Bruce

While driving on our way to Snake Valley River last 14 June 10, I just can’t stop but ask my friend Bruce if he is very calm. I admire him because he is the type that no problem can make him speak a note higher than his usual tone. While he teaches me how to run off-road, he bravely narrated his story. As I expected, he was not like that before. In his terms, it is because of tragedies and very valuable lessons he learned in life.()

He was an impatient person before and observing what is happening in his life… he made his change. Same with me, his kids are also factors for the change he made. We would not do things that our kids would copy. These are the start of our 4 hour chat, that is, we drove for 4 hours which was supposed to be only 2 hours if not for the muddy road on the cliff of the mountain.

Nelson Mandela which is one of my current subjects and I am trying to learn more of him. I did not realize that he is a South African and that Mr. Mandela was a President of his before. I learned a summary of Mandela’s life and some insight from a person that was led by him.

He is also a good reader and I asked his favorites. He said two books that I would like are “The Key” and “1423” which he said is a Chinese story of how they sailed around the world… approximately 75 years before Columbus did. I have yet to read those. Another thing in common to us is personal development that is why he said “the Key” would be a great read for me. Aside from off-road driving, talking to him throughout the journey is very enlightening. I really had fun with that very long journey.

Continue reading...

Rob Libbis

Rob Libbis is a consultant/auditor from NCS Australia who helps us with ISO documentation. I had a chance to talk to him as I had to drive them (him and my friend Leah) off during lunch time. He is experienced and matured. When given this job to accompany a person especially a person of other race, I have no hesitation as I know I can learn something, and sure enough, I heard many things that are worthwhile. ()

What he has that I am really keen on learning is how to gain interest of the audience when he speaks in front. He has to do it for training purposes. He had given me some points. Though I can speak with people, and I have done mini-seminars myself, I know it will be very different if your audiences are not your subordinates. He had simple tips that would really help should I encounter talking to a bigger crowd and outside my own organization. He also is interested in NLP (Neuro-Linguistic programming) which is a topic that I have been reading and practicing for some time now. He finds it very useful and so do I. We also shared life experiences and fortunately, I can relate to most of them. As usual, I ask foreign friend of their culture. I love reading cultures of other nation but I found it best to be heard directly from a real person.

Day after day, we would talk and the conversation gets better and a lot of non-sense but funny things surfaced afterwards. It was a bit formal on the first 2 days and after that, we spoke in a very casual way. Aside from the things that he encounters in his home land and as he worked to other parts of the world, there are a lot of things he said that he learned as we grow older. I told him that, that is the reason I read books - to gain knowledge and so I would not have to wait to grow old before I learn those lessons in life. We only have an hour a day at lunch time and our conversation is so nice that time flies so fast.

It was a relieving week and I look forward to his next stint in PNG this June. If not at lunch time, I know I can ask him questions at work hours but with queries that are work related that can make life easier as I drain in me some of his experiences in documentation and auditing.

Continue reading...

Ninoy Aquino

When I was young, I remember seeing this guy on TV speaking in front of a big crowd. I did not absorb most of what he said except for a joke in it  and since then, every time I read or hear the name Ninoy, the lines in bold just comes out of my mind :

”As you very well know the Japanese have a difficulty pronouncing their R's. Manila becomes Manira. And so this Japanese gentleman stood up and said, My dear Piripino pipor, you are very raki, and I consider he said the Filipino people the most raki in Asia. And the people were of course surprised and they wanted to know why they are very lucky. He said you know why you are raki? You have a president who robs you, and you have a first lady who robs you more!”

Just yesterday, I saw chunks of this speech at National Geographic’s presentation of Ninoy Aquino’s assassination and the investigation that was done. Seeing that, I then searched for his speech and learned that it took place in Los Angeles in 1981. I believe it was aired on Philippine TV after the reign of the dictator.Videos are available on Youtube and the website http://hawaksatun-og.webs.com has a written article of this speech.

I was amazed by the wisdom he has and powerful words he used. He looked at things in so mature and sincere way. He also has a great sense of humor. And even with his wisdom, he is humble enough to say that he still seeks for sage advice. A very wise man indeed. I am a fan of wise people and he is probably one to follow.

