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)