batch83

[batch83]

Well done, you!

An LSE Journey Essay

Looking deep into ourselves to find our real motivation can be hard especially when everything around us have been going by in a blur. Our true purpose, should we ever find it early, tend to get lost somewhere between making a living, paying the bills, raising kids and running a hundred different errands. Before you know it, you're well into your middle age and wondering where did the last 10 years go. It is in this age that I started to question what my endgame is.  

I was born in the North to Ilocano parents, raised in Metro Manila and educated in both private and government institutions.  I majored in Architecture but majority of my work is in another discipline.  For the past 13+ years in Singapore, I worked, and mostly enjoyed, working in Civil Engineering specifically in Geotech where we do a lot of underground works for tunnels and transport structures.  Such a badass feeling for a female to actually do this in a predominantly male field! I left the Philippines not because there was a pressing need to provide. On the contrary, I have a stable but boring job in the city. I was surprised when I got the call from a foreign headhunter that, at the prospect of new adventures and since there's nothing to lose (they paid for all the expenses anyway), I relented and went along to see where'd I'd end up. Fortunately, fate has been good. 

Being a migrant worker for most of my youth can be quite unsettling.  I have all the time in the world in a new environment full of possibilities, earning a decent disposable income and not saddled with pressing responsibilities. When you're new in a foreign land, the allure of all things shiny are very tempting. It's these times that I went on a spree, a moderate one by standard, but to an Ilocano it's a spree nonetheless.  Year in and out, I accumulated stuff that I liked and like to share with my family. But as my belongings grew and lugging them from one rental house to the next becomes harder, I thought "there must be more to gain in living here than this".  

Enter social media.

I spent numerous hours scrolling, clicking and just wasting time away but it's an upside that I saw an A-LSE sponsored seminar on one of the shared posts. At this point I'm already indoctrinated in the concept of financial management by another OFW (also an admirable Fin-Lit and Social Enterprise advocate) and seeing the A-LSE program page with all the bright faces of the students, my curiosity was piqued. What is this group that makes people come together and learn new stuff to improve themselves? The FOMO (fear of missing out) is strong and I had to join in on the fun. I finally got in a year after putting my name down on the waiting list.

 And so, the grind begins.

 The program started with self-introspection -- who are you, what makes you get up in the morning, what's your mission -- its wading at the rubbish and finding the bits that radiate sunshine. It's the equivalent of doing the Marie-Kondo in your life and removing the clutter.

As a parent, my goal is to give my child the tools and opportunities that will enable him to achieve good things in life. Not great, but good. I can only lead him to the starting line, I will leave it up to him to finish it in ways he sees fit.  Of course, to be able to do that I will need the financial capacity to provide for his primary needs but also to be there emotionally to support and guide him in his decisions. My goal is to show him the dignity in working and the joy of doing good, to impart the values I've learned from my parents, to have fun and appreciate the arts.

As a sibling, my goal to help them finish their tertiary education has been fulfilled. My siblings are now enjoying their chosen professions and has now embarked on new pursuits to ascend to the next level. Next is to help them map out their financial plans for the future -- that's a tactic to make them financially independent and not borrow money from me.

As a daughter, my goal is to see my parents enjoy the latter years of their lives and to help them come into terms that they need to step back and let their children take on the responsibilities on managing their estate.

As a person, my goal to become an instrument of change in however small way I can manage. Running for public office seems the easiest route but as I have no death wish and plan to live a longer-ish life, that's a no-go for me.

My goal is to achieve financial independence in the next decade, to establish my own enterprise, have enough to sustain my health coverage and retirement in the later years and leave a worthy legacy to my family. Lastly, I want to travel every year or every other year to places that are culturally rich and ‘gram worthy.

The 10 sessions have brought immense knowledge and insight about the core competencies of the LSE program. Journals have been written to provide a deeper insight for each session.

For Leadership, I find Tina Liamson's lecture on Migration & Principles of Leadership enlightening. The most fascinating has got to be from Dr. Juan Kanapi's Appreciative Inquiry. This is the first time I've heard of it and it's quite difficult to grasp the idea and can be easily confused with positivity. But at the end, It shows that if practiced AI is not just mind tricks but a powerful tool in realising your full potential.

The best lectures for Financial Literacy are the split sessions of Vince Rapisura and Edwin Salonga. (Edwin's lecture is about Social Entrepreneur but I remembered a lot more on his lecture about Finances, hence…) Who knew studying finance concepts could be this good? And most definitely not boring! I now have a deeper understanding about managing my finances better and learning that my current insurance is shit, which I really need to rectify soon. I can't tell you enough how the things I've learned from these wonder duos are gold. Call me by any other name (read: biased), but Ed's lecture is my most favourite of the lot.

The Social Entrepreneurship sessions have the most gravitas for these lectures carry the main core of the program. They're not all boring, mind you, but can be a bit challenging. The lectures on this series provided many useful tips for future entrepreneurial endeavors and is a big help in formulating our business plan. Other insights for the SE series can be read here and here.

At every journal writing, I try to reflect on what I've learned and think of ways to apply them in my daily life.  Most often I find things and events that need to be tweaked or heavily redesigned in order for it to be aligned with my future goals. Most pressing of these are the consolidation of my assets and liabilities, and making a clear plan on mapping out my finances that will include my son's future education.  The next point is to work on myself and how I carry myself as a leader starting at home. What better place to practice than to apply these learning in the household first? Hopefully, I will be able to improve my inability to forge meaningful connections to people by the time I have to build my own enterprise. I am not aspiring to be Miss Friendship, I'm ok with Miss Effective Boss or even Miss Influencer-For-The-Greater-Good. Tall order, I know, but we're allowed to dream and dreaming is free.

