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[princejaron]

Innovate to Elevate

“The problem we are trying to solve is that there are rich teams, and there are poor teams. Then there’s 50 feet of crap. And then there’s us. It’s an unfair game.” - Billy Beane (Moneyball)

Billy Beane was a young prodigy in the making. He was recognized by scouts because he can run, he can field, he can throw, he can hit, and he can hit with power. They said that him having these five tools was something you do not see very often. They referred to him as a potential superstar, and was even offered a sizable financial commitment through a check because they wanted him to be their big-league center fielder. However, his mother said that he has been offered a full scholarship in Stanford as well. Unfortunately, Billy can only do one of them. It is either professional baseball or college, and he chose to do the former. He sacrificed his education for his passion. However, he was not able to live up to the expectations in the big leagues. Seeing no more future for him as a professional baseball player, but never losing his passion for the sport, he switched career and became the general manager of Oakland Athletics.

After losing to the New York Yankees in the 2001 American League Division Series, Billy Beane asked for more money to recruit new players and come up with a championship team for 2002. According to him, they would be in trouble if they are to continue working within their budget constraints. He said that he cannot compete with an $82 million gap. However, the fact that they are a small-market team cannot go unnoticed. They simply do not have the means. Thus, Billy had to come up with an alternative course of action. This is where Peter Brand, who studied economics in Yale, comes into play. He believes that the current baseball thinking is medieval, so he proposed a different approach to recruiting new players using a code that he has written called the sabermetrics. With this, Peter said that they will find value in undervalued players. Essentially, he is an innovator to how baseball scouting and player recruitment should be. However, this newfangled approach brings uncertainties and risks especially for Billy. It is an all-or-nothing decision as failing from this would put an end to his career as a general manager. But if they win from this, it would change the course of the game entirely, threatening it at its very core.

As Billy and Peter stood by this approach, they initially received a lot of negative criticisms for quite some time. In a meeting with the scouts, Billy’s choice of players was questioned. The scouts told him that these players are merely liabilities. One scout specifically was offended that they have been working hard to plan a championship team only to have it all thrown away in the trash and replaced by an entirely different game plan. Later in the film, one of the scouts candidly expressed his opinion and said that Major League Baseball and its fans are going to be more than happy to throw him and Peter under the bus if they are going to keep acting foolishly like this. According to him, baseball is not just numbers. It is not about science, but it is about experience and intuition. He said that Billy should not discount what scouts have done for 150 years, and that he is setting the team up for a catastrophic season. The coach, Art Howe, was concerned with the approach as well. Billy admitted that he should have included him in the plan right from the beginning so that he can understand what they are doing here. He then said that the moves he makes will not matter if he does not play the team the way they are designed to be. However, Art Howe did not budge. He did not trust Billy’s approach, thus, he managed the team his own way. Despite the negative feedbacks from his scouts, and the noncooperation of the coach, Billy and Peter still continued the approach. They wanted to change the course of baseball by using their system. They wanted to believe there is value in what is undervalued. Despite the fact that Athletics are already 10 games behind, they still believed in their approach. Billy said that the record does not reflect how strong the team is and where they are going to be at the end of the season, while Peter argued that their sample size has been too small, and that it is still too early to assume failure from the approach - that this initial setback is only temporary, and that they expect the team to be within seven games of first by mid-July, the All-Star break.

True enough, this innovation was finally able to reap what it sowed. A few months later, the team started a winning streak that eventually lead to a record-breaker of 20 consecutive wins. From being disdained by Major League Baseball and its fans, the team was able to drastically increase their fan base each and every day. This, of course, benefited the players. They did not have to be undervalued anymore. However, this did not come at no cost. In order for Billy and Peter to force Art to manage the team according to how they planned it, they had to trade some of their players off. Eventually, it also led to a player being cut off from the team to be replaced by another. Obviously, this negatively affected the lives of those specific players. However, all in all, the players that remained in the team benefited from the approach.