Simply amazing, he would have been a president of the Philippines and with his bravery, he was assassinated then people woke up, fought and had freedom back. Now I have more lines from that speech to think about in addition to the joke he uttered almost three decades ago.

Continue reading...

Next Job

Luke is one of the first subordinates I had here in PNG. He was our maintenance co-ordinator and worked on our computerized maintenance management system/software. After working with me for a year, a job opening came, still here in the same company but suits him more because it is his course from college – IT. I had small chats with him all along and just lately he told me that he is leaving and this time to a different company which offers a lot better than the current one can give.()

I had a chance to ask him about it and he felt guilty saying that he is leaving. I saw myself in him in this situation and told him that in Philippines, the first thing I do when I start working in a company is to look for the next one. This is a good strategy for me as it helped me study everything that I can whenever I can. Looking for the next one, I have accepted additional jobs that are beyond my boundaries and learned different aspects of the business. With it, I did not get comfortable no matter how good the company and its benefits are. I also did not get bored while in the factory as I have used all the free time I had checking out things that I don’t know yet.

As a Plant Engineer here in PNG, this is where I have used and is using all the knowledge gained from the Philippine companies I have been to. Here, I am also bounded by contract that I have to at least finish. It is more of the management stuffs that I am gaining more while working.

Continue reading...

Book #6: Winning

I bought a book 2 years ago and had no time reading it. It was until my January 2010 holidays that I decided to read it as I have to wait for the International flight going to Philippines from Port Moresby, here in Papua New Guinea. I have heard of the name Jach Welch but never knew what he is made of.<>

I never knew how good a manager Jack Welch is until I read this book. The title is "Winning" and it is about the main reason why he is very famous - Management. It would have helped me a lot as it is now should I have read it years ago. As Warren Buffet commented, "No other management book will ever be needed." This may be an exaggeration but I believe that the knowledge herein plus experience while following them can take you far. He also answered a lot of questions that other managers ask him during his seminars that needs time to be answered.

Continue reading...

Efren "Bata" Reyes

This morning, I watched a replay of a game which starred Philippines' best billiard player ever Efren "Bata " Reyes with Rubilen "Bingkay" Amit. It is a Mixed double match which happened last December 3rd at Nuvo City, Libis, Quezon City in Philippines. Bingkay is a fan of him and plays well also. Young and aggressive, their opponents also looked very confident and they don't have reason not to be as they dominated the early stages of the fight. Bata and Bingkay won over the Korean who looked very much in control in a race-to-nine finals match.

In that match, those that catched my attention are the following:

1. One very obvious thing about Efren is that he is not getting any younger. He already misses shot he would easily sink before, but he can easily recognize the situation and what to do in each situation he is into. I remembered an interview with Efren where he said that he may miss long shots but billiard [strategies] are still with him.

2. Thanks to the high quality sound of the mic during recording, I can hear Efren give options to her but find it hard or maybe it was something she haven't tried even in practice. Maybe he used some strategies that are beyond her capability. I know she has learned a lot from Efren thoughout the tournament.

3. She makes mistakes but still Efren can just easily laugh at it. He probably knows that they can still manage to get back after some mistakes and it takes away nervousness knowing that she won't be blamed.

4. There was also a time when he just told her that she can just place the cue ball where ever she want it. This is a very motivating thing to hear - showing that he is confident to whatever move she will make and that in case anything wrong happens, he can find a way to get it right.

Having a leader with a lot of experience spells the difference. I had experienced superiors and mentors, I gain a lot from them and it made my life easier. Herein are some of the reasons I want to talk to people with experiences expecially those which I would not want to harness. I listen a lot and implement the things that I know can help me also.

Continue reading...

Giants

My co-workers and friends sometimes ask me question(s) about life. Like them, I sometimes would be amazed with myself with the answers that I give them. I would not take credit for the words that I used and tell them where I got it – author and/or books, if what I am narrating to them does not come from my personal experience.<>

Leveling up in terms of maturity did not happened to me by chance. Aside from my experiences, it is a product of the written scriptures that the Masters I have followed have written and spoken (e.g audio books.) Doing this makes it easier for me to see what other cannot. Names like Tony Robbins, Robin Sharma and John Maxwell are just some of the few who have influenced me to be the person I am now in terms of leadership and regarding life.

