stephendiego

[stephendiego]

We keep moving forward

The journey so far.

This term had a lot of ups and downs for me. I have been struggling with sleep and my mental health because of the things happening around me. Family losing friends, friends losing family, quarantined while there's a quarantine (Enhanced Community Quarantine), me losing pets that I consider my children. It was a tough few months for me.

As the term ends, I must say that I learned a lot from my subject, Lasallian Business Leadership, Ethics, and CSR. It was also a good refresher on some of the things I already practice, like the topic of workplace diversity. It is a topic I truly advocate for.

In class, our professor kept us engaged with activities and breakout rooms during discussions. It was, in my opinion, best to kept us thinking and socialized at the same time--not making the class typical and boring.

Our ESL project was one of the best activities I experienced in Graduate School by far and the most complicated due to the pandemic. But we still manage to pull through. One factor is that we were comfortable with our teams because we know each other from breakout rooms from class discussions. It was very helpful for me; not only was I able to expand my network, but I was also able to practice talking to other people.

Being in isolation for more than a year, I felt like my reading and communication skills deteriorated. But what I have learned from the two terms I have been back being that to be able to succeed there is no shame in asking for help from people around you. A good leader is not afraid or ashamed to ask for help nor be taught. And what I learned most is that, despite my difficulties, I have to keep moving forward to succeed. I remember the RVR Siklab when Ambassador Tambunting said that we have to adjust and have a positive attitude, especially during this time of the pandemic.

I am thankful for BUS560M for showing us what and how a Lasallian leader is and what we are capable of as future leaders. I learned that no organization is perfect, but we have to learn from our mistakes. We are not defined by our mistakes but by how we correct them to make our organization and even our society a better place.

I am also thankful for my groupmates and everyone I have been with in during breakout sessions. I want to thank them for being patient with me, letting me warm-up, allowing me to talk a lot, and talk on my behalf because I was too shy to share in class. Thank you, too, for allowing me to use my creativity, especially for the ESL module.

I am grateful to Ms. Pia and COSCA for the ESL experience. The happiness and fulfillment I felt after our presentation is priceless, and I will treasure it.

BUS560M is a guide to being good leaders, especially when we need good leaders to help our country.

I hope these journals be of help to those who are losing momentum, whether academically or personally. Do not let anything, not even a global pandemic, be a hindrance to your education and to being a good person. Remember to keep moving forward.

[stephendiego]

That's a wrap! (Post ESL Reflection)

That's a wrap!

After several nights of creating our modules and presentation, last September 11, 2021, we were finally able to showcase our module.

At first, I was nervous about how the audience would receive my presentation. I was also nervous because I am an introvert and public speaking gives me so much anxiety. On top of that, my module is a bit technical, and I was not sure if I could explain it well in layman's terms.

We picked an earlier date, and we only had enough time to prepare our modules and presentations. This was also the first time I made a presentation with limited creativity because we had to stick to a template. These were challenges for me, time, delivery, and creativity. In my work and even back when I was a student, I have freedom with all three as long as I meet the deadline. I usually finish early because I am not limited nor had to wait for others. But we are in a team. We had to be coordinated with each other to be able to reach our deadlines.

Prepping for the presentation, I was tasked to create a logo for our module. I designed quite a few, but it felt wrong for the target audience and the purpose of the presentation, and I cut them down to two simple ones. The team voted which one to use, and they chose this:

I also made a simple poster:

From the day before up to the presentation day, I barely slept because I was so nervous. I am sure my teammates felt it during our run-through because I barely talked during our practice.

On the day of the presentation, I experienced technical difficulties because I dismantled my computer when I went home for a few days. I had to re-set up my audio and camera. While Mariel was discussing her part, I was panicking because my segment was after hers. We would even cheer and hype each other through our Facebook chat group. Seeing them do that, I started to build courage and confidence.

During my presentation, I did struggle a bit translating some of my presentations to Filipino. I tried my best to explain everything in layman's terms for everyone could understand what I was trying to say. After all, I am presenting to those who will use our module in the future and will pass on what they have learned from us. My Filipino is a bit rusty (I am not saying I am good with English), but being an introvert and being stuck at home because of Covid took a toll on my oral communication. In one of my activities, we were divided into several breakout rooms. I was surprised and so thankful that one of the participants commented; he said he was grateful that I tried to speak in Filipino because he could easily understand my lectures. And his comment touched my heart and gave me more boost to continue and proceed with my course.

