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Friday, May 25, 2007

Congratulations to LAA achievers

To complete our article on outstanding practice in recognizing and rewarding contributions to corporate goals, Bheng Relatado, FPHC Lopez Achievement Award's creative mind, gave me this list of LAA awardees for 2006.

Award for Customer Focus: Speedy Restoration of Power after Typhoon Milenyo (Typhoon Milenyo Restoration Team, Meralco).

The speedy restoration of electric service made possible the return to normalcy of the lives of Meralco's customers in just 9 days, fueled by dedication, perseverance and malasakit.

Award for Business Management: Pinoy Big Brother (PBB Team, ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation)

Through optimized use of assets, efficient spending leading to cost savings, strategic partnering, and cross-platform synergies combined with creativity and innovation in producing a 24/7 reality TV program, the strategies employed in PBB became the benchmark and template for other cross-platform synergies/programs.

First Day High: A Pioneer Synergistic Co-Production (First Day High Team, ABS-CBN Film Productions, Inc)

This team's project legitimizes a new way of film-making business amidst scarce financing besetting local film industry.

Mining the US Market (Rockwell Land US Road Show Team)

This team's achievement demonstrates creativity in addressing a market opportunity in an industry overwhelmed with stiff competition. By employing a comprehensive marketing and sales strategy that includes simultaneous roadshows in the US and West coasts, intensified media exposures and after-sales activity such as Balikbayan Program, the team and this cost effective approach has become a benchmark in the industry.

Award for Operations Management: Lowering Meralco's System Loss (Systems Loss Management Team, MERALCO)

The team redefined "systems loss" as the residual of all business process (metering, billing, complaint resolution, etc), going beyond electric theft. Acting on this new thinking, the team was able to lower the systems loss level from 10.95% in 2005 to 10.28% in 2006, thereby avoiding bulk energy purchases worth P1B, mitigating company's net losses in 2005, and delivering recoveries to customers as discount to generation charges amounting to a total of P826 million.

The Anti-Illegal Connection Drive (The Anti Illegal Connection Drive Team)

By adopting a systems approach in addressing cable line pilferage, the team was able to orchestrate a series of well-planned and well-coordinated clean up and conversion of illegal connections in various parts of the metropolis. The team efforts not only revitalized the company's financials, it also raised the morale of the whole organization and forged true synergy and trust between the sales and technical people.

Award for Public Responsibility: The Road to Safe Driving (TMC Handbook and Tabloid Editorial Team)

With barely one year experience in expressway operations, the team whose membership was on a voluntary basis, advanced the company's commitment to Driver Education on Road Safety through the publication of Motorist's Handbook and Tabloid Newspaper - the first of its kind in the country's expressway operations. These communication vehicles have become integral part of law enforcement, and have proved their value in reducing accidents in the NLEX.

Catalyzing Partnerships for Verde Island Conservation (VIICDP Team)

By painstakingly organizing the disparate efforts of the public and private sectors to preserve and develop Verde Island, the team has built a solid foundation for the implementation of the Coastal Resource Management. The team's call for action led to the creation of a National Policy on Biodiversity and the declaration of the Verde Island Passage as a National Protected Area.

Bago Yan Ah! (Science Radio Program) (Radio Unit, ABS-CBN Foundation, Inc.)

Working on their will to bring science and technology into the consciousness of Filipino youth and rural folks, this two-man team empowers its listeners to become self-sufficient and more productive, with accurate, relevant and comprehensible S&T knowledge product of own researches and constant innovation and development of contents, segments and formats.

Director for Special Projects, Manila Radio ABS-CBN: ANGELO PALMONES

Driven to carry on his Science Advocacy beyond the confines of the radio program, Mr. Palmones has used different interventions to promote S&T culture to the Filipinos by spearheading the creation of Philippine Science Journalists Association, authoring books that promote creativity and inventiveness among the youth and in participating School-based Science activities and for his committed and competent media practice contributing greatly in the promotion and commercialization of Filipinos' invention, innovations and creative researches.