As I learn more from them, I also try to impart that knowledge to people who needs assistance and advice. As time goes by, the quality of help I have been giving, in my opinion, improves. Though I know I still have lot of grounds to cover, I am very happy and very thankful when I hear people say that I am wise and/or smart.

“If I can see farther than others, it is because I am standing in the shoulder of the giants”

- Isaac Newton

Continue reading...

First Lessons

One thing that DMR kept on telling me, even until I came to PNG when I asked for some advice is “You cannot manage what you do not understand”. I have never understood it at first but I tried to remember it as I can sense that there is something big on those words of him. DMR is a generalist and not a specialist so he studies at least basics of the things that he handles. In our department in Franklin Baker, when any men under him are stuck in a problem, he is usually the person who has the answer.<>

Another thing that I learned when I just started working is that it is best to start from the bottom so that when you acquire a better/higher position, your men cannot make a fool of you. This is very evident as I have faced some subordinates that are good in their field i.e. air-conditioning. I really have to strive hard, learn the basics and later learned how industrial refrigeration and air-con works as it part of the Facilities department. After learning them, I can easily tell how to handle that part of our division.

In GlaxoSmithKline, I also have been a follower where my supervisor doesn’t have any idea on the division (facilities) he is handling and has no plans of learning things on his own and want everything to be “spoon fed” to him. He is bossy. I did not give him anything unless he asks. And a lot of trouble happened since then. Due to this, he was again transferred to other area where he is more competent. I have not been a good follower then and changed later, but the main thing that I learned then was that you should know at least basics of the area you have to handle or at least try to learn them.

Continue reading...

Foundation

In Franklin Baker Co. of the Philippines, I had a manager whom I learned a lot. He is also the main reason why I chose to pursue to stay in Engineering and Maintenance. I kept many things that he said and followed what he showed me. People treat him with respect and follows without questions.

His name is Danilo M. Reyes, better known as DMR. He’s the Maintenance Superintendent at that time. He knows detailed mechanical things and understands civil and electrical works. He is the type that would pull his sleeves up when needed and do hands on job in critical issues. He is very keen on documentation and follow rules.

He is the one who told me “In maintenance, you have to be a generalist and not a specialist”. I understood what he meant and have been following this for years now. As an Electrical engineer, this is the main reason I am delighted if any tasks other that electricals are given to me.

I dreamed of becoming like him managing both Mechanical and Electrical divisions and after 5 years of hard work, it came to life when I accepted the job here in PNG as a Plant Engineer. Even though the department I am in is a very challenging one, I know that the foundation he has given me, along with the other knowledge I acquired since then, will get me thru the coming challenges. I will be imparting other things that I learned from him in the coming blogs.

Continue reading...

2 Things

On my first job, I have seen lot of things that I do not like such how the manager handles people and the working environment. Back then, I lived in Manucom residence in Quezon City. As I was saying my complaint then to my cousin EJ, my late uncle, Efren Manucom heard me and told me, “sa kumpanya, di ka dapat magreklamo” (translation: in a company, you should not complain), and he continued that there are only two things you can do in case you don’t like the company and those are <>(1) build your own company or (2) look for a company that will give you what you want. Because he is a good father and a successful Meralco employee, I followed what he said. With that, I saw that there are too many things I do not like in the company so I planned to leave. But approximately a month before leaving, I tried to gather all the knowledge I can get. I did not get much for a short period of time.

In the next job as an Electrical supervisor in Franklin Baker, since I began working, I tried to learn all that I can so I can be prepared should there be problems that I will see in the company. I even ventured on the things that are out of my territory such as mechanical equipment. After almost 2 years, as I gained a lot of knowledge plus experience, the time came for me to leave as I realized then that the company cannot satisfy my needs, no complain – I just left. And the cycle goes on and on but level of learning gets higher every time. Thanks to him, I rarely procrastinate.

Continue reading...