After my presentations, I gave a quick thanks to everyone before passing the floor back to the host, and I was so happy that some of the participants could get an idea of how they will name their business and design their brand identities. We even had participants who were able to decide right there and then the name of their business. Hearing them say that made me feel delighted and fulfilled because I did my job well. I was able to pass my knowledge.

To those who will take this subject in the future or maybe one day decides to be an ASL instructor, from my experience, my advice is to be confident. If you do not think you are confident enough, you have your peers cheering behind you.

I never thought teaching could be that fulfilling. Now I know how my professors and friends (who are professors) feel. Now I understand their struggles and the fulfillment they get, and now I understand why they continue to teach. It is not an easy task, but knowing that the students learned something valuable is enough of a reward.

I am very grateful I had this opportunity to be able to teach and learn the process. I hope that the module we made, especially my part, will help future students.

[stephendiego]

September 11, 2021, we presented our module for E-Negosyo to MLALAF and ASL teachers.

We hope our module will be able to help future ALS learners and help them start anew.

Thank you, De La Salle University, Ramon V. Del Rosario-College of Business, Lasallian Business Leadership, Ethics and CSR class by Ms. Manalastas, and MLALAF, for allowing us to share our knowledge.

[stephendiego]

The golden plan?

My 25 Year Plan Reflection

I remember the day when Ms. Pia was discussing this activity. I kept thinking, what do I do now with my life? I mean, I have planned most of it, but only some of it was fulfilled. Though, it was nice to have a plan back then. It kept me on track with what I want to accomplish both personally and professionally. But I am not a person who follows plans--well, of course, I am an Aries.

We once had an activity on where we track whether we have found our careers or are we still on the "job stage." I was surprised that it was just I who said that I feel I have found my career. Well, I did start working at a really young age. I was able to start few small businesses with my partner. I am confident that my 25-year plan is quite different from my classmates because of my experiences and age.

I am not usually comfortable talking about my age, so I will not mention any numbers, just keywords. I was born in the year of the dragon, and in the 25-year plan, I will be over golden years. My 25-year plan includes activities post-retirement like having a peaceful provincial life somewhere. It can be here in the Philippines or other countries I have access to.

A lot of things also happened since I submitted the 25-year plan. I have a lot of emotional and mental struggles that I just wanted to live a peaceful life with my dogs Myrtle and the others and with farm animals. I am more convinced that I want a simple life, away from the city. I also began to question what it means to be "happy," and to be honest, and I still do not know the answer. All I know is, for now, I am content with what I have.

To be honest, I still have a lot to do through my 25-year plan. Most of it is earning enough money for post-retirement, and some are for self-fulfillment like finishing my Master's Degree and hopefully a Doctorate. And then I can do whatever I planned after I retire.

From my experience, it is good to have a plan to guide someone in life or to whatever you want to do. Setting goals, working hard to achieve them. However, things can change overnight; we mature, grow experiences, and change feelings, and your plans might not go as you wish. Do not be disheartened. Things happen for a reason, but these reasons should be our guiding light not to commit the same mistakes, learn how to feel again, forge ahead, keep knowledge close, and make a new path.

[stephendiego]

Inclusivity is the best policy.

Workplace Diversity and Discrimination

I would like to start this journal entry with a video I created for our group finals for my Human Resources class last term. The video is called "Spark."

Workplace diversity is my favorite topic from our course. Actually, this is my favorite topic in any class. I have always been an advocate of inclusivity, not just in the workplace.

Inclusivity has a long way to go, but if we all do our part, speak up when necessary, we can beat discrimination.

I am fortunate that I was able to experience to live in other countries. I have witnessed different cultures and acceptance, especially when it comes to gender. I have seen a friend here in the Philippines getting rejected from a fashion brand/company because she is a transwoman, and she was being told that she needs to cut her hair and wear a men's uniform should she accept the offer.

When I was in Hong Kong, I noticed that the elderly and persons with Down Syndrome are accepted to work in fast food chains. Hong Kong does not discriminate against age and PWDs. The whole country is PWD-friendly. The entire city is equipped with tactile paving for the visually-impaired friendly. There are elevators for PWDs everywhere. Some buildings in the Philippines do not even have ramps.