Joining the program made me realise the answer to my question, "So what happens now?" 

During my first few years as a migrant worker, my goal is to save so I can buy gadgets to connect me home. After having a mobile phone, a laptop and the ability to call home any time, ano na? As I enter my 14th year of being a migrant, I've somewhat been able to achieve the things I hoped for. Not the millions of dollars in bank account **fingers crossed**, but a comfortable life. But that restlessness persists. Learning that there are available avenues to pursue these in the Philippines is a big help in making me step into the right direction closer to the things I wanted to become. Programs like these give hope.  With that, I realise that there is more I can do back home than where I am currently at. I have the knowledge; I can share it -- starting with a small group of like-minded people who are willing to help themselves. Acquiring and sharing knowledge is free so I may as well start with that. 

All the sessions have been audio recorded and kept in a cloud that I shared with family members. Many of the things Dr. Kanapi said are the things I so want to say to my father. Sharing it is just a click away, let him hear it straight from the board-certified horse's mouth.  

I also plan to lead the residents in our small sitio towards a better understanding of financial management which can be instrumental in their livelihood. These people have been known in the family for decades. They have worked alongside our grandparents in tilling the land and their children continues to do so. While there have been advancements in their lives, I believe there is more to be done -- better education for their children/grandchildren, opening bank accounts, accessing government programs, using tech etc. I am excited to share with them the different concepts we have learned in the program, and also a good training ground for me to improve my leadership skills.

I highly commend the A-LSE program for striving to make the Filipino Migrant Workers' quest for relevancy and better lives. Much appreciation to A-LSE founding Team and the current secretariat who makes it run smoothly. The past month has been very trying but everyone has been great in providing feedback and extending their hands.  For that, a big Salute! to everyone -- for the team and the speakers who traverse the globe every year. 

As a program alumnus, I will most definitely uphold the values of the LSE in the best way that I possibly can. Sadly, my physical involvement with the LSE will not extend to the volunteer work for the next batch as  I have made plans for the next year that will make it impossible to fulfill my duties on the site . However, I am willing to extend my skill/expertise in whatever way I can as long as it is done remotely. 

Thank you, A-LSE.

Congratulations, Batch 83!

2019 will be remembered as the year I turned another leaf over.

[batch83]

And last, but not the least

Leadership III

Speaker: Adelfo Briones

Adel Briones is currently the learning manager of the Affiliated Network for Social Accountability in East Asia and the Pacific Foundation. He leads the capacity building component of the Participatory Audit project implemented with the Commission on Audit. He also provides support to a number of local and international social accountability projects undertaken by ANSA-EAP Foundation by designing, facilitating, and managing learning activities and events.

Mr. Briones is finishing his Doctorate in Social and Community Psychology at the Ateneo de Manila University. He completed his Masters in Social and Community Psychology from the same university.

What key things did you learn from the session?

My key takeaways for this session are:

Understanding the differences between leadership vs management vs authority

Realising my managerial and leadership skills, or lack thereof, and what needs to be developed more

Learning the qualities of an ideal leadership practice from a follower's POV

Why are these learnings important and why did they have such an impact on you?

Finally, the last session!

We've come a long way in learning about effective practices in leadership, finance management and entrepreneurship.  The last session is a bit heavier than usual as it provided an in depth focus on leadership. The skills quiz given made me realise that I am more of a manager than a leader. It's not a bad thing because now I know to hone my leadership skills more and make some changes in how I conduct myself in an organisation. The best leaders are also the best managers. If I can equally practice these  skills then I can easily flit from one role to another and effectively influence others in the best ways possible. That's what a real influencer should be about -- being way more than the 'gram.

How will you apply these learnings in your private life/ work life?

Being a future Managing Director *cross fingers, wink wink*, knowing the ideal practices will be very useful in navigating the biz world. People management is something I'm not very good at. Being socially awkward, I recognise my lack of skills in making connections with people. I don't need to be bffs with everyone but to be a good influencer I need to learn the nuances of human interaction. I tend to view small talk as a chore and thus limits me from learning about other people and vice versa. Learning personal tidbits about other people humanises them and creates a bond of understanding which can give you a glimpse of their perspective viewed from their vantage point.

The Agenda Card game showed me that accomplishing a goal can be very challenging if everyone is pushing for their own agendas. Compromises are usually done but sometimes, through very clever planning and work-arounds, a group can come up with very acceptable solutions.

[batch83]

My Awareness is Sh*t

Appreciative Inquiry

Speaker: Dr. Juan Kanapi Jr.

Dr. Juan Kanapi Jr. is a Senior Partner at Futures By Design Pilipinas (FBDP), a company dedicated to the Art of Hosting (AoH) meaningful conversations, as a strategy for sustainable change.

He is a Adjunct Faculty of the Public Management Development Program (PMDP) for top officials of National Government Agencies (NGAs) at the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP).  He is an Adjunct Faculty at the Ateneo School of Government (ASoG) teaching Appreciative Inquiry to Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Europe and is Mentor to Doctoral students from all over Asia, at the Southeast Asian Interdisciplinary Development Institute School of Organization Development (SAIDI – School of OD).

Juan holds a PhD in Organization Development from the Southeast Asian Interdisciplinary Development Institute (SAIDI). He completed his MA in Social Psychology and AB in Psychology at the Ateneo de Manila University.

What key things did you learn from the session?

My key takeaways for this session are:

Learning what is Appreciative Inquiry and how it differs from the usual positive thinking.

Words become worlds, and how your thoughts are more powerful than you think.

 Practice an emotional and spatial Marie-Kondo to make way for new things

Why are these learnings important and why did they have such an impact on you?

