YOUnique: Understanding Others by Understanding You

I think this is one of the many things that we need to know while on earth. We need to know ourselves more than we know others. (The latter sounds familiar, isn't it?)

Have you thought about why people are different? Why leaders should find people who can COMPLEMENT their weaknesses rather hire individuals who just follow instructions? We all have unique personality. We are created with diversity. There's no two persons who think, act and speak the same way.

Jayson Lo's book, YOUnique, mentioned that if you have many people problems, think about this possibility, are all these people really the problem, or could the problem be...you?

You need to understand yourself first so you can understand others better. Simply, know who you are and your personality and understand that other people are not like you.

May take-away from this book can be summed up in the principle of Personality Envy and Personality Denial. That, we should avoid them.

Personality Envy is vying to have the gifts of another person. We should be thankful for our talents. We just don't know that there might be a number of people who know us and envy us for what we have.

Personality Denial is not accepting who you are and what God has given you. We can't live pretending who we are not. Our true self will be revealed at the most perfect time and it could be a painful experience. We'll only end up frustrated and disappointed.

Let's know our personality and focus on our strengths.

---------

YOUnique by Jason Lo is available in all major bookstores nationwide. Oh, why don't you buy this as gift for Christmas? Call CSM Publishing at 852 7301 and reserve now. It's only Php 375.00 per copy. :)

Why Do We (Still) Have Teachers

The technology has a great impact in the education system today. Everything is in the internet. The answers are available anytime. Simply, they are just a click away. Basically, we can learn by just intelligently surfing the internet.

But, what if? What if tomorrow the teachers are gone? I couldn't imagine the world without them. I believe, amidst the advent of rising technology, teachers still exist today because of these purposes:

1. Students need a friend.
We don't need a machine to supply us what we need to know. We need someone who cares. Someone who is passionate in imparting life's lessons to the learners.

2. Students need a coach.
We need motivation. We need strategies. If not, a basketball game would be different when players play by themselves. We need someone to tap our back and say, "Hey, do good next exam. Power up your review. I know you can make it on top." That's what Google can't do.

3. Students need to learn disciplines.
Entertainment is good. It's fun. Yet, teachers show us how to be more disciplined in life. They know when we spent most of time our time in playing, we're not getting anywhere. Learning is still fun. :)

Teachers taught us how to dream and how to build that dream. Then, they deployed us to the professional world. They TRUSTED us that WE CAN achieve our dreams.

They are like our parents. They rejoice with us in our victories, achievements and successes.

Today is Teachers' Day. Let thank our HEROES who spent almost half of their (daily) lives caring for us.

WOW Culture of Customer Service

I was so privileged to meet Mr. Merril Yu, my new mentor in customer service. He's so warm and approachable. Armed with more than 20 years of experience in luxury hotels around the globe, he threw us precious insights and true-to-life examples about excellent customer service yesterday in the seminar "Putting the WOW in your Customer Service". That's indeed a WOW to me.

Here are my take away from the talk:

1. He had brilliant mentors.
Imagine being surrounded by not-so-crazy guys. Discipline and Details are essential to win the customer service game. These guys were keen, observant, problem solvers and pro-employee. I suppose his mentors played a major role in his life because Merril still carries their principles and disciplines until today. Having a mentor in your professional life will take you 5 steps ahead of those who learn by their own. Leaders who commit their time to groom their subordinates are not insecure. Their goal is to raise new breed of high performers. That's what I see in Merril. Every insight in his subject matter is a precious gem to me.

2. The 3 A' of Jim.

Merril's mentor is Stan. And, Stan's mentor is Jim. Now, let's define Jim's 3 A's:

- Arrival
Be excellent on the first engagement with the customer. From the greeting, telephone,hand shake, carrying the luggage, color of the curtain...etc. WOW them in everything. Give them the unexpected.
- Activities
Be aggressive and consistent with your excellence in marketing, PR, room service, dining service, etc. This is what you do while you engage with the customer and they will expect you to be as good as you promise.
- Aloha
And, don't forget to WOW them even after the sale. Let them feel you care for them in an extraordinary way. Let them know you that are prepared for their comeback.


3. He treated his subordinates as future leaders.
This is so important to me. You know, Merril carefully watched the people he worked with through the years, specially those who directly reported to him. He showed us tons of photos of those who rose from the bottom and made it on top. What a mentor! Until now, he is still in the business of building people.

While on the way back home, I was still processing all the information and experience he shared. Truly, he lived his discipline and his recognitions will speak for that. Someday, I want to be like him, helping and building other people up.

One example that I won't forget. He asked us to distinguish the black shoe polish from the brown polish. We thought of having 2 containers to separate them and mark it. Behold, he just dimmed some lights and asked us if we can identify the color of the floor.

Now, I got his thinking process. WE REALLY HAVE TO PLACE OUR FOOT ON THE CUSTOMER'S SHOES TO BE ABLE TO GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT AND NEED WITH EXCELLENT SERVICE. Or else, we'll be like someone who works in a dim light.

Let me end this post with Jim's saying...

Best Foot Forward

Ever wonder what foot to step forward- right or left? My next question is which is better? Your best foot forward is either of the two. Figuratively, this entry will talk about what to do when you face an opportunity.