Although Oakland Athletics ultimately did not take home the bacon, baseball was never the same again. Billy was contacted by Boston Red Sox’s owner, John Henry. He said that he believes sabermetrics is the future of baseball. He even hired Bill James who wrote an interesting book on baseball statistics that essentially inspired the idea of Moneyball. Billy was then asked to fill the role of Boston Red Sox’s general manager in exchange for $12.5 million salary. This would have made him the highest-paid general manager in the history of professional sports, but he refused the offer. He said that he made one decision in his life based on money, and that he swore he would never do it again. Although I personally would have accepted the offer, I understood Billy’s decision to stick with Oakland Athletics. When he was young, he was offered a big check because of his supposed value. Later, it turns out that he has been overvalued. I believe this is partly the reason as to why Billy refused the offer. He wanted the undervalued to finally be valued - to be seen as something more. He did not want them to be overlooked at just because there are those like him who were seen as potential superstars and thus were being chased by scouts and being offered a lot of money. Moreover, throughout his entire career as a general manager, he thought that money is the most important factor to building a winning team. However, he saw that this is not the case. Despite spending significantly less than the other teams, he was able to have a fighting chance against the big spenders. He even almost had the 2002 American League West title in his grasp. This is probably the other reason why he refused the offer. He did not care for the money any longer, he just wanted to win in his own accord. True enough, he is still trying to win the last game of the season.

Change is a very scary thing. It forces us to dive into the unknown depths of the ocean. And sometimes, we are simply not ready for that. We do not want to step outside of our comfort zone. We would rather stick with what is customary - with what has already been proven and tested time and time again. However, sooner or later, the things that we have grown customary to will be outdated. Sooner or later, we will have to let change in because the world is only going to be continuously evolving, and we will have to adjust and adapt accordingly. It is important to note that although challenges that may come from letting change in may be difficult, that nothing good essentially ever comes easy. Even a diamond, which is one of the most beautiful things in the world, is made under extreme pressure. We have to realize that life is full of hardships that we have face, but that in the end, it will all be worth it. Because although change is a very scary thing, it is also a very wonderful thing - a thrilling experience unlike no other. 

The film ended with Billy’s daughter, Casey Beane, singing the song, “The Show.” to her father. Her last line was, “You’re such a loser, dad. Just enjoy the show.” before the credits finally rolled in. I believe that this was a low-key message that although Billy has not yet won a series (you’re such a loser, dad), that he should not care about it too much. Because essentially, what truly matters the most is that he enjoys what he is doing - that he continues to do what he is passionate about, which is baseball (just enjoy the show). Because in the end, nothing else matters. It is our happiness that should always be above all. 

[princejaron]

Person’s Personality

Personality is defined by American Psychological Association as an “individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and behaving.” Essentially, it defines us as a person, and differentiates us from others. Thus, it is important to discover, learn, and explore our different personalities so that we may further understand and improve ourselves in many aspects of our lives. In this blog, I am going to discuss about the four personality tests I took -           Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Big 5, R-I-A-S-E-C, and SelfStir 360°.

Let us talk about Myers-Briggs Type Indicator first. 

Here, result showed that I am an INFJ-T advocate - Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Judging, and Turbulent.  

Introverts like working independently or in small groups. They prefer doing tasks one by one. 

Intuitives like looking at the big picture. They are very creative and innovative in solving problems. 

Feelers are sensitive and cooperative with others’ feelings, thus they act and decide accordingly. 

Judgers are organized and prepared. They are goal-oriented and rule-based. 