What you can imagine, you can create. The first step to achieving something is to commit it in your mind and taking the necessary steps in making it possible.  It might be as small one like researching off the internet but what's important is you’ve taken a step and commit to work on it. It doesn't matter if it takes a long time as long as you don't lose sight of the goal and be on the lookout for the opportunities that come along the way.

You cannot find for what you don't look out for, as evidenced by the ball-passing awareness test video. It made me realise that I may be exerting too much energy on one aspect while totally neglecting another.

While the former talks about focus and mindfulness, the Catch-the-coins story about multitasking mainly focus on, yeah, focus. I used to practice this at work in my 20s. Yes, i got things done fast and earned the admiration of my bosses. But as time passed i noticed that the margin of error is steadily increasing and I felt like my brain is on constant overdrive. The exhilaration of accomplishment is good but it left me restless and stressed afterwards . It's like that meme, My brain feels like it has multiple tabs open. 3 is frozen and I have no idea where the music is coming from.

Maturing has taught me to pick one, take time to learn the move on to the next. Learning does not end so there's no chance of me getting bored.

How will you apply these learnings in your private life/ work life?

Dr. Kanapi discussed a lot of practical mind-tricks that will help you realise your dreams. Be specific! Don't just drum up a vague sketch but give a detailed description and visualisation.  I used to think that vision boards are fluff. Now, I realise that vision boards are a tool to remind you to maintain focus and keep your eyes open to chances that will come along. Vision boards help you visualise and draw the resources to make it happen.

Someone always tells me to think positive, which I think is a useless exercise. Just thinking positive is not enough. Just thinking positive thoughts to get yourself out of a gloom is not enough, not to mention that it does not always work. This session has definitely reinforced the fact that I must embrace both happy and sad moments. They create the trough and peak that make life, well, livable. Suppressing the sad times (troughs) will eliminate the waves and will render it almost flat. In his own word, wala nang kalibog-libog. Flat-lined life is boring, or worse, dead.

The elbow trick may look like magic but it teaches us to flow like water instead of countering it forcefully. Someone will always be a kontra-bulate and mess up your well thought-out plan. Instead of taking offense just nod, smile and ponder. Maybe you overlooked something that someone else spotted.

Roll with the punches, flow like water and see how it goes.

[batch83]

Grit, guts and more

Social Entrepreneurship IV

Speaker:Arnel Paciano Casanova

Arnel Paciano Casanova is the country leader and representative of AECOM in the Philippines focusing on infrastructure and utilities, urban development and master planning, environment and power.

He leads BCDA, a 10-billion government-owned metropolis – the Clark Green City, and in all major property development projects and public-private partnerships that have established vibrant economic districts such as the Bonifacio Global City in Fort Bonifacio, and world-class infrasrtucture, the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX).

Read his inspiring story here.

What key things did you learn from the session?

My key takeaways for this session are:

Curiosity will earn you knowledge but tenacity will get you places others thought you couldn't be.

To always question the norm and find alternative to the usual practices. There is always a better way.

Learn the elements of an effective business plan -- Harvard Style.

Why are these learnings important and why did they have such an impact on you?

We've all heard of CEOs and company heads who went on to make big things, but it's different to actually be in the same room with one of them. The first half of the day was spent getting to know the head of one of the biggest engineering consultants in the world and man, did he deliver. His is a literal rags to riches story, not just monetarily but also intellectually and spiritually. What I admire most is his unbreakable spirit --from being a young boy faced with constant prejudice to a young lad who has to make the most out of every circumstance just to get through school. His guts and spirit is like the Energizer bunny. It just kept on going and going. Another  thing that puts me in so much awe is his hunger and drive for continuous learning. From seminaries to Harvard, it a very Ivy League cv with a hint of quirkiness.

The second half was spent discussing the Harvard Style method of making a business plan. It's not as riveting as the 1st half of the lecture but hey, we're getting top notch techniques at minuscule cost. The points discussed have been touched on partially in the previous sessions so this one is just an extended discussion. I found that the Harvard-style BP writing is not all that different from the other explanations I've seen online, just a bigger flexing rights that come with the university's name.

How will you apply these learnings in your private life/ work life?

The speaker made interesting points of discussions and gave examples on how to write a good financial plan. These are very basic but easy to understand so that's a plus point.

There's three main points of life lesson I want to apply from this session. First, it is the emulation of the speaker's chutzpah. I mean, just look at what he has managed to accomplish by being bold and relentlessly going after something because he thought he should do it. All the others can hang. That's a lot of guts and balls.

I want to continuously  broaden my knowledge and skills in many things. Like the speaker, he learned different majors that somehow became his tools in managing a company and gave him the ability to assess it as a whole.

Lastly is the skill of managing time. How did he ever managed to finish his majors while doing part-time work? A good example while we're now busy with the business plan & online sessions is to learn to prioritise the things that need to be done and those that can take a back seat for now. Like this journal.  It's only 2 more days until the BP's deadline and I still have to write this not knowing if they really do read it or it will just end up in the junk files of a digital drive's endless chasm. But needs must, I suppose, for completion.

[batch83]

Adjust, Adapt and Amend

Social Entrepreneurship III

Speaker: Nathaniel Chua

Nathaniel Chua is an experienced finance professional, with over 20 years work experience working for leading global financial institutions. He possesses a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Michigan and earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. His areas of expertise and interest include investment management and financial markets, and his entrepreneurial drive is evident from having setup and headed the local (Singapore) office of a London-based hedge fund, and later on, a wealth management office.

Having worked in New York, Manila and Singapore, Nathan takes a special interest in the situation of overseas/migrant workers, especially those from the Philippines. He believes helping migrant communities and treating them fairly and compassionately should be basic tenets for any host nation, and ultimately redounds to mutual benefit and sustainability. He also believes the greatest impact for preparing overseas Filipinos for their reintegration when their return home at the end of their work abroad, is to arm them with financial knowledge on how to save and how to start their own businesses. These small businesses would then hopefully spur the development of the rural areas in the Philippines.