I, myself, had experienced discrimination when I was in the United States. The whole experience was based on the judgment that I was a Latino, a minority in their country. I have been teased and called names in the streets. A man even passed by me and said, "Would you like to take a picture? Do you want to take a picture of me *****?!" Then my friend answered the man back and asked why he would do that, and another American supported my friend. From then on, I realized we need to speak up when being discriminated against.

How would an inclusive organization look like? I ask this question often. Then, as I wrote this journal, I realized I am working for one! In my department alone, we have the most diverse personnel. The school I work for has the most diverse community, from gender, religion, age, from its students, support staff, and professors.

I noticed that productivity is and efficiency in the workplace and school activities are accelerated. People are comfortable in the workplace to express themselves, and they do not feel the need to hold back because they are of a particular minority. With them free to think and express themselves, they can be more productive and produce quality outputs. Like what I wrote for the video, "You can be a leader to spark change. It does not matter who you are or where you are from. Instead of pulling each other backward, let us keep moving forward. You may be a regular person, a CEO, or a public servant; regardless of who you are and what you are, you can inspire change in the world. Speak up when you hear derogatory comments. Respect differences. Challenge the norm. It doesn't matter the size of your actions are because it is still better than no action. Be the spark the world needs."

[stephendiego]

Our Final Propsal Presentation for our ESL.

ESL Final Proposal Presentation

After collaborating with the team, we finally decided to create modules on starting a business and incorporating it into an online business.

There were several considerations before we finalized our topic. We had to check our team members' backgrounds and expertise before deciding to go with our subject. It would be very difficult and uncanny to teach something we do not have knowledge or experience.

In the module, I was tasked to create a submodule for the topics "How to name your business" and "How to create your logo." To be honest, I was a bit confused about how I would do this because, first, I do not know how to do modules, and second, the topics assigned to me are subjective and technical. After a few considerations, I proceeded to do the outline of my submodule.

After creating our outlines, we met with Ms. Shirly and Mr. Niku to present our module and flow. Ms. Shirly and Mr. Niku both gave some comments and suggestions like, we were told to focus on how to put or start a small business to e-commerce.

While I was also discussing my part with the group, I realized that what I made was too technical for the general audience and that they may have a hard time understanding some of the words and examples I used. But overall, Ms. Shirly and Mr. Niku liked our overall idea and flow. We just need to edit some stuff, like those on my parts.

While I was editing my parts, I remembered something. I remembered that education should be available to anyone who wants to have it. This is one value the Lasallian schools are known for; it's inclusivity. Being with a Lasallian institution for quite some time already. I learned that every student is different. I have witnessed professors getting to each student and trying to explain what the student did not understand; this gave me the energy to make my submodules more understandable by anyone who reads it. It was not easy to make it easy, but how can a regular person with no business degree understand what I previously outlined. It was up to me to make the change.

[stephendiego]

Group Case Study Experience

Enron Case Study

A few sessions back, our case study group was assigned to study Enron and why the company failed.

Enron was once the most significant energy company in the United States. From annual earning of hundreds of millions of dollars to declaring bankruptcy by the following year.

Despite having a code of ethics, the company did not follow it and did whatever it took to earn millions, even if it meant cheating or doing unethical practices, which caused their downfall.

The corporate environment in Enron was said to be cut-throat and was based on a "win whatever it takes" mindset. They even say and promote: "Make the numbers, make the numbers, make the numbers—if you steal, if you cheat, just don't get caught. If you do, beg for a second chance, and you'll get one." Leaders should set an example to their team, and the organization and the kind of model they presented do not go with what they published as their corporate code of conduct. Instead, they went against it and promoted it to their team, which ended up with left and right unethical, under-the-table transactions and fraudulent transactions that led to the company's demise.

In our group analysis, we focused on the problem that Enron leaders and managers' unethical practices accelerated its destruction. These unethical practices involve committing fraud, one of the biggest no-no in any industry, not just in business. Corruption is also one of the most significant factors why the company failed. Instead of paying their employees right, only the top management gets more affluent. This resulted in lower management doing and even promoting cheating just to stay in the company.

