THE MANILA TIMES
Business Times p.B3
Thursday, June 29, 2006
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2006/june/29/yehey/business/20060629bus13.html
LEARNING & INNOVATION
By Moje Ramos-Aquino, FPM
How do we trust?
LAST column we shared the view of writers Valerie Nellen and Susan Wilkes in The Pfeiffer Book of Successful Teambuilding Tools. They wrote that trust comes from a three-part foundation composed of competence, consistency and care. We discussed the first two.
The third piece of foundation of trust according to Nellen and Wilkes is care. “When a person demonstrates that he or she cares about our well-being and is willing to put our welfare ahead of his or her concerns, we feel safe. We willingly risk being emotionally, financially, or otherwise vulnerable with a person whom we trust to look out for our needs and keep our secrets.”
When all three centers of trust are found a relationship, “we can say that we trust the other person. When one element is missing, we may trust the person in a limited way, but we do not fully give ourselves over to the other person.
Indeed I have a very good friend who trusts me with her deepest secrets. As her husband would even say, “Moje knows more about my wife than I do.” This is because my friend knows that her secrets are safe with me precisely because we are best friends and I care much about her. These secrets are not exactly shocking or dark or embarrassing. They are everyday things that good friends share with each other. They are really feelings, not much facts and figures.
Sharing feelings and emotions are much more fragile than sharing mere details of facts and figures. Feelings are not easily shared. Sharing feelings and keeping what is shared to oneself is what makes for trust between best friends.
Same things happen in the work situation. Generally, information is easily obtainable. But reactions, conclusions, consequences, next moves are the ones kept under wraps until the proper time. Woe to the ones who make these public. Many a manager lose their job because of “lack of trust.”
How about you? Who do you trust and why do you trust? Do you ever feel vulnerable and dependent on others? How do you define trust? How is trust achieved? How is trust encouraged? How can you build trust in a setting in which risk and vulnerability exist? How can you build trust in everyday setting? How do you deal with breach of trust?
Here’s a reaction from Ernie Cordero: Let me share with you an actual experience of one of the oldest multinational pharma companies in the Philippines (late eighties) when the full field force’s trust crumbled in an instant.
This company was once headed by an old and expat president and CEO who inspired trust and top performance from the entire workforce. The formula—he is treated like a father, an old sage, a very dependable, reliable, generous man. Every year is a triumphant banner year and every member of the organization was so happy until he retired.
Consequently, a new administration came into the company. The supposed bright team laughed and ridiculed the former expat CEO’s style (very Filipino approach) as an example for bad management. This Filipino CEO immediately assumed the position and started to rock the boat, but never reached any quota for his whole stay in the company until he was replaced.
The original field force were either retired, fired or put to oblivion. The new CEO introduced bright and up-to-date management concepts and philosophy. He even called himself “the guru’” to highlight his role and significance to the company. Alas, the whole field force was suspicious of him and gave bad performance.
PERSONAL. My term as Rotary president is done. My signature project “Accelerated Learning Workshop (4 days) for Public School Teachers” is highly appreciated by the 700 teachers who have attended it. Therefore, I intend to continue this project and spread it all over the country. I need your help to sponsor teachers to the Workshop. We need our teachers to be competent, consistent and caring.
Moje, president of Paradigms & Paradoxes Corp, can be reached at innovationcamp@yahoo.com
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Thursday, June 22, 2006
‘I trust you’
THE MANILA TIMES
Business Times p.B3
Thursday, June 22, 2006
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2006/june/22/yehey/business/20060622bus13.html
LEARNING & INNOVATION
By Moje Ramos-Aquino, FPM
‘I trust you’
WHAT does “I trust you” mean? You know, you often tell that to your children, spouse, subordinates, peers, bosses, friends and others you relate with. What you are really saying is “Look guys, please spare me the worrying and do as you are expected to do.”
Saying “I trust you” really means making yourself believe that that person will do and encouraging that person to do what was said to be done. Trust is believing that words mean what they appear to mean. It is seeing action that is consistent with the verbal or coded or written message. It is doing what is promised to be done.