What key things did you learn from the session?

My key takeaways for this session are:

Understanding the 5 biggest factors that make businesses fail,

Learning different ways to counter or address the above factors,

Knowing the importance of scoping your market and securing them for repeat business

Why are these learnings important and why did they have such an impact on you?

And now we feel the grind.

This session leans more on the technical side of formulating the business plan and eventually, the business.  It seems that the great construction adage about the importance of planning is also applicable on business. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

Improper planning is the 2nd top reason why businesses go bust (financial trouble is the 1st).  Initially, I thought it just involves the logistics and operations program. I failed to recognize that a big chunk of it also involves product design and market research.  Understanding the market by doing research, surveys, even looking at google maps, and knowing your biz site's location and history can go a long way in knowing the needs and sentiments of your target market. Knowing that there is a market before designing a product is a more feasible way for your business to take off, instead of just making a product based on what's the available raw material.

It is better to spend a lot of time to consider these factors early on, cross check them with the financials to ensure that you cover your bases and be prepared for eventualities that you may encounter later.

Another gainful insight I learned is about subscriptions as a ways to ensure that your market is going to keep coming back. Finding a market is one, but keeping them is a lot more difficult if you don’t have these processes in place. The speaker also spoke about different ways how social entrepreneurship can give you lots of advantages vs traditional business models. Volunteerism, crowd funding, grants and government aids are some of the advantages that are worth exploring in future.

How will you apply these learnings in your private life/ work life?

As we are in the process of writing our business plan I discovered that it is wise not to be complacent especially in setting your assumptions.  It was all easy-peasy during the first few weeks until the financials rolled in. I think I may be overestimating some of my assumptions hence the very favorable turn out. Sometimes, the turn-outs are almost too good. Well you know what they say about those things.

It is only now that we're learning about marketing and competition that I factored in these conditions in the BP. And wow, do they make a big dent. If it were me a month ago,  I'd be too stubborn to recognise that some of these might not work and hence, I might barrel my way through just to be right. But being in this class now made me pause and recalibrate. Maybe this really doesn't work, but there may be other ways to supplement or things to reprogram in order to make it feasible.

Thinking of Plans B, C, D, etc is a pain but if I'm to be an entrepreneur I better expect that surprises are just around the corner and that it pays to be ready  and adaptable.  I am hesitant to abandon the original idea because I see a potential somewhere. But seeing that it might be difficult to execute, I have to think of ways to augment the original concept. Being idealistic is good because it gives you something to hope for, but I also have to realistic and recognise when the stark truth is staring me in the face.

Adjust, amend and adapt. And repeat, if necessary.

[batch83]

Rolling the BP ball in 3,2,1...

Session 06: Social Entrepreneurship II

Speaker: Edwin Salonga

Edwin M. Salonga is a lecturer at the Development Studies Program of Ateneo de Manila University and an adjunct professor at the Ateneo School of Government. He is currently pursuing his doctoral degree in Social Development at the University of the Philippines, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in Journalism (cum laude) and a master's degree in Public Administration. He serves as the chairperson of SEDPI group of social enterprises. His research, training and consultancy work revolve around social entrepreneurship, microfinance and financial literacy. Moreover, he is now connected with the Office of Civil Defense. As the Chief of its Disaster Risk Governance Division, he is primarily responsible in managing institutional and international partnerships.

What key things did you learn from the session?

My key takeaways for this session are:

Knowing how to recognise opportunities by answering the 4 questions -- Is there a problem? Is there a Solution? Is there a Market? Are there channels?

Have a deeper understanding of the basic financial statement using the simplest terms and examples.

Learning how to turn a business into a social business using socially conscious ways in every aspect of the business stages.

Differentiate and Formulate the Vision, Mission, and Theory of Change of the proposed Social Enterprise.

Why are these learnings important and why did they have such an impact on you?

This has got to be most educational and the most fun out of the 6 classes we've had. I know I say that on all my previous session assessments as all the speakers have a lot to share but this one really takes the cake. It's the most educational since the speaker managed to impart the lessons in the most basic form. Teaching financial statement to non-accountants is something that he does so well. He gave solid and relatable examples by tackling the ideas behind it, no numbers yet, just the concepts, which made it easy for me to grasp the purposes of Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Statement in a business.

The importance of recognising opportunities for potential business was also stressed wherein the question "Is there a need & market?" should be the foremost consideration. Instead of making a product based on the available resources, it's much feasible to create a product to cater to a need. An added bonus if these can be answered by using resources that are abundantly available. This was further explained by citing examples of products that we didn’t think was actually needed until it we saw in the market, e.g. bag hook, utensils organiser, bag organiser.  It doesn’t matter if the products are small and simple, as long as there is a market that is willing to pay for it.

In this session, we also learned valuable insights about Business Model Canvas wherein we are made to think about not just the product and market, but the Value Proposition that we can offer to make it stand out among similar products. Simply put, "Anong kakaiba sa iyong produkto?".  It also helped us to realise that for every business model we must have a clear vision and mission statement on what needs to be addressed, who are the primary stakeholders and how to help the sector that needs a hand. One thing that made an impression to me was the emphasis on the simplicity of the whole vision and mission statements. If you can explain the need and manner of delivery to a child, then you have done your job. If not, you need to weed out the things that make it blurry and focus on your core product or services.     

How will you apply these learnings in your private life/ work life?