After analyzing and answering the questions, our group came up with three alternative courses of action or ACA. The first is to "Establish comprehensive and effective regulations, internal controls, audit, and compliance programs." The second is to "Establish an Ethical Committee to oversee controls." Then the third is to "Establish a sustainable Leadership Program." We chose the third one because it is the least costly among the three and easiest to implement as quickly as possible, assuming that all top management and others involved in illegal and unethical practices will be removed from their positions. We were hoping that such practices never be done again, especially by those who first handled, experienced, and witnessed it.

Personally, I have never experienced such an incident, and I am grateful for that. In my years of experience, should there be one, I will try to stop such practice as early as possible and remove bad weeds from their roots. This case study is one of the most perfect topics we can ever have for the course Lasallian Business Leadership, Ethics, and CSR. The course teaches us that it should not always be about the money; it should also be about the people and your footprints in the company, society, and someone's life. But even before I took this class, I was very fortunate that I was surrounded by grounded people and taught me what not to do. They taught me to be compassionate and be a good example to my subordinates and everyone. They have taught me that money is not everything and you need good people to make your business successful. Teach them good, help them become successful individually, in that way they will become efficient and more inspired to work. By helping them, you also are supporting you and your business. Businesses do not become successful; people do. If your people do well and feel successful, your company will thrive too--that is what I have learned from my experience.

[stephendiego]

Reflection: RVR Siklab

RVR Siklab Virtual Conference

Last July 31, 2021, we had the privilege to join the RVR Siklab Virtual Conference, where they had guests, Ambassador Jesus Tambunting OBE. and Mr. Senen Bacani.

The program invited speakers to discuss taking a step to keep moving forward despite the challenges brought by the pandemic—a very challenging topic to take on. Due to quarantine, so many had to close their business. Ambassador Tambunting and Mr. Bacani gave excellent advice to those struggling, losing hope, or wanting to take advantage of the situation but afraid to do so.

Ambassador Tambuting mentioned that to keep yourself afloat during the pandemic, one must learn to adjust and always to have a positive attitude. Mr. Bacani added that "things will pass" and to "continue moving forward." The moderator Ms. Clarissa then added, "not make a difficult situation a period, but a comma."

The two guests also discussed how to be a good leader. Ambassador Tambunting said that one must have great value for education and keep learning even after graduating. A life lesson, I believe too. I have always been fascinated by a lot of things, and I love to explore. That is probably why sometimes I blurt out random facts or answer random questions, which makes people wonder how I knew the answer, that sometimes I do not know how I knew the answer. He further discussed how be having a clear vision and faith in God are good traits of a good leader.

For Mr. Senen Bacani, having integrity and hard work are good traits of a good leader. Trust is another. Mr. Bacani said that when you have trust with your people, there is no need to guess the decisions made by your team. I experience this in my current organization. We trust each other to do what needs to be done even without being asked. Whenever we create events, it runs smoothly even if we encounter hiccups because we trust each other that we will resolve the problem, and if we need help, we will work as a team to fix it. Mr. Senen also talked about being a hard worker and doing all things with honor.

My most favorite is when Ms. Clarisse mentioned, "The power of small, consistent steps." When she mentioned it, I said to myself that those are words I should live by.

In the second session, young entrepreneurs talked about being of service even amid a pandemic. Some entrepreneurs started their businesses to help those struggling because of COVID and those who wanted to help their neighbors be productive and earn a living. I can relate to this topic because that is what we do in our organization. Also, as an entrepreneur, when we start our small business, we aim to help people from our province.

All in all, what I got from the conference is that to be a good leader and be an excellent example, be of service, and always have faith. I realized that there are things I can still improve as a manager and as a person.

[stephendiego]

ESL Brainstorming

Service Learning Brainstorming

Service Learning is a first for me. And this will be challenging for us because of the pandemic we are currently experiencing.

So this term (well, I am not sure what the last term students did), we are tasked to come up with modules for instructors and students of Alternative Learning System (ALS) sponsored by Motortrade Life and Livelihood Assistance Foundation, Inc. (MLALAF). MLALAF has been supporting the ALS Program to help those from the less fortunate communities, and our class is tapped to help create learning modules for them.