Trust is not simply making others believe that you’re something that you’re not or you’ll do something that you won’t. This is “con.” Trust is not believing anything that anyone says is automatically true. That’s being gullible.
In business, we express trust in many different ways, e.g., “walk the talk and talk the talk.” Trust here is carrying out the advertised “image” your organization presents to the public, internal and external. It carries with it a dollop of respect and confidence. For example, your customer buys your product because of the features and price that you attach to it. When the product is sold at a higher price or bogs down immediately after the warranty lapse, then trust is destroyed. Your customer could easily buy another brand of the same product. So trust is synonymous to branding. Let’s talk about branding in another time.
Trust seems to be an elusive concept to define. So when we talk about trust, we talk about themes, attitudes, behaviors and actions that build or undermine trust. When we talk about trust we also talk about issues that pertain to relationships, issues that are within or beyond our control, issues that only other people could address and issues which are beyond your team’s control and not likely to change. Building trust means focusing on issues that both parties can control and resolve.
My personal conclusion is that trust is a feeling, an emotion, an expression of confidence in and willingness to act on the basis of the words, actions and decision of another person. Elaine Biech, editor of The Pfeiffer Book of Successful Teambuilding Tools, asserts that trust includes the very important element of allowing oneself to be vulnerable, based on the assumption that the trusted person will provide protection. Employees, for example, willingly join an organization and do their job that they could not have done alone, trusting that their bosses would see them through successfully.
Where does trust come from? Why do we trust? Biech explains that trust has a three-part foundation. “The first is competence. We are all more likely to trust someone who demonstrates an ability to perform whatever task is at hand. We rely on the ability of the other person to do what he/she says he/she could do.” In work situations, trust is the basis for delegation. When bosses know their subordinates could do the job, they trust them to do bigger responsibilities and more complicated tasks; then leave them alone to do the job without checking up to make sure that the work is being done properly.
The second piece of foundation of trust is consistency. We are more all inclined to trust someone who demonstrates consistent behavior: telling the truth, demonstrating integrity in word and deed and honoring commitments. When someone is consistent, we say that we can count on or depend on him or her. We place faith in the statements or consistent people without independently verifying their actions. This level of behavior predictability is vital to trust.” We tend to trust others who are consistently correct and are consistently doing the right things.
The third basis for trust is care. We’ll discuss that lengthily next ish.
Moje, president of Paradigms & Paradoxes Corp., could be reached at moje@mydestiny.net
Business Times p.B3
Thursday, June 22, 2006
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2006/june/22/yehey/business/20060622bus13.html
LEARNING & INNOVATION
By Moje Ramos-Aquino, FPM
‘I trust you’
WHAT does “I trust you” mean? You know, you often tell that to your children, spouse, subordinates, peers, bosses, friends and others you relate with. What you are really saying is “Look guys, please spare me the worrying and do as you are expected to do.”
Saying “I trust you” really means making yourself believe that that person will do and encouraging that person to do what was said to be done. Trust is believing that words mean what they appear to mean. It is seeing action that is consistent with the verbal or coded or written message. It is doing what is promised to be done.
Trust is not simply making others believe that you’re something that you’re not or you’ll do something that you won’t. This is “con.” Trust is not believing anything that anyone says is automatically true. That’s being gullible.
In business, we express trust in many different ways, e.g., “walk the talk and talk the talk.” Trust here is carrying out the advertised “image” your organization presents to the public, internal and external. It carries with it a dollop of respect and confidence. For example, your customer buys your product because of the features and price that you attach to it. When the product is sold at a higher price or bogs down immediately after the warranty lapse, then trust is destroyed. Your customer could easily buy another brand of the same product. So trust is synonymous to branding. Let’s talk about branding in another time.
Trust seems to be an elusive concept to define. So when we talk about trust, we talk about themes, attitudes, behaviors and actions that build or undermine trust. When we talk about trust we also talk about issues that pertain to relationships, issues that are within or beyond our control, issues that only other people could address and issues which are beyond your team’s control and not likely to change. Building trust means focusing on issues that both parties can control and resolve.