Looking at my result, I agree with it but not entirely. I would say its accuracy is at approximately 80%. Yes, I am an introvert, and I do prefer working independently or in small groups. However, I would say I’m more of multi-tasking than doing tasks one at a time. When you are a college student, multi-tasking is a necessary skill to have. Next, I do identify as an intuitive because I tend to look at the big picture than just what is already there. However, I am also very detail-oriented. I am realistic, but I am also imaginative, if that makes sense. Thus, although I am more of an intuitive than an observant, the ratio of 29:21 of me being intuitive and observant respectively is fairly accurate. I also agree that I am more of feeling rather than thinking when it comes to making decisions and taking actions. I consider myself as a very empathetic person. Thus, I try to understand others’ perspectives and feelings first before taking any action. Next, I do believe that I’m more of judging than prospecting, but only by a low margin. I think that the close ratio of 53:47 of judging and prospecting respectively is fairly accurate. I am very organized, and as much as possible, I like to stick to plans and rules. However, I am also very adventurous. I like to go out of the box, and I like surprises. Personally, I see rules as more of a guide. Sometimes, disobeying rules is the better option, and acknowledging that fact, I think the 53:47 ratio fits me perfectly. 

Consequently, some careers were recommended to me as an INFJ: therapist/counselor, social worker, HR diversity manager, organizational development consultant, and customer relations manager. Frankly, none of them really appeal to me. If I had to choose one though, then it would be HR diversity manager, but it is not a career that I am actually interested in. I chose HR diversity manager because I see the importance of HR in any organization, and I am actually inspired by its concept. However, I am really devoted to becoming an entrepreneur, a CPA lawyer, and a writer. Anything else is not a priority. Thus, these careers are unappealing to me.

As someone who aspires to become a successful business leader one day, this personality test is actually very helpful. The knowledge of my personality type makes me aware of my strengths and weaknesses. I am able to know more of my capabilities, and this allows me to improve myself as a future business leader. 

Secondly, we have Big 5 as our next personality test. 

Here is the result:

In the result, it is noticeable that my extroversion is very low, having only a score percentile of 7. This confirms the result from MBTI that I really am an introvert. However, the percentage between the two tests slightly differ in size as my extroversion in the previous test is at 18%. I still do agree with the result though. If I were given only the factor labels and was asked to rank them accordingly, it would show the same result as this. 

The definition of each factor label is provided by Big 5:

Extroversion - individuals who score high are outgoing and social. Conversely, individuals who score low tend to be shut ins.

Emotional Stability - invertedly referred to by other names such as neuroticism or negative emotionality. 

Agreeableness - individuals who score high is friendly and optimistic, while individuals who score low are critical and aggressive. 

Conscientiousness - individuals who score high are careful and diligent. Conversely, individuals who score low are impulsive and disorganized. 

Intellect/Imagination - often called openness to experience. People who score low tend to be traditional and conventional 

Based on the provided definition of each factor label, I would describe myself as being a shut-in, although I do not deprive myself of the adventures experienced in the outside world. Even as an introvert, the outside world is still a comfortable place for me. After all, I am very open to experiences, old and new. Moreover, I admit that being deprived of it due to the pandemic makes me miss it so much. Additionally, even as an introvert, I am still very friendly. I exude an aura of approachability. However, I am a bit anxious about many things, but I try to be optimistic as much as possible.

Personally, if I were to compare the results between the two tests, I would say that it is consistent. The two descriptions I had of myself based on the two results are identical and do not contradict each other in any way. In fact, the two tests even supported each other’s result. 

However, this does not mean that the Big 5 test did not give me additional insights into my personality traits. In this test, I learned that I am very friendly and optimistic, and that I am prone to being emotionally unstable. 

For the third personality test, we have R-I-A-S-E-C. 

It showed the following as the result: 

The definition for each interest is provided:

Realistic people like working with objects, machines, tools, plants, or animals. Moreover, they like being outdoors. 

Investigative people like observing, learning, investigating, analyzing, evaluating, or solving problems.

Artistic people like working in unstructured situations using their imagination and creativity.

Social people like working with people to enlighten, inform, help, train, or cure them. They are skilled with words. 

Enterprising people like working with people - influencing, persuading, performing, leading, or managing them for organizational goals or economic gain.