Directness and simplicity is something that I have struggled at times. An example is the way I phrase some of my journals. I feel like some of them are quite long-winded and tend to go in circles that I have to re-read and edit them many times to make it more direct. I need to learn to be concise but effectively make my point across, to remove the fluff and just get on with it. This has also help me and the group arrive at our vision and mission statements for the proposed business plan. Although there is some confusion at first, we are able to differentiate the two and clearly spelled out the 3 main components in our mission.

As a future entrepreneur with no background on finance or accounting-whatsoever, it’s very helpful to get a clear picture on how to use the Financial Statements in a business start-up. Using personal examples made it easier for the concepts to be understood and differential the contents and the purpose of each financial tool. I will probably always remember that a Balance Sheet is Picture or a Snapshot while the Income Statement is a Video.

This session has also opened my mind about employing helpful ways to make a start-up socially relevant, from the material sourcing and production to marketing and the after sales. Aside from providing goods/service and employment, we also must think of ways on how to make our profit benefit everyone by giving back to the community. It could be as simple as spearheading activities that can give a longer impact like providing trainings or giving out scholarships.

But the most important lesson I got from this session is to learn how to focus on your core product/service. Simplify the model but develop techniques and add-ons along the way to make it unique without deviating from your main purpose. And while you're at it, learn how to roll with the punches and have fun along the way. It's a tall order but it's something I'm willing to work on.

[batch83]

You are not poor. Poor is a mentality. It is a mentality that very few people ever recover from. You are not poor. You are broke.

Dave Chapelle

[batch83]

The Things I Am Not & The Things I Will Become

Session 05 :  Social Entrepreneurship I

Speaker: By Ma. Teresa Ganzon

Ma. Teresa Medrano-Ganzon is the Managing Director of Bangko Kabayan (BK), Inc. She is also the president of Ibaan Rural Bank Foundation inc., the social arm of BK. Teresa has endeavored to weld business efficiencies, development concerns and faith-based motivation to grow a business organization with a strong orientation towards service to the rural community. Today, she serves as the Asian representative in the International Commission on Economy of Communion of the Focolare Movement. Teresa is a graduate of the University of the Philippines (A.B. Journalism, cum laude) and she holds a Master’s Degree in Entrepreneurship in Social Development (Superior Performance) from the Asian Institute of Management.

What key things did you learn from the session?

My key takeaways for this session are:

Knowing the characteristics of an entrepreneur and realising that I don't have most of them.

Understanding the differences and the bottom lines of a traditional Entrepreneurship vs Social entrepreneurship.

Learning to identify the social problems, the marginalised sector and needs that can be addressed by the social entrepreneur.

Why are these learnings important and why did they have such an impact on you?

The speaker started the class by showing us a list of characteristics deemed desirable for an entrepreneur to possess and then asked us to rate ourselves based on the characteristics given. Sadly, I find that a lot of them are things I am not in possession of. Though I am willing to enhance those lacking traits, I think it will a hell of an uphill battle. After all, it's difficult to teach an old dog new tricks but it might have a chance given the right incentive which is to have my own business and reap the benefits that come with it.

Most of the learnings are done via group activities. One of which was about determining the prevailing problems in our regions of residences. An entrepreneur's trait is to see opportunity in every need -- ang makabenta ng kailangan. A social entrepreneur does the same as well but with a lasting aim to help address the social need and make an impact in the community.  Upon identifying these areas, we then can formulated a business solution to help address these needs. Proper consultation and dialogue with the people most affected is a must. Ask what is needed, instead of just throwing any available solution their way.  There's no sense doing trial-and-error solutions when we can get straight to the heart of the problem.

How will you apply these learnings in your private life/ work life?

I signed up for this program with the aspiration of gaining knowledge on how to transition into entrepreneurship. This session however made me realise that I have a lot of issues to work on if I am to even get a degree of success in being an entrepreneur. Traits that I thought I had in spades turned out to be just a manifestation of the rose-coloured glasses I have deludedly put on. As much as I want to be positive and think that I can do this, I am also a realist and acknowledging early that I may fail -- and I will at some point -- prepares me to be ready for it and properly equip myself in mitigating it. It pushes me to be more flexible, to see what I can do and what I can learn from it. As one student said, you will stumble and lose but that's how you know your full potential.

The speaker also made a point to emphasize the importance of building good relationship with just about everyone. A lot of return business is made from forging strong bond with your staff, customers and the people you come in contact with. Her story about the bank manager who shows genuine concern is something I hope to achieve. I unfortunately do not have the gift of gab nor do I have the openness my siblings and Mum seem to naturally have. But I will try to be a lot more open starting with people close to me, and working outwards my circle.

Another thing that I so try to fulfill is to learn to focus on things that add value to my being, and to direct my energy to the things that I wanted to succeed in. To be a Jack of all trades is good, but it is a tragedy to be a master of none. The speaker went to have her MA in Business at the age of 50, so what's stopping me from learning anew and starting over another career path? I hope that in learning all these (and the others more in future sessions) I can come up with a sustainable enterprise that will enable me provide for my family, and at the same time uplift and influence a new mind set in the community.

[batch83]

A Call to Leadership

[batch83]

Let’s Agree To Disagree

Session 04 : Leadership II (Conflict Resolution)

Speaker: Teodora “Teddi” Dizon

Teodora (Teddi) Dizon is a psychologist from the Ateneo de Manila University, with background and training in both Clinical and Applied Social Psychology. She is a founding partner, psychologist and training officer for Better Steps Psychology. She also serves the Ignatian grassroots advocacy under UGAT Foundation, Inc., where she has been working as a speaker, project director and therapist for four years. Teddi focuses largely on issues of migrant workers and their families, helping them to re-discover personal and interpersonal harmony within the migrant setting. She is currently serving as the director for the Family Care and Wellness Program for Migrants under UGAT Foundation. She regularly conducts seminars on family systems and community building to both local and migrant communities in the Philippines, Europe, Middle East and Asia.