(www.paradigmsandparadoxes.ronjie.com; www.learningandinnovation.com;
moje@mydestiny.net)

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Recognizing the joy of living and working

 

Remembering our climb to Mt. Pulag, FPHC senior vice president Ben Liboro wrote in his diary:  If the trek through the mossy forest was the first treasure of Mt. Pulag, sunset from Camp 2 revealed to us the second.  The following morning as we trekked towards the summit, we began to hear cries of triumph from far ahead and above!  We could see flashguns going off.  The leading climbers had reached the summit.  Those sounds and sights got us re-energized and we proceeded to climb with new vigor.    Dawn brought the third treasure of Mt. Pulag, and it was sunset in reverse, but this time from the very top of the mountain where you could pan across 360 degrees. 

 

Indeed it is the discovery of treasures along the path of life that makes living exhilarating and worth everything.  And in the workplace, it is a leadership challenge to keep our employees deriving and taking pride in the pleasure of work, not only through their paycheck (baka nga nakakaiyak pa), but in the job itself.

 

Thus, the Lopez Group inspire and motivate their employees through their Lopez Achievement Award.  It is an annual recognition for outstanding achievements that contribute to the Group's business objectives and exemplify its core values.  All regular employees of companies within the Lopez Group are eligible for the Award, either as individuals or as members of a team.  Teams may be composed of members from a single company or from different companies.

 

Bheng Relatado, the point person of this LAA says that, "The achievement must have been completed between November to October of prior years to qualify for the awards in the current year.  A lead time is required to fully evaluate and judge the nominated employees' achievements.

 

"The achievement must be exceptional, where the degree of difficulty or challenge is enormous and the degree of success is substantially beyond normal expectations.  For the individual, the impact of the achievement must extend beyond his/her employer organization.

 

"The achievement must contribute to any of the following business areas:  customer focus, business management, public responsibility, human resource focus, image building and operations management.  The achievement must be supported by actual results in either financial or non-financial, quantitative or qualitative, such as results of focus group discussions and testimonials.

 

"In the completion of the achievement, the individual or team members must have demonstrated one or more of the Groups' core values of entrepreneurship, strong work ethic, nationalism and teamwork."

 

Really, it is through such rewards and recognition programs that employees feel that their bosses do notice their hard work, creativity and contribution. 

 

Ben continues to write in his diary:  Upon reaching the summit, I didn't feel the inclination to jump for joy or shout in triumph.  What I felt was a deep sense of satisfaction, knowing I had met the challenge, yet also feeling that it had not been so much an arduous challenge than a fun thing to experience.  I looked around me and many of the young climbers were hamming it in front of the cameras and whooping it up in exultation.  I guess that for those of us in our fifties and pushing sixty, we cannot take it for granted any more that things like these are well within our physical capabilities, as we would simply assume they were when we were younger.  Therefore, this achievement fills us with deep and private satisfaction, for now, it is ourselves that we challenge, not the mountain. 

 

COFILCO:  The Confederation of Philippine Consultants invites all consultants (technical and management) who wish to participate in big-ticket local and international projects of major official development assistance agencies to attend their ODA Seminar this May 31-June 1, 2007 at Richmonde Hotel, San Miguel Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City.

 

There will be speakers from World Bank, AusAid, European Commission, Asian Development Bank, Japan Bank for International Cooperation and Japan International Cooperation Agency.  DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan is keynote speaker and NEDA Director-General Romulo Neri is luncheon speaker on Day 2. 

 

For details, please email ecablaza@primexinc.org or cofilco_secretariat@yahoo.com. Or call Cherry Dalmacio, 811-6671 or Vi Ablaza, 633-3717 & 634-5135. 