Take a personal inventory. At your age, have you identified the field you want to work with? Well, we must. Or else, we won't go anywhere.

During an opportune time, you've got to step your best foot forward because you'll never know if it will happen again. The first appearance in the job interview is crucial. Mess it and you'll never get to see the Top Executive. Same as the drag racer. He should know that even an inch of advantage against his opponents is his victory. In American Idol, a contestant should showcase perfect performance once on stage to pass the judges' taste 'cause J Lo or Steven Tyler might kick him out.

It is our responsibility to equip ourselves with skills that we need in our profession. Students need to master their lectures before taking the examinations. By the time the great opportunity comes and we are not prepared and we mess it up, the breakthrough will find its way to your colleagues.

Think again. What opportunity are you expecting? Prepare for it. Same thing as the chief pilot does. As a rule of aviation, he needs enough preparation for a perfect take off. After some important procedures, he is ready.

Having your best foot forward, take off and fly.

Pen It Down!

Write your goals and stick to it. Unless something reminds you to be back on track, you are more likely to be swept away, off the road.

Ever met a person without a concrete plan in life? Observe his lifestyle. Time passes and he's not even aware that opportunities knocked his door. There's a traffic light so we know when to gear up or full stop. There's an owner's manual so we can take the best out of the product we just bought.

Oh, I remember a delightful experience. During the first week of my married life, we bought a nice wooden closet. It was too easy to assemble, I supposed. So I asked the seller if there's an instruction manual inside so I could fix it myself and without any hesitation, he said yes. Great! I was too excited to build it up so we brought it home and got ready for the (mis)adventure. When I opened the box and laid all the parts on the floor, there was no instruction manual! Here, with the nails, screws, body parts and everything, totally didn't have any idea where to start. Then, I've found a very helpful prints on the box that show 15% of its finishing looks! I tell you, it took me 2 hours to fix it. This was learning and sweating, quite awesome experience.

When you don't have a project plan, don't expect your project will be launched soon. The world doesn't work that way. We may have an idea of the outcome, but unless we plot the steps on the sketch pad, we wouldn't know where to start.

Write your goals, before others write yours. Pray that you'll be able to accomplish your tasks and move to the next level. Create a blog. Grab a journal. Buy calendars. Read books. Attend seminars. Listen to podcasts. Be inspired! You are halfway to your dreams.

Chasing Success

We can't achieve success overnight. Several factors are needed to climb greater heights. It took me 14 years to finish my academic studies and I think a lifetime to learn more in life in general. I graduated from college but not from living my life. If there is a process, what should we do while striving to achieve our dreams? Let me share with you my thoughts about this.

Redefine success.
Basketball pointguards set plays to the team. But I tell you, when somebody had an opening, that man should shoot. Sometimes, things happen far from the gameplan. When opportunity comes, grab it. So, why do we need to redefine success? It makes us flexible. We may be thinking little and losing the big opportunities in front of us. Set your standards but don't limit yourself. Think both short and long term goals. Celebrate upon achieving your short goal and strive more for the longer one. Let your determination push you to shoot.

Align all your efforts.
Make a concrete plan. Practice dribbling and shooting if you want to be a basketball star. Act in front of the mirror if you want to be an actor. Tell stories to kids if you want to be a teacher. Study the laws and policies if you want to be a lawyer. Don't try to spend 90% of your time in cooking when your dream is to be a pilot. Master your craft first then make the others your hobbies. Take small steps that will lead you to your future success.

Be inspired- ALWAYS.
This one is might be so ideal. Could be difficult. We'd be shaken. We'd face criticisms. Detractors will arise and we'll lose our focus. On those days, catch inspiration. Read Joel Osteen's books. Watch Facing the Giants. Find a mentor or a life coach who can help you overcome your struggles. Pray and have faith. Play with the kids. Read an interesting article. Search biographies and study the life principles. Remember, you are responsible for the dosage of inspiration you take each day. It's life's vitamins.

The reason your car has a first gear is to remind you that you don't need to drive too fast at first. Befriend momentum. Understand phases. It will never be too late for you to start again, nor to late to get up from your mess. When that trophy falls in your hands, be thankful for the process you've been through that prepared you to become successful.

No Shortcut to Success

There's absolutely no shortcut to success.

When we cut through a vehicle ahead of us, it won't do us any good. For quite sometime, we'll feel the boast inside blowing all horns aloud but that's not enough to prove the quality of our being. What makes a leader fine and effective? The Process.

To mold the glass, you need intensive heat, directly against the fire.
To create a sharp sword, you need to apply so much force and weight.
To soften the beef, it needs much pressure and heat.
To win a basketball game, endurance, teamwork and nice play setting are required and that can't be achieved overnight.

We need to understand that success has a PROCESS. Everyone needs to undergo the process, no one is exempted, everyone.

Through the process, our character is molded, our skills are refined, our emotions are prepared and our beliefs become clear.

Take it easy. Endure the process and reap the harvest at the end of the line.

Thanks to Francis Kong for reminding me of this in his talk at The Leadership Factor seminar last weekend.