Finding a group was relatively complex for me because I am not sociable and timid. I was lucky that a classmate messaged me and invited me (thank you, Kenneth). I have worked in groups for school before, but it takes me time to warm up. And lately, I have been struggling with my anxiety and gets more nervous and shy talking to other people. I do hope I get to push through with this. But whatever I am struggling with, I will make sure to contribute as much as I can using my skills and knowledge.

This is my first time doing a massive project for school and the first that I have to do online. When we first all met for the first time to brainstorm, there were several brilliant ideas presented. We chose to create a module to help entrepreneurs integrate their business to e-commerce, which is relevant, especially now that everyone is struggling financially and small businesses are struggling.

Our team is from different industries with different expertise. We aim to collectively use our skills to create the program and execute them.

Recently we met with Ms. Shirly and presented our ideas. She had a few suggestions. We will use those suggestions to tailor-fit the program to their needs.

Working with a team online and executing the program online is quite tricky, but we do hope we will be able to do our proposal justice. We hope we can help the ALS instructors and the students and learn so much from our modules.

We still have a long way to go to prepare and execute the module. We sure hope everything works out fine.

[stephendiego]

Reflection: Suze Orman’s Talk

Suze Orman: “Invest in the known before the unknown.”

I have to be honest when Ms. Pia said that we would be watching a talk by "Suze Orman," the first thing that came into my mind was Kristen Wigg's SNL impersonation of Suze Orman. It was from SNL where I first knew Suze Orman's name, but I did not know who she is. It was my first time watching a talk by Suze Orman. I did learn a lot about investing from that episode alone. 

The best lessons I learned was:

"Invest in the known before the unknown."

"Look at what you have, not what you had."

These two lessons are applicable not just in finance but also anywhere, even in life.

I would relation "Invest in the known before the unknown" in managing an organization. Being a leader, you should trust your people, support them, mentor them, and be an excellent example for them. Trusting someone is very hard to do, but trust is a bridge that connects everyone. I can relate to this when looking for candidates to fill a position or promoting someone. It is better to look first within the organization before looking outside.

The second lesson is "Look at what you have, not what you had." This is an excellent lesson in investment, but I can also relate this in life. I can tell this to someone being able to move on from troubles from the past. I always believed in the saying keep moving forward. I have experienced being bankrupt twice from past small businesses. I do not see them as failures, and I look at them as lessons. Whenever something does not work out, or when our businesses did not work out, all I have are the lessons from it, and I have to move forward with those lessons and try not to do the same thing again and use those as motivation to keep standing up and try again. You only fail when you do not learn from it and stop trying--that is what I always say to myself.

To all those who lost hope, I say, keep moving forward. There is no harm in trying. If you experience an inconvenience or a hiccup, whether it may be in your organization, in your business, or even in life, do remember what Suze Orman said: "Look at what you have, not what you had."

[stephendiego]

Balance vs. Harmony

Balance vs. Harmony this every person's question and misconception.

We hear work-life balance almost everywhere from almost everyone, and I guess this is every person's wish.--but Ms. Pia was right: why should we balance?

According to Merriam-Webster, balance is "the state of having your weight spread equally so that you do not fall." But why would we want to worry ourselves that we might lose one if we focus on the other?

We were broken down into small groups in this session and shared what we do for a living, leisure, and integration.

I shared to them that under the "Work" column that I already found a career. Under "Leisure," I am only for amusement. And in "Integration," I consider what I accomplish as achievements.

I work as a Marketing Manager, Corporate Partnerships, and Alumni Relations in my current organization. My responsibilities include creating events for the students, alumni, and the community. These are opportunities for us to engage our community and help our beneficiaries. We also develop fundraisers for our PWD scholars, student-athletes, and those who were affected by calamities. At the height of "habagat 2012", I was one of those who got stranded in Taft, and we came up with our foundation. Every time our communities are affected by some calamity, we tap the supporters of our foundation and create fundraisers. Since then, it became part of our mission to be at the service of the communities. That is why I am happy with my organization. I get to do such things as part of my job, and it gave me a fulfilling reason to do work and a reason to stay with my organization. I am thankful to my organization for giving me that opportunity to grow and realize my career and grow as a person, as a Lasallian. And I honestly believe that I found a career with them, not just a job to earn money from, but something to be proud of.