My personal conclusion is that trust is a feeling, an emotion, an expression of confidence in and willingness to act on the basis of the words, actions and decision of another person. Elaine Biech, editor of The Pfeiffer Book of Successful Teambuilding Tools, asserts that trust includes the very important element of allowing oneself to be vulnerable, based on the assumption that the trusted person will provide protection. Employees, for example, willingly join an organization and do their job that they could not have done alone, trusting that their bosses would see them through successfully.
Where does trust come from? Why do we trust? Biech explains that trust has a three-part foundation. “The first is competence. We are all more likely to trust someone who demonstrates an ability to perform whatever task is at hand. We rely on the ability of the other person to do what he/she says he/she could do.” In work situations, trust is the basis for delegation. When bosses know their subordinates could do the job, they trust them to do bigger responsibilities and more complicated tasks; then leave them alone to do the job without checking up to make sure that the work is being done properly.
The second piece of foundation of trust is consistency. We are more all inclined to trust someone who demonstrates consistent behavior: telling the truth, demonstrating integrity in word and deed and honoring commitments. When someone is consistent, we say that we can count on or depend on him or her. We place faith in the statements or consistent people without independently verifying their actions. This level of behavior predictability is vital to trust.” We tend to trust others who are consistently correct and are consistently doing the right things.
The third basis for trust is care. We’ll discuss that lengthily next ish.
Moje, president of Paradigms & Paradoxes Corp., could be reached at moje@mydestiny.net
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Trust described
THE MANILA TIMES
Business Times p.B3
Thursday, June 15, 2006
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2006/june/15/yehey/business/20060615bus14.html
LEARNING & INNOVATION
By Moje Ramos-Aquino, FPM
Trust described
OVER the weekend while in Davao, I researched on the concept of “trust” and found that there is not much material directly discussing the matter. In some books on teambuilding, there are a couple of exercises on building trust, but not much discussion. So I looked up a trust in thefreedictionary.com/trust and this is part of what I found.
As a verb,
Trust—have confidence or faith in; “We can trust in God;” “Rely on your friends;” “bank on your good education;” “I swear by my grandmother’s recipes” rely, swear, bank
Believe—accept as true; take to be true; “I believed his report;” “We didn’t believe his stories from the War;” “She believes in spirits”
Credit—have trust in; trust in the truth or veracity of
Lean—rely on for support; “We can lean on this man”
Depend, bet, reckon, calculate, count, look—have faith or confidence in; “you can count on me to help you any time;” “Look to your friends for support;” “You can bet on that!;” “Depend on your family in times of crisis”
Trusttrust—allow without fear, be confident about something, expect and wish; “I believe that he will come back from the war”
Entrust, intrust, confide, commit—confer a trust upon; “The messenger was entrusted with the general’s secret;” “I commit my soul to God”
Commend—give to in charge; “I commend my children to you”
Anticipate, expect—regard something as probable or likely; “The meteorologists are expecting rain for tomorrow”
Wish—hope for; have a wish; “I wish I could go home now”
Countenance, permit, allow, let—consent to, give permission; “She permitted her son to visit her estranged husband;” “I won’t let the police search her basement;” “I cannot allow you to see your exam”
Hand, pass on, turn over, pass, reach, give—place into the hands or custody of; “hand me the spoon, please;” “Turn the files over to me, please;” “He turned over the prisoner to his lawyers”
Consign, charge—give over to another for care or safekeeping; “consign your baggage”
As a noun,
Trust—certainty based on past experience; “he wrote the paper with considerable reliance on the work of other scientists;” “he put more trust in his own two legs than in the gun”
Certainty—the state of being certain; “his certainty reassured the others”
Trusttrust—the trait of trusting; of believing in the honesty and reliability of others; “the experience destroyed his trust and personal dignity.” Also, complete confidence in a person or plan etc; “he cherished the faith of a good woman;” “the doctor-patient relationship is based on trust.” And, a trustful relationship; “he took me into his confidence;” “he betrayed their trust”
As trait—a distinguishing feature of your personal nature
Belief—any cognitive content held as true
Credulity—tendency to believe readily
These descriptions tell us how to trust. Next ish, let’s talk about the absence of trust.