What key things did you learn from the session?

My key takeaways for this session are:

Knowing what is conflict, how it happens and why it is important

Understanding the leadership practices and how to be a Person for Others

Learning my resolution style, the 90-10 Rule and utilising these in reframing my mindset to resolve conflicts at home and at work.

Why are these learnings important and why did they have such an impact on you?

The class started with the words of Marianne Williamson, and the following passage made me realise some things about being Filipino.

It made me think how we, as Filipinos, are taught how to be humble for the wrong reasons. So humble that even a slight self-promotion of talent or skill is often deemed showing off when in fact it’s just one way of expressing self-love. Pagmamalaki, from the root word laki, only means that you a presenting your talent or skill to the world, at the time when you are needed and thus, becoming a part of the solution. People often confuse Pagmamalaki (to be proud of) with Pagmamayabang (to be boastful) when these are 2 different things. Teddi Dizon said it best that “Ang Pagmamayabang ay pangsasagasa sa talento ng iba, samantalang ang Pagmamalaki ay paghahain lamang ng angking laki mo sa mundo. Besides, ano ang mas maganda – ang magmalaki o ang mangmaliit?”

Such profoundness.

 It also made me think of my wariness of conflict. If I can, I will run on the opposite direction whenever I think it is inevitable, and if running is not an option, I will just simply shut off. But while I am all clammed up, I’d be very busy formulating arguments and counter arguments in my head. Too bad those don’t make it into the table because I lack the skill on how to relay these arguments coherently and constructively. If I had, I would have impart my message to the other party and that’s half of the conflict resolved. Oh the things I would have accomplished.

 Learning that conflict needs to happen for something to change is enlightening. But for it to be a force of change, one must first think on how you respond to conflict.  Knowing the different conflict resolutions styles helped me to understand who I am, how I handle conflict and how I can use it to reframe my mindset and redraw my argument. As Dr. Liamson said on the earlier session, attack the problem, not the person.

How will you apply these learnings in your private life/ work life?

Conflict Resolution resonates very much to me, especially now that I am a parent. I know that my supply of patience runs out quite fast when faced with pressure and stress, but don’t we all? Anyways, I ’ve had a lot of fights with my son when I try to dictate the terms of his study time. I did not quite grasp the fact that he (and so do children of his age) does not take kindly to being prodded, nagged or bullied into doing something that he thinks he’s being pressured to do. I observed that the more I take a firm tone and stand, the more he rebels – cue the thrown toys, the storming off and the slammed doors. That was mostly him by the way, and sometimes, me. What a load of drama kings and queens we are.  

So I changed tactics more befitting for children temperament and so far, it has worked. Knowing that my reaction to his tantrums can make or break study time (or any other activity for the day) and affect everyone in the household is enough to give me pause and think about how I should approach a situation. Being empathetic and not taking myself seriously is something I hopefully can become more of.

This is no different in the workplace and in other areas where conflict might arise. As much as I try to be civil, I also need to make my point across and be understood. Striving for a harmonious co-existence need not mean suppressing your right to express opinion but having the right balance of being assertive and cooperative, and being critical when it is needed.

Many great plans, ideas, programs and businesses collapse because of unresolved conflicts and lack of harmony.  While we were taught of the 3A’s of Conflict Resolution (Affection, Affirmation, Appreciation), it’s not as realistic as one wishes it to be and using this for everyday dialogue can be long winded. Well, ain’t nobody got time for that. It’s more practical to use the feedback sandwich approach – short, sweet and better suited for the time challenged.

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EQ, Yolo & Yago

Financial Literacy II

Speaker: Daniela “Danie” Laurel

She is a Business Journalist and Academic. She specializes in Corporate Finance, Financial Markets, and Social Issues in Finance as a Television News Anchor-Producer, writer, researcher, lecturer, and financial literacy advocate.

She is currently a News Anchor at One News Network Philippines, Cignal TV’s flagship English news channel. She anchors the main business news telecast of the network: Businessworld Live. With a Ph.D in Management Engineering, she was formerly an Assistant Professor of Finance (permanent faculty) at one of the top business schools in Paris, France. She brings nine years’ experience working with Management intellectuals and Finance experts in some of the most prestigious research and teaching institutions in Europe and have published at peer-reviewed journals. She currently holds adjunct teaching faculty positions at IESEG School of Management in Paris and the Ateneo de Manila University.

Read the rest of her LinkedIn bio and follow her on Instagram

What key things did you learn from the session?

My key takeaways for this session are:

Knowing what dictates the market movement

Main differences between many types of legal and legit investment products and how to acquire them

Better understanding on how interest rates work, how it affects investments and using debt to gain leverage

Learning the co-relation between Finance and Negative Emotions [1] and how to counter it

Why are these learnings important and why did they have such an impact on you?

It’s funny how for the longest time I’ve shied away from finance thinking it’s too difficult to understand. Try to look at the paper’s business section or listen to the business news and you can’t help but wince from all the finance jargon they throw about. But listening to the speaker explain it in simplest layman’s terms I find that it really is a basic knowledge that everyone should not fear learning.

I’ve known the basics about managing money, albeit very conservatively, and I’ve been wanting to learn and earn more. Most opportunities that easily came my way are multi-level marketing disguised as investment schemes. I’ve invested some, used their products, gained insights from the weekly marketing talk and eventually lost interest. Rinse and repeat. Sadly, these kind of “investments” abound and hound OFWs. It’s only in the later years that I’ve met advocates who introduced me to proper financial literacy and opened my mind into venturing into the money market and beyond. I mostly regret not knowing these for the past 10 years and all the what-if’s and I-should-have’s that came with it. As I’ve learned this lessons from the advocates and speakers, I have now a duty to pay it forward and impart them to people who need them. As Miss Danie said, financial troubles are not exclusively solved by having more money. Knowledge, advice, thoughts and prayers will probably go a longer way than pumping more money into a broken system.