In the matrix, I found that my leisure is purely for amusement. I was not surprised by it. I have been struggling with my mental health all my life. And in 2018, I finally had the courage to speak about it, and I was diagnosed. One of the things that I try to keep in mind is not to stress myself so much and not be hard on myself. It is not easy, and it's a daily struggle. During my free time, I try to veer away from social media, stress, and whatnot. In the matrix, I wrote travel, gaming, food, watching movies or series. I do not want to mix my time for myself with anything else. Pre-covid, I would travel a lot, domestically and internationally; it was my escape. I am happy that my family and organization are both understanding, allowing me to do that. My organization would enable me to work from home, wherever home currently is. Food has always been a passion and an escape. I love to eat, whenever I travel I love trying different cuisine. Now, I came back to playing online games. 2020 lockdown was very tough for me mentally. I could not even focus on work, so I decided to distract myself with gaming and workout. I also plan to stream as an outlet to destress, especially from COVID and life in general. Whenever I do not have access to my games, I binge-watch my favorite series and watch new ones. In the integration matrix, I wrote "events for a cause." Like I mentioned above, my work is also a platform for me to practice one of the foundation principles of the Lasallian Formation, which is being at service. It is much more fulfilling to go to work to have more reason other than money.

I want to take this opportunity to thank my family, friends, and organization for allowing me to grow not just professionally but also as a person. And for letting me do the things healthy, and I can genuinely say that you gave me harmony in life. Again, thank you.

[stephendiego]

Back in school. Yay!

Here are my thoughts during the first few days of our business ethics class.

Lasallian Business Leadership, Ethics, and CSR is our class. I thought it will just be another basic ethics class like what I took in my undergrad.

Before we dug deep into studying ethics. We were introduced first to the life of Saint John Baptist De La Salle. I am no stranger to the lives of Saint John Baptist De La Salle and Saint Benilde Romancon. I have been working in a Lasallian institution for 10 years, and I learned a lot in those years.

The beginning.

I did not study in a Lasallian institution, but I have family and friends from De La Salle University and De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde. To be honest, De La Salle University was also my first choice when I was looking for a college, but my parents had other plans for me. So, during my college days, I would still hang out with my Lasallian and Benildean friends. And I guess fate has its own way of presenting itself. I was given an opportunity to work part-time as a marketing and events coordinator until I graduated, and they offered me a full-time position. Do not get me wrong, in between school, part-time work, I was already working several jobs, as a manager to our own business, as an assistant creative and marketing for a known beauty company and its sister companies. I was pretty loaded with industry experience; however, as I mature, I question some of the decisions I witnessed in the past. Spending time around Lasallians, my way of thinking and how I see things were changed for the better.

Fate.

Ever since I started in a Lasallian institution, I would hear Faith, Service, and Communion. At first, I did not understand what those words meant. There were even times I felt I did not belong there because I do not understand them. As time pass by, I was exposed to several events and projects, I started to understand what those three words meant. I was given several opportunities to create events, and those events are not just any event; I get to incorporate fundraising for our beneficiaries. I get to do my job and help other people simultaneously; what more can I ask for? I also learned to be inclusive. 

Service. --My favorite.

I remember my first event with my organization. It was a simple event. We were tasked to organize and create a human Lasallian star. Back in 2011-2012, we celebrated the centennial anniversary of Lasallian presence in the Philippines. We asked participants to "pay" to participate, unconventional at first thought, but the actual "entrance fee" is any school supplies they want to donate. We were surprised by the number of donations we received other than from our sponsors. We can only create a tiny human star due to our limited space; however, we were surprised that most would just like to donate and just be there to witness the event. The generosity Lasallians and Benildeans have is priceless. I, a newbie and an honorary Benildean then, was surprised. And they enjoyed the event so much, they always look forward to what our organization creates. 

The future began.

I decided to apply and enroll in DLSU's MBA program with the support of my organization. They encouraged me and supported me financially. I did stop a few years because of workload, personal, and health reasons. And there was not a single day I dreamt of graduating. Now I am back to finish what I started.

In the years I have been in a Lasallian institution, and now studying in one, I now know how to live Jesus in my heart and be of faith, service, and communion.

[stephendiego]

My blogger era?

Hello, everyone. Welcome to my page, where I will share my thoughts--special thoughts of my wonderful life. So, yeah. Here we go. Welcome to my blogger era.