Your business is what your business does

The Manila Times
Business Times p.B1
Thursday, January 6, 2005
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2005/jan/06/yehey/business/20050106bus6.html

LEARNING & INNOVATION
By Moje Ramos-Aquino
Your business is what your business does

MS. Elaine Dundon, author of Seeds of Innovation, sends me this article from her Seeds of Innovation Insights:

“We thought the Echo story might be a great way to start the new year!

“A son and his father were walking in the mountains. Suddenly, the son falls, hurts himself, and screams: ‘AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!’ To his surprise, he hears a voice repeating, somewhere in the mountains: ‘AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!’ Curious, he yells out: ‘Who are you?’ He receives the answer: ‘Who are you?’ And then he screams to the mountain: ‘I admire you!’ The voice answers: ‘I admire you!’

“Angered at the response, he screams: ‘Coward!’ He receives the answer: ‘Coward!’ He looks to his father and asks: ‘What’s going on?’ The father smiles and says: ‘My son, pay attention.’ Again, the man screams: ‘You are a champion!’ The voice answers: ‘You are a champion!’ The boy is surprised, but does not understand.

“Then the father explains: “People call this ECHO, but really this is LIFE. It gives you back everything you say or do. Our life is simply a reflection of our actions. If you want more love in the world, create more love in your heart. If you want more competency in your team, improve your own competency. This relationship applies to everything, in all aspects of life. Life will give you back everything you have given to it. Your life is not a coincidence. It’s a reflection of you!”

Indeed all your processes, systems, procedures, programs, projects and other business activities will eventually add up to how successfully you run your business and fulfill your customer-value proposition.

These goings-on will reflect the kind of business you have, the culture of your organization and the style of your leadership. What you do and say is what you are.

All your internal processes would fall under two categories: key and support. This will tell you where to put your resources most. Let’s dwell on this next column as we continue to discuss the Balanced Scorecard.

New Year’s wishes from our readers:

Venus Tiamson, Virginia, USA: “My wish list, I guess, for the new year is to get employed. My big wish for last November during the presidential elections here in the United States was for John Kerry to win the election. Unfortunately, it is still the dumb ass that won.”

Dr. Marcia Bautista: “I am a Family Medicine Consultant at the Dr. Fe del Mundo Medical Center. Dra. Fe del Mundo is 93 years old and is still a practicing pediatrician. “The hospital is her legacy to the children of our land. . .” Her wish is to have a charity wing (re-) built for indigent patients, mostly pediatric ones, but hopefully will include adult patients as well, since the hospital has been a general hospital since 1998. So, that’s the wish of this National Scientist, Dra. Fe.”

Naoko Nagano, Chiba, Japan: More Japanese and Filipinos will know the life of Christ and be inspired by Him, especially during this season. For the many thousands of casualties of recent tsunami in Asia and Niigata earthquakes last October to get help, comfort and courage to carry on with life. My students at Mimomi HS and all the high-school students of Japan will grasp dreams and achieve their own goals.

Arlene Mandia, Digitel: “For parents, especially those busy at work, to spend more time with their children, so we will have a better future generation. For employers to share their blessings with their employees. For the employed to share their blessing with the less fortunate. For the people to patronize the products and services of companies who do well by their employees.”

Ning Santos, author and advocate: “My Christmas wish is that the mass media of communications (radio, TV and print) are free, by the year 2005, of Liars, Intimidators and Extortionists. It is a wish which God Himself, for all His Might, will be powerless to grant if human beings like the owners of mass media, do not cooperate with Him in dissemination of truth to the Filipino People, instead of the lies propagated by the media men identified in my book.”

(Moje’s e-mail addy is moje@mydestiny.net)