Another area of contention is the role of women in the household finances. Women should not be relegated to being just spenders but also earners and budgeters. As a full time working mum, I find strength in the fact I can earn my own keep and contribute a lot into the household account. Being financially independent gives me confidence to spend my own money and chase after the things I want for myself and for my son. I do not expect anyone to bail me out so don’t expect me to bail you out when you’re in deep shit because of your own shit doing.

How will you apply these learnings in your private life/ work life?

I’ve been dabbling in the stock market as a long term investor armed with the very basic knowledge. I follow my broker’s technical guide and try to buy low each time. It doesn’t earn a lot instantly but it earns steadily. I’m still on the side of cautiousness and keep my emotions in check whenever I see rapid fluctuations. Seasoned traders always say that panic and fear can and will lose you money if you let it in your head. As much as I can, I try to keep calm and not be swayed by panic and sell haphazardly. Also – diversify, diversify, diversify.

Shopping my way out of a funk is a sure way to wreck my finances, so I am better off channeling my frustrations on something more productive. Learning how to counter these negative emotions [2] that hinder me from attaining my financial goals will keep me in check in the future and keep my credit cards from being overused.

This session also taught me to let go of feelings of “panghihinyaang” over insurance as sunk costs. Insurances are there as safeguards and in terms of accident insurances , it’s one cost you don’t really wish of ever using. As with stock portfolios, diversifying your insurances will help you get the most out of each company’s strengths.

Lastly, adhering to your financial plan should not necessarily make your life miserable. You must save but you can also enjoy it by spending on experiences that will bring you joy. You keep to your pre-planned budget but need not be stingy when unexpected expenses crop up. As one attendee said, it’s ok to go YOLO (You Only Live Once) but remember that YAGO (You Also Grow Old), so choose where you put your money wisely.

[1] Emotions that impact Finance :

Fear - OFWs have fear of missing out losing touch with their loved ones back home so they overcompensate with money try to cater to them when they make “lambing”, which if not checked becomes a bad form of dependence and worse, extortion.

Anger - Overspending and overcompensating usually stems from filling a void or to address feelings of deprivation

Guilt - To put it simply, just because you can bail them out doesn’t mean you should. Clarify who you are responsible for and not feel guilty if you cannot help everyone who comes knocking.

Shame - What may be shown on social media feeds is not always the truth, so they spend too much to cover up reality.

Envy - Keeping up with the Jones’ is the most prominent example. 

[2] Countering Negative Emotions in Finance

Counter Fear with Courage - Courage to love, courage to catch up with missed connections and courage to increase knowledge

Counter Anger with Joy - Joy in togetherness, joy in simplicity and joy in finding peace with one’s self

Counter Guilt with Clear Conscience - There is no need to feel guilt over not being able to help outside the group that you are directly responsible for and being up front about it.

Counter Shame with Honour and Integrity - Facing reality with full authenticity

Counter Envy with Contentment and High Self-Worth - Ignore the pressure to conform to society standards 

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(L)Earning and the 4Ks

Financial Literacy I

Speaker: Mariel Vince 'Sir Vince" Rapisura

Vince Rapisura has been teaching microfinance and social entrepreneurship at the Ateneo de Manila University for the past 13 years. He established SEDPI, a social enterprise that provides financial literacy training to low-income OFWs in 15 countries worldwide. He also hosts his FinLit channel #Usapang Pera on YouTube and writes for Rappler. His book (L)Earning Wealth is now available.

Read his comprehensive bio, access his blog, watch his Usapang Pera videos or chat with his bot on Facebook Messenger

What key things did you learn from the session?

My key takeaways for this session are:

Financial life stages, where am I in it & how to achieve the next stage

How to make better choices in protecting ourselves & our future needs 

Importance and roles of social enterprises and making the 4K's work for you

Why are these learnings important and why did they have such an impact on you?

Growing up in an Ilocano household has advantages much more than being called "kuripot". From an early age my parents have always taught us the value of money and the work you need to do to get it. My Mum would take us to my grandparent's farm in Isabela every summer vacation, not to lounge around during the holidays, but to make ourselves useful around the farm.  My cousins and I would be "hired" by our Grandpa to pick and sort onions, corns or whatever is harvested during the summer. We'd be paid accordingly by the number of our output, at the same price as the adult part timers. My enterprising cousins would also take us to pick rice paddy or corn that were left  in the fields and sell them. Some PC person would call this child labor but I call it my life lesson.

It's at this early stage that I respected the value of hard-earned money and the satisfaction of reaping the rewards after toiling. I think being kuripot is not depriving yourself the joys of spending. Instead, it makes you objective & conscientious to evaluate the needed and wanted, what's for later and what's for now.  I've seen how my parents make do with their meager income to keep us fed and clothed and still have savings to buy properties.  I've seen how they managed to put up small businesses and manage a few passive incomes to boost their salary. I've seen how they strived to set aside parts of these for their own retirement and in doing so, they have secured their later years. It has also eliminated the pressure from us (their children) to provide for their needs when they grow old on top of providing for your own families, making it more manageable for us to plan our financial future.  It is a cycle that I hope -- and will strive to achieve -- for my own and for my son, and what I wish to impart to friends and relatives.

How will you apply these learnings in your private life/ work life?