Conventional people like working with data. They have clerical or numerical ability, and they carry out their tasks in detail or follow through on others’ instructions. 

I think that what I know about myself is fairly consistent with what resulted from this test. However, if I were to personally rank the following interests according to how I know myself, it would not have the same result. My ranking would be: 1. Artistic 2. Enterprising 3. Investigative 4. Social 5. Conventional 6. Realistic. I ranked artistic as my highest interest because I am a very creative and imaginative person. It is one of the only things I am actually good at. I ranked enterprising as my second highest interest because I am an aspiring entrepreneur. The idea of entrepreneurship is something I have loved ever since I was a child. I ranked investigative as my third highest interest because I am very analytical and observant. Sometimes to a point of overthinking even. Social is the third lowest interest because I am an introvert but I undeniably do enjoy working with people sometimes. Conventional is the second lowest interest because I am not really good with numbers but I am detail-oriented. I placed realistic as my lowest interest because I am almost never good with hands-on work aforementioned in the definition of realistic. However, I do sometimes like the outdoors. 

There are a lot of occupations being suggested depending on what interests you scored higher in. They are the following: 

For artistic, being a painter, a writer, a musician, or an interior designer are suggested. 

For enterprising, being a lawyer, a salesperson, a real estate agent, a public relations specialist, or a business manager are suggested. 

For social, being a social worker, a teacher, a counselor, or a clinical psychologist are suggested.

I am sincerely happy with these options, especially that my three dream careers were mentioned here - specifically being a lawyer, a business manager/entrepreneur, and a writer. 

Additionally, there were suggested jobs based on my chosen level of preparation - high. They are the following: 

Personally, among these options, I can do interior designing, copy writing, and editing. I’m very creative and imaginative. Thus, these three are befitting of my skills and talents. 

However, I feel that although I can excel in them, I would not be fulfilled with taking them as a job. I am very dedicated in my aspirations as an entrepreneur, a CPA lawyer, and a writer. Anything else, I feel, is not going to provide me the level of fulfillment that I want. 

It is said that those who place high on enterprising, social, and artistic lean more towards extroversion. However, I obviously do not agree with this comparison. It has already been proven by my results from both MBTI and Big 5 that I am an introvert. However, this does not mean that I am not artistic, enterprising, and social, as proven by R-I-A-S-E-C. Personally, I think that these interests do not have a restrictively specific label when it comes to whether or not it is for extroverted people or introverted people. 

Lastly, we have the Self-Stir 360 Degree Assessment.

Honestly, this is an interesting personality test. I learned a lot about myself based on the result:

Here, I learned that I am actually very decent when it comes to work and my friends. My peers ranked me higher than I ranked myself, and that honestly surprised me. It made me realize that I put too much pressure on myself to the point that even what is highly regarded by others will be mediocre for me (if I am the one who did or made it). I belittle myself, and that is actually not healthy. I need to remove or change that part of me. In these two results, I learned that my peers appreciate my efforts more than I think they do. However, that does not mean that I stick to where I am right now just because they are ultimately satisfied. Instead, I should take the next step of the unending staircase to perfection, and continuously strive to be a better person.

I think that my greatest strength is empathy, and my greatest weakness is my inability to clearly and effectively express myself. These traits did not really surprise me, I already knew them beforehand. Being empathetic is something that I have been working on for years, and my inability to clearly and effectively express myself is an obstacle that I have been trying to break through.

I find this assessment very important especially when it comes to being in the workplace. With this, you are able to assess yourself and be assessed by others. By comparing the two assessments, you will be able to know whether or not you are actually meeting the standards set of you by your peers. Do not get me wrong, you do not have to necessarily always meet the standards of your peers, but it is still important to note them. Furthermore, you are able to evaluate yourself. This assessment can help you know what you should focus on improving about yourself.

On a similar note, this assessment can help you become an effective leader in a way that you know how others evaluate you based on your performance. Here, you get to know what your strengths and weaknesses are, and act accordingly. Being an effective leader means being open to constructive criticism, and this assessment provides you with just that.