 

(www.paradigmsandparadoxes.ronjie.com; www.learningandinnovation.com; moje@mydestiny.net)

Friday, May 11, 2007

A battle of posters and promises

I was reviewing the pictures I took in my trips around Luzon early this year and to my chagrin almost all pictures contained campaign collaterals of local and national candidates in the May 14. 

 

But, I notice also that nobody is really talking about politics or nobody wants to talk about the coming elections.  The subject never pops out in any of my conversations with clients, participants in my training programs, fellow tourists, taxi drivers, fellow passengers in buses, FX and jeepneys, my neighbors, my friends and everybody else.  I would eavesdrop in others' conversation and there are no talks about politics.

 

What's happening?  Has apathy set in?  In forced conversations with taxi drivers and friends, everybody is saying that there is no real difference among the candidates since the winners will only enrich themselves in office and perpetuate their family dynasty and the losers will consolidate their resources and run again next time (kahit anong position, makapasok lang sa gobyerno).  The interest of the country and our countrymen are the least of their concerns, if at all.

 

Just the same, my family are determined to do our duty and vote for the most deserving (or least evil?) candidates.   And here are our criteria borrowed from leadership guru Warren Bennis:

 

  1. The first basic ingredient of leadership is a guiding vision.  Who is the candidate who has a clear idea of what s/he wants to do—as a government official and personally—and the strength to persist in the face of setbacks, even failures.
  2. Second is passion.  Who among the candidates loves what s/he does and loves doing it—not only dreams and talks, but acts.
  3. Third, integrity.  Who among the candidates seem to know him/herself, has candor and displays maturity.
  4. Fourth, trust.  And this is one quality that cannot be acquired, it is earned.  Who among the candidates is trustworthy?
  5. Fifth, curiosity and daring.  Who is the candidate who wonders about everything, wants to learn as much as he can, is willing to take risks, experiment, try new things. 

So far I've only received emails endorsing the same three senatorial candidates--Zosimo  Paredes, Adrian Sison and Luis Bautista—from Ang Kapatiran Party.  "A vote for these three is a conscience vote, a principled vote, a non-traditional vote, a vote for socio-political renewal."  Their platform consists of:

 

  • Spiritual dimension -  1)Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.
  • Moral dimension - 2) Promote the integral development and total well-being of all
    Filipinos -- in and outside the schools – through character-building, values formation based on such universal principles as sanctity of human life and dignity of the human person, call to family, community and participation, rights and
    responsibilities, preferential option for the poor, dignity of work and rights of workers, solidarity, and care for God's creation; consistent ethic of life; good citizenship; and basic political education.

    3) Dismantle the social structures that glorify guns, sex, the culture of death and violence, dishonesty, vice, materialism and hedonism, and replace them with structures of virtue, peace, responsibility and achievement.

    4) Abolish all forms of gambling whether run by government or the private sector.  5) Abolish the death penalty.  6) End the use of torture to extract confession.

    7) End fraternity violence in schools and other institutions, as well as in sports whose main aim is to inflict physical harm or violence on the opponent.  8) Actively promote responsible parenthood and natural family planning.

    9) Reorient mass media towards fostering values that contribute
    to the formation of national commitment that is maka-Diyos, maka-bayan, at maka-tao.

 

  • Foreign policy:  10) Gunless society; to be a nation that is a friend to all and an enemy to none; pursue peace based on love, justice, reconciliation, active nonviolence and progressive disarmament for all nations.

Our senatorial lineup are:  Paredes, Sison, Bautista, Arroyo, Roco, Pangilinan, Aquino, Escudero, Angara.  Arghh, it is so difficult to fill up the remaining slots even if we shrink Bennis' criteria.  Do you have the same experience?

 

For mayor of my beloved Manila:  We are 101% for Danny Lacuna!

 

Please vote—it is your moral, spiritual, legal right and obligation to vote for whoever.  Remember, if you don't vote, somebody else might use your ballot.

 

(www.learningandinnovation.com  moje@mydestiny.net)