I am part of a team from the Department of Tourism that trains tourist police. I handle values orientation. In Davao, there are 70 tourist police entrusted with the task of “protecting foreign tourists.” I say that we equally protect our fellow Filipinos, especially our women and children, from these tourists. Unfortunately, many of the kind of tourists we attract are not necessarily trustworthy as some come here for reasons other than to appreciate our country and people. Look around Boracay, Manila and others.
Likewise, when we say, “protect tourists,” my question is: “from whom”? Do we discriminate against our fellow Filipinos to please tourists? We are overdoing things again.
Moje, president of Paradigms & Paradoxes Corp., can be reached at moje@mydestiny.net
Business Times p.B3
Thursday, June 15, 2006
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2006/june/15/yehey/business/20060615bus14.html
LEARNING & INNOVATION
By Moje Ramos-Aquino, FPM
Trust described
OVER the weekend while in Davao, I researched on the concept of “trust” and found that there is not much material directly discussing the matter. In some books on teambuilding, there are a couple of exercises on building trust, but not much discussion. So I looked up a trust in thefreedictionary.com/trust and this is part of what I found.
As a verb,
Trust—have confidence or faith in; “We can trust in God;” “Rely on your friends;” “bank on your good education;” “I swear by my grandmother’s recipes” rely, swear, bank
Believe—accept as true; take to be true; “I believed his report;” “We didn’t believe his stories from the War;” “She believes in spirits”
Credit—have trust in; trust in the truth or veracity of
Lean—rely on for support; “We can lean on this man”
Depend, bet, reckon, calculate, count, look—have faith or confidence in; “you can count on me to help you any time;” “Look to your friends for support;” “You can bet on that!;” “Depend on your family in times of crisis”
Trusttrust—allow without fear, be confident about something, expect and wish; “I believe that he will come back from the war”
Entrust, intrust, confide, commit—confer a trust upon; “The messenger was entrusted with the general’s secret;” “I commit my soul to God”
Commend—give to in charge; “I commend my children to you”
Anticipate, expect—regard something as probable or likely; “The meteorologists are expecting rain for tomorrow”
Wish—hope for; have a wish; “I wish I could go home now”
Countenance, permit, allow, let—consent to, give permission; “She permitted her son to visit her estranged husband;” “I won’t let the police search her basement;” “I cannot allow you to see your exam”
Hand, pass on, turn over, pass, reach, give—place into the hands or custody of; “hand me the spoon, please;” “Turn the files over to me, please;” “He turned over the prisoner to his lawyers”
Consign, charge—give over to another for care or safekeeping; “consign your baggage”
As a noun,
Trust—certainty based on past experience; “he wrote the paper with considerable reliance on the work of other scientists;” “he put more trust in his own two legs than in the gun”
Certainty—the state of being certain; “his certainty reassured the others”
Trusttrust—the trait of trusting; of believing in the honesty and reliability of others; “the experience destroyed his trust and personal dignity.” Also, complete confidence in a person or plan etc; “he cherished the faith of a good woman;” “the doctor-patient relationship is based on trust.” And, a trustful relationship; “he took me into his confidence;” “he betrayed their trust”
As trait—a distinguishing feature of your personal nature
Belief—any cognitive content held as true
Credulity—tendency to believe readily
These descriptions tell us how to trust. Next ish, let’s talk about the absence of trust.
I am part of a team from the Department of Tourism that trains tourist police. I handle values orientation. In Davao, there are 70 tourist police entrusted with the task of “protecting foreign tourists.” I say that we equally protect our fellow Filipinos, especially our women and children, from these tourists. Unfortunately, many of the kind of tourists we attract are not necessarily trustworthy as some come here for reasons other than to appreciate our country and people. Look around Boracay, Manila and others.
Likewise, when we say, “protect tourists,” my question is: “from whom”? Do we discriminate against our fellow Filipinos to please tourists? We are overdoing things again.
Moje, president of Paradigms & Paradoxes Corp., can be reached at moje@mydestiny.net
Thursday, June 8, 2006
Trust and organization success
THE MANILA TIMES
Business Times p.B3
Thursday, June 8, 2006
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2006/june/08/yehey/business/20060608bus14.html
LEARNING & INNOVATION
By Moje Ramos-Aquino, FPM
Trust and organization success
I observe that the amount of trust among the members of the organization equals the success of that organization. No trust, no success. More trust, more success. Whatever the nature of your organization or group—business, government, civic or social, family, academe, barkada, others.
