thing a telemarketer can experience. Being a b2b telemarketer is not easy. You have to be tactful, assertive but not pushy and know by heart what you want to say and sell. If want to build a career in this field you have to know these: 1. Motivation - first and foremost, you have to have the passion for it, otherwise, you'll end up being frustrated for ...

It has been a while since my last post. I was really busy the past weeks that updating my blogs (yep, I have tons) everyday was not possible. So, what's up with me last week? My new career in marketing is taking a lot, and I mean a lot, of my energies lately. If being in the IT department was stressful, make it double this time. I had to meet deadlines each time and had to make sure that people know what we are up to. It is like a whole new world for me. Despite the stress, I like where it is taking me. It is making me more sociable and I get to meet new friends. Last week totally tested my stress meter. It was hard but I am glad I survived it. I am now actually looking forward to another stressful work next month. Another good side of it all is that, behold, I have moved on. Completely moved on. I am ready to go back in the dating scene. I kinda missed it.