With the prevalence of consumer goods sales plus the easy access of credit cards here abroad, it's very easy to succumb to the power of plastic and bad debt if you don't have a clear financial plan. I once accumulated a $3000 debt on my lone credit card, earning penalties and interest charges every month and it was enough to set me on edge. It took me a year to pay it all off and vowed not to be too greedy swiping, even on installment, unless I have cleared at least 75% of the previous bill.  I think indulging once in a while is healthy -- the operative words being "once in a while" -- or better yet finding another income that will fund the Want purchases.

Asking and giving loans are the stuff of many horror stories.  I personally believe that asking for loans is not bad, as long as the loan is used for something that will pay for itself. Giving loans, especially to relatives, is something I'm weary of because they can strain or sever some bonds. Sir Vince has some tips on how to give loans wisely on his video Paano Magpautang ng Tama which I find insightful and realistic.

While I am now more aware of the ways and means to help myself achieve my financial plan, it also made me realise that I have a lot to learn regarding insurances, and how I am paying extra dollars over something so basic and somewhat deceitful.  It's been nagging at me for some time since learning about the BTID (Buy Term Invest the Difference) method and I plan to revisit my insurance plans and take the necessary steps to amend it.

Being in this program, with its tools and valuable speaker insights, will definitely help me with my 1st K -- Kaalaman (Knowledge). Applying these tools to my future business will teach me the 2nd -- Karanasan (Experience). Being a naturally reserved person I need to improve more on my 3rd K -- Kakilala (Network) -- and be more open to build good relation & seek help from these resources should the need arises. The 4th K -- Kapalaran (Luck) -- is beyond my control and flighty but it is my duty to be fully prepared to step up when it comes.

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Grit, Focus & KonMari

Session 01 : Leadership I

Speaker: Dr. Cristina Liamzon

Cristina Liamzon is building a global community of empowered Filipino migrant workers through a leadership and education program that encourages them to become drivers of change in the Philippines or in their host countries. Read her Ashoka Fellowship bio here.

What key things did you learn from the session?

My key takeaways for this session are:

How to be an effective servant leader (without title) using the 6 Principles of Leadership

Learning the responsibilities of Migrants in the society

Being a changemaker and forging a legacy

Why are these learnings important and why did they have such an impact on you?

For the larger part of my overseas working life, it's mostly about the monetary gain and what they can do for me & my family. But I find that's there's never enough salary increase that can satisfy a person, unless I can have an endgame, an ultimate dream. With that as a jump off point, I began to rearrange stuff to formulate a plan. With that, I found my new motivation.

Dr. Liamzon talking about focus and determination resonates so much to me because I think I found what I wanted to do for the rest of my working life. Talking about grit resonates so much to me because it's what I have seen in my parents -- how they've navigated the challenges of raising a family in the most meager resources. I think my earliest model for leadership may be from my Mum. She has a natural talent in communicating with people and thus earning their trust and respect. She has an eye for opportunities and the ability to deliver on what she said she'd do. She accomplished so much more that most of her educated siblings and I often wonder just how far she would have gone & how she would have turned out if she had finished higher education.

I also look up to my Dad as my model for focus and motivation. As a young lad from the rural area, he made his way to the city and put himself to university while working and raising our family. He never stopped learning. There's always a new course or seminar in technical or agriculture or TESDA that he's signing up for even after his retirement.

Lastly, I look up to my grandfather as my all-time favourite model in leadership. He embodied most of the 6 principles for most of his adult life. He was a respected member of our hometown without holding any title or position of power. I mostly admire how he has helped shape a number of young men's lives who are under his employ during his heydays. Even decades after his death, his legacy is fondly remembered.

How will you apply these learnings in your private life/ work life?

I think the most obvious way to start my journey towards a better self is to Marie-Kondo my bad habits that don't add value. Most prominent of these is the decluttering of social media feeds that mess up with my psyche and muddle my focus. I've been a constant practitioner of taking out clutter from my house every quarter or so, so why not mute/block/uninstall/minimise the things that mindlessly pulls my attention to my phone.

Working on my Self-Mastery Index [^1] is important in keeping with the qualities of a person of Integrity[^2] and giving honour to my word. As an engineering staff, keeping one's word is important to ensure the smooth work flow especially during critical times in the design. The "Under-promise, Over-deliver Rule" has always been an effective strategy in the construction/design world.

I realise;

…that confronting problems instead of people is something that I need to work on moving forward, in both my professional and personal life.

…that as a parent I need to set an example to my son, for my actions and habits will be remembered more than what I say.

…and that by striving and giving encouragement to achieve excellence, I am giving myself and others room to grow, to not be complacent and to not be limited by being "best" but being "better".[^3]

[^1] : Ratio between promises made and those that are kept (to oneself and to others)

[^2] : Integrity is more than just keeping your words, it giving honour to them. Honouring your word is a 2-step process: (a) Keeping your word and doing it on time; (b) Whenever you will not be keeping your word, just as soon as you become aware that you will not be keeping your word (& not keeping your word on time), saying to everyone that's impacted; (i) That you will not be keeping your word, (ii) That you will keep that word in the future, and by when, OR, that you won’t be keeping that word at all, and (iii) what you will do to deal with the impact on others of the failure to keep your word (or to keep it on time).

[^3] : The Danish Way of Parenting (Jessica Joelle Alexander, Iben Sandahl; 1996) ~ Authenticity in raising kids and Why honesty creates a stronger sense of self. How authentic praise can be used to form a growth mind-set rather than a fixed mind-set, making your children more resilient

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So, picking up where the blog description ended..

After more than a decade of being a working stiff in a foreign land, I find I want to do something really worthwhile instead of just mindlessly scrolling social media, beefing up my movie list on prime & netflix or walking aimlessly along the shop windows on weekends.

Not really a good intro there but you get the picture. I will work on it more soon enough as I upload my takeaways from every class.