There are three types of trust according to authors Robert Galford and Anne Seibold Drapeau in their book, The Trusted Leader. These are Strategic trust or trust that people have that the organization is doing the right things. It is trust that the company has the capability to be successful in its avowed vision, mission, values, goals and strategies. “Our employees trust us as leaders to be correct, or at least directionally correct, in what we do in the marketplace, how we compete, how we price and how we present ourselves.”
The second kind of trust is organizational trust that is created through personal trust and more. It is employees’ trust in internal systems and procedures. A trust that these systems are above board and that its leaders will stick to these policies and make fair and informed decisions.
The third category is personal trust. It is the employees’ trust that organizational leaders, as individual and as leaders, will treat them fairly and will care for their well-being. “Employees in this trust, in return, show at least some loyalty to its leaders. It’s: I trust you, whether or not I trust the company. Sometimes it’s: I trust you to protect me from the company!”
That is why Filipinos are very fond of getting their bosses as godparents for their own wedding or their child’s wedding or baptism or whatever. They are investing their trust on their bosses. Who is the boss who will refuse the offer?
While the boss invites his people to his confidence and invest his trust on them by way of letting them in on little organizational secrets or inviting them over to his house for some drinks.
The authors note that you can have personal trust without organizational trust. This is more of personal loyalty. And many organizational bosses aspire for personal loyalty without regard to organizational and strategic trust. Organizational trust requires a fair amount of personal trust.
You don’t need either personal or organizational trust to have strategic trust. “The company might be a hotbed of deceit, but it might have a brilliant product, or it might just happen to be sitting on a lot of oil. But the leader who has strategic trust without the other two is headed rapidly for rough waters.” As they say, people join organizations, they leave the boss.
Galford and Drapeau wax sentimental: “It would be a wonderful world if we could have complete, unerring, unending trust in everyone we like or respect for their knowledge. But it ain’t gonna happen. At least not in our lifetimes. Total trust isn’t viable. Here’s a more realistic ideal. Aim for having a fair idea of where you stand, a ‘minimum requirement’ for yourself and for those around you, and a desire to push out, or ‘improve’ in all directions as time goes on. There’s a minimum requirement of taking that first step—and after you take the first step, the going gets easier.”
I am a very trusting person and my personal take is that you simply give 100% trust. No ifs, no buts. It shouldn’t be a black and white issue. Trust shouldn’t be based on conditions or climate or whatever. Trust couldn’t be partial as in, I don’t really trust you, but I trust you to do your job well. Meanwhile, I will be watching you all the time.
Moje is president of Paradigms & Paradoxes Corp. Please e-mail your reactions or personal view at moje@mydestiny.net
Business Times p.B3
Thursday, June 8, 2006
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2006/june/08/yehey/business/20060608bus14.html
LEARNING & INNOVATION
By Moje Ramos-Aquino, FPM
Trust and organization success
I observe that the amount of trust among the members of the organization equals the success of that organization. No trust, no success. More trust, more success. Whatever the nature of your organization or group—business, government, civic or social, family, academe, barkada, others.
There are three types of trust according to authors Robert Galford and Anne Seibold Drapeau in their book, The Trusted Leader. These are Strategic trust or trust that people have that the organization is doing the right things. It is trust that the company has the capability to be successful in its avowed vision, mission, values, goals and strategies. “Our employees trust us as leaders to be correct, or at least directionally correct, in what we do in the marketplace, how we compete, how we price and how we present ourselves.”
The second kind of trust is organizational trust that is created through personal trust and more. It is employees’ trust in internal systems and procedures. A trust that these systems are above board and that its leaders will stick to these policies and make fair and informed decisions.
The third category is personal trust. It is the employees’ trust that organizational leaders, as individual and as leaders, will treat them fairly and will care for their well-being. “Employees in this trust, in return, show at least some loyalty to its leaders. It’s: I trust you, whether or not I trust the company. Sometimes it’s: I trust you to protect me from the company!”