In conclusion, we are always a work in progress with hidden personality traits waiting to be found. Thus, it is important that we always try to get know more about ourselves so that we may become better persons. “We have to continue shaping our personality all our life. If we knew ourselves perfectly, we should die.” Albert Camus said.

[princejaron]

It’s Not Easy For Gen Z

"They are perhaps the most brand-critical, bullshit-repellent, questioning group around and will call out any behavior they dislike on social media.” 

- Lucie Greene

     Born between the years 1997 and 2012, Generation Z is described as being more racially and ethnically diverse than any previous generation. Moreover, it is said that they are on track to be the most well-educated generation yet. I believe that this is proven true with the following statistics:

77% of registered U.S voters ages 18-23 do not approve of Donald Trump’s presidency. Gen Z is not afraid to speak up about a corrupt government that does selfish political acts. Similarly here in the Philippines, a huge percentage of the Gen Z population do not approve of Duterte’s presidency, especially with how he handles the present pandemic. I’m proud to be a part of that huge percentage as I do not like to be politically ignorant with how the Philippine government is acting despite the drastic increase in COVID19 cases quotidian. Implementing the Anti-Terrorism Bill, shutting down ABS-CBN, allowing foreign nationals to enter the country starting August 1, and not implementing mass testing still are only few of the actions that prove his incompetency as president. #OustDuterte

Gen Z are less likely to drop out of high school and more likely to enroll in college. Despite the implementation of the K-12 program, Gen Z are still pursuant of their education. Even presently, despite the pandemic, they are doing online learning (if they have the resources they need to be able to do so) just so they can continue attaining their education. I am among the students who are currently doing online learning despite its newfangledness.

Gen Z are more likely to say blacks are treated less fairly than whites. Police brutality and racially-motivated violence was and is happening in the U.S. Racial discrimination is an issue that we still face up to this day, and many members of Gen Z are fighting in support of black lives. I personally am an advocate of #BlackLivesMatter as well, so I’m included in this fight against racism. ✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿

Roughly half of Gen Z approve of same-sex marriage. Moreover, they think that society is not accepting enough of those who do not identify as a man or a woman. Gen Z fights for the equal rights of members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and does not tolerate the injustices that the community face quotidian. I’m included in this fight for #LGBTQrights as well, especially that I am a member of the community itself. 🌈

     These are only a few, but you can deduce from these statistics that Generation Z is not just smart, but truly a “woke” generation as well.

     For myself, I’ve observed that the aforementioned characteristics of Gen Z are all applicable to me. By knowing the social issues that I stand for, it helps me to understand my strengths and weaknesses. What are relevant social issues that I’m unaware of or simply ignorant about? This allows me to be more socially aware of my surroundings and of the world, because I believe that today, we have this sort of innate responsibility to help others and fight for equality and justice. 

     However, despite all of this, Generation Z is facing a lot of challenges in today’s world. In fact, they have it hard and truly, it is not easy for Gen Z. 

The COVID-19 caused a huge decline in employment rate among Gen Zers. It is said that the group’s eldest members are graduating into a labor market that has been devastated by the global pandemic; there are fewer jobs and internships available for them. Resolution Foundation suggested that the pandemic could affect young people’s pay and job prospects in the long-term. Moreover, from another research, they also said that those who leave education for work during recessions suffer from lower employment rate and pay for years even after the event. All of this could mean that Gen Zers are highly prone to experiencing financial instability today and in the future. If this is the case, Gen Z will have to take alternative courses of action in order to survive in the expensive real world. They may resort to freelancing, or even doing business themselves. Nowadays, there are businesses that require little to no capital to operate, thus it is an option that members of Gen Z can take into consideration as their livelihood. 