That is why Filipinos are very fond of getting their bosses as godparents for their own wedding or their child’s wedding or baptism or whatever. They are investing their trust on their bosses. Who is the boss who will refuse the offer?
While the boss invites his people to his confidence and invest his trust on them by way of letting them in on little organizational secrets or inviting them over to his house for some drinks.
The authors note that you can have personal trust without organizational trust. This is more of personal loyalty. And many organizational bosses aspire for personal loyalty without regard to organizational and strategic trust. Organizational trust requires a fair amount of personal trust.
You don’t need either personal or organizational trust to have strategic trust. “The company might be a hotbed of deceit, but it might have a brilliant product, or it might just happen to be sitting on a lot of oil. But the leader who has strategic trust without the other two is headed rapidly for rough waters.” As they say, people join organizations, they leave the boss.
Galford and Drapeau wax sentimental: “It would be a wonderful world if we could have complete, unerring, unending trust in everyone we like or respect for their knowledge. But it ain’t gonna happen. At least not in our lifetimes. Total trust isn’t viable. Here’s a more realistic ideal. Aim for having a fair idea of where you stand, a ‘minimum requirement’ for yourself and for those around you, and a desire to push out, or ‘improve’ in all directions as time goes on. There’s a minimum requirement of taking that first step—and after you take the first step, the going gets easier.”
I am a very trusting person and my personal take is that you simply give 100% trust. No ifs, no buts. It shouldn’t be a black and white issue. Trust shouldn’t be based on conditions or climate or whatever. Trust couldn’t be partial as in, I don’t really trust you, but I trust you to do your job well. Meanwhile, I will be watching you all the time.
Moje is president of Paradigms & Paradoxes Corp. Please e-mail your reactions or personal view at moje@mydestiny.net
Thursday, June 1, 2006
The joy of sacrifice
THE MANILA TIMES
Business Times p.B3
Thursday, June 1, 2006
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2006/june/01/yehey/business/20060601bus14.html
LEARNING & INNOVATION
By Moje Ramos-Aquino, FPM
The joy of sacrifice
“In your topic ‘Leading the Generations,’ you have dismissed those belonging to the Patriarchal Generations as gone and vanished from the business scene. I was born in 1931 and spent my childhood during WWII, but at my age of 75 I am still active in business. I am in the midst of writing a study and aim to implement the construction of a new city around Lake Caliraya at Lumban, Laguna. I am linking up with the PNB of Dr. Lucio Tan, DBP of the Philippine Government, to build a new city with the most enhanced ecology for the retirees from the United States, Europe and Japan in mansions or pensions built along the cultural rich Spanish-type homes amid plantations of ornamental plants and flowers. Can me an indication of my business paradigm. I will be associating mostly with the Baby Boomers.
“I am internationally oriented, appreciating the culture we inherited from Spain and the Americans at the turn of the century. My father is a Professor of History educated by the Thomasites and the early Baptist Missionaries in the City of Iloilo has in its logo, “La Noble y Leal Ciudad de Iloilo,” meaning we were not part of the Philippine Revolution, our hero, Graciano Lopez Jaena, like Jose Rizal, wanted reforms for the Philippines represented in the Spanish Cortez and not independence from Spain, realizing that we were not ready for self rule.”
Congratulations and I definitely agree with you, Ms. Granada. My own mother just turned 80 and is living an independent and productive life. I still run to her for advice and financial help.
This reminds me of what Kim Woo Choong, founder and chairman of Daewoo, wrote about his lessons learned from spiders in his book Every Street Is Paved with Gold: The Road to Real Success. “There is a kind of spider that skillfully lays a large number of eggs in the bark of a tree and proceeds to disguise them with her web. After a period, the baby spiders hatch, and the mother spider, with no thought of herself, goes about the business of finding food for her babies just as all animals and insects do. When the baby spiders are strong enough to catch their own food, however, the exhausted mother dies.
“Even more surprisingly, in another species of spider, the mother feeds herself to the babies. It seems a bit unbelievable, but the mother’s body provides sufficient nutrients for the baby spiders. It is very moving to note that the life of the baby spiders depends on the sacrifice and death of their mother, that the mother has to die for the babies to live.
“In the same sense, the prosperity of a future generation depends on the sacrifices made by the current generation. Indeed there can be no prosperity without sacrifice. On the more personal level, the happiness of children depends on the sacrifices made by parents. The sweat and tears of one generation result in joy for the next. By the same token, lazy, irresponsible parents forge a trail of misery for their children. This is true of every prosperous nation; prosperity is built on the sacrifices of an entire generation.
“The child plucks the fruit from a tree the grandparent planted. If there is no tree, there is nothing for a child to pick. If an entire generation thinks only of itself, what will be left? Even if we are not around to pick the fruit, we have the responsibility to plant the trees. What a joy it is to think of grandchildren plucking from the tree and reflecting on what their grandparents did and why they did it.”
Moje, president of Paradigms & Paradoxes Corp., wants to get your feedback at moje@mydestiny.net
Business Times p.B3
Thursday, June 1, 2006
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2006/june/01/yehey/business/20060601bus14.html
LEARNING & INNOVATION
By Moje Ramos-Aquino, FPM
The joy of sacrifice
“In your topic ‘Leading the Generations,’ you have dismissed those belonging to the Patriarchal Generations as gone and vanished from the business scene. I was born in 1931 and spent my childhood during WWII, but at my age of 75 I am still active in business. I am in the midst of writing a study and aim to implement the construction of a new city around Lake Caliraya at Lumban, Laguna. I am linking up with the PNB of Dr. Lucio Tan, DBP of the Philippine Government, to build a new city with the most enhanced ecology for the retirees from the United States, Europe and Japan in mansions or pensions built along the cultural rich Spanish-type homes amid plantations of ornamental plants and flowers. Can me an indication of my business paradigm. I will be associating mostly with the Baby Boomers.
“I am internationally oriented, appreciating the culture we inherited from Spain and the Americans at the turn of the century. My father is a Professor of History educated by the Thomasites and the early Baptist Missionaries in the City of Iloilo has in its logo, “La Noble y Leal Ciudad de Iloilo,” meaning we were not part of the Philippine Revolution, our hero, Graciano Lopez Jaena, like Jose Rizal, wanted reforms for the Philippines represented in the Spanish Cortez and not independence from Spain, realizing that we were not ready for self rule.”
Congratulations and I definitely agree with you, Ms. Granada. My own mother just turned 80 and is living an independent and productive life. I still run to her for advice and financial help.
This reminds me of what Kim Woo Choong, founder and chairman of Daewoo, wrote about his lessons learned from spiders in his book Every Street Is Paved with Gold: The Road to Real Success. “There is a kind of spider that skillfully lays a large number of eggs in the bark of a tree and proceeds to disguise them with her web. After a period, the baby spiders hatch, and the mother spider, with no thought of herself, goes about the business of finding food for her babies just as all animals and insects do. When the baby spiders are strong enough to catch their own food, however, the exhausted mother dies.
“Even more surprisingly, in another species of spider, the mother feeds herself to the babies. It seems a bit unbelievable, but the mother’s body provides sufficient nutrients for the baby spiders. It is very moving to note that the life of the baby spiders depends on the sacrifice and death of their mother, that the mother has to die for the babies to live.
“In the same sense, the prosperity of a future generation depends on the sacrifices made by the current generation. Indeed there can be no prosperity without sacrifice. On the more personal level, the happiness of children depends on the sacrifices made by parents. The sweat and tears of one generation result in joy for the next. By the same token, lazy, irresponsible parents forge a trail of misery for their children. This is true of every prosperous nation; prosperity is built on the sacrifices of an entire generation.
“The child plucks the fruit from a tree the grandparent planted. If there is no tree, there is nothing for a child to pick. If an entire generation thinks only of itself, what will be left? Even if we are not around to pick the fruit, we have the responsibility to plant the trees. What a joy it is to think of grandchildren plucking from the tree and reflecting on what their grandparents did and why they did it.”
Moje, president of Paradigms & Paradoxes Corp., wants to get your feedback at moje@mydestiny.net
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