Resources, especially housing, are only growing more limited and scarcer everyday. Economics says that resources are scarce, thus it should be used optimally. In our case, we can’t even truly optimally use those resources because they are hard to obtain. This fact is made a laughingstock by Monopoly when they made the “Monopoly for Millennials” with a tagline that says “Forget real estate. You can’t afford it anyway.” If millennials are experiencing this problem, what more for the younger generation, and the other generations to come? Our population is only growing every second, and cost of living is following suit. This is our reality now, but nevertheless we have to make do with what we have been given. Measly as though it may be, Gen Z will just have to be very resourceful.

Generation Z has to live on Earth in its current state - warm, polluted, and destructed by human activity. Did you know that in 2016, the World Health Organization said that 92% of the world’s population is breathing contaminated air? This is a scary situation to be in for the younger generation. It makes you wonder: what kind of Earth is in store for them? Will there even be an Earth for them and the next generations in the future? It is alarming, truly, that the younger generation is peering into an uncertain future because of how we are sucking the life out of Mother Earth for our own selfish gains. 🥀All of us should work together to conserve the planet that we live in. Even simple things will have a snowball effect, such as reducing our plastic usage and maintaining the cleanliness of our surroundings. Heck, not using plastic straws is still essentially a big help. #SaveTheTurtles 🐢

Generation Z receives a lot of discrimination from older generations because of the differences in opinions. Generation Z are often told that they are still too young to be vocal about rampant and prevailing social issues, and that they are still inexperienced to say and feel certain things.  Despite having already proven ourselves to others, our potential and capabilities are still being limited and underestimated by the older generations just because of our young age. But age is just a number, and it mostly does not prove anything at all. Moreover, Gen Z shouldn’t be trifled with. We have the passion to ameliorate the world, and to make a better life for everyone in the future. We are going to continue proving others wrong. We will show that we are a generation of hope. 

Lastly, because of their very technology-based lifestyle, it is mostly Generation Z that has to face the negative effects that social media brings. It is indubitable that social media is practically a part of their life; it is an important platform for them. However, social media can also be used as a medium for spreading misinformation, cyberbullying, harassing, etc. And these can cause damages to the life of a person that may even be permanent. That is why we have to be very careful with the things we say online, and never encourage and tolerate nefarious acts like those aforementioned. Let us try to make social media a safe online platform for everyone. 

     So what are my five key takeaways from these challenges? It is that the call to action is imperative; the time to act is now, and we need to take responsibility for effecting changes in the things that need to be changed. We have to make a better world materialize, and it is up to us to actualize it. 

1. Consider diving into the world of entrepreneurship. If we cannot find a job, let us be the one to provide jobs through operating a business. More businesses means more workforce needed. 

2. Be resourceful, and look for substitute goods if possible. Moreover, never forget to use the resources that we have optimally and not wastefully. We are a very innovative generation. Let us use our brilliant minds to come up with ways to reduce the scarcity of resources. 

3. Participate in environmental advocacies, and help take care of Mother Earth even if it is just through simple things. Mother Earth can survive without us, but we cannot survive without her. That is why it is important that we do not take her for granted before things are too late. Let us preserve the place that we call home for the future generations to come.

4. Do not mind the discrimination that we receive from older generations, and focus on what we can bring to the table instead. We are on track to be the most well-educated generation yet, and the older generations can’t ever dispute that fact. We have a lot to offer to the world, and we can be a beacon of hope for the future. We don’t have to keep living up to their standards, because sooner or later, we will be the standard. 

5. Social media will never not be a part of our lives. It is pretty much a need now because of its versatility and functionality in helping us with almost anything and everything. So we can use social media unsparingly, but let us never forget that we also have to use it wisely. 

    But ultimately, I think that the most important takeaway from this is that although life is not easy for us Gen Z, we have to embrace the hardships of it all and use it as a weapon of hope to fight against inequality, injustice, and hatred. As Lucie Greene described us, let us be “the most brand-critical, bullshit-repellent, questioning group” the world has ever seen.