We’re like baby sea turtles when we begin our careers. We don’t know what awaits us as we venture out into the world. We learn to deal with a lot of uncertainty. A property manager proposed a project to build a warehouse that would require an expenditure of PhP 2,500,000.00 (USD$ 50,000). Three (3) outContinue reading “Managing Uncertainty”
Category Archives: Aha!
The Convincing Need to Test Ourselves
We go to the doctor when we feel sick. We hardly go see the doctor when we are healthy. If we’re feeling all right, we think we’re okay; we don’t see the immediate need to get ourselves checked. Health experts have repeatedly advised us to get ourselves examined at least once a year. We’re supposedContinue reading “The Convincing Need to Test Ourselves”
We Should Be Grateful to People We Don’t See
We say ‘thank you’ when people send us a gift, open a door for us, or treated us to lunch. We thank people we see. But how about people we don’t see? When we eat at a restaurant, we thank the waiter. But do we thank the chef, his assistants, the dishwashers, and the administrativeContinue reading “We Should Be Grateful to People We Don’t See”
Two Kinds of Customers
Two (2) occupants of two (2) condominium residences were refusing to pay their share of association and water bills. They, in fact, haven’t paid for over a year despite repeated follow-ups from the condominium’s treasurer. The rationale of both occupants (who happen to be sisters, by the way) was that the condominium association wasn’t legal,Continue reading “Two Kinds of Customers”
We are Consumers in a Take-It-or-Leave-It World
I’ll never fly, Emirates, the Dubai-based airline, ever again. At least I’ll avoid it as much as I could. The Emirates flight I took from Manila to Dubai was horrible. I had a economy seat in which I could not get the in-flight entertainment system to work. The flight attendants ignored my requests for assistance. Continue reading “We are Consumers in a Take-It-or-Leave-It World”
Attaining Flow via Systems & Platforms
We complain how little time we have. Or we complain about how long we have to wait. Either time is too short or too long. We lose track of time when we’re engrossed in a task. But we use a lot of it when we distract ourselves from our jobs. Time is an intangible resourceContinue reading “Attaining Flow via Systems & Platforms”
Compliance is Not Service
Every year, banks notify us that we need to update our background information for the accounts we opened and deposit our money in. They say it’s a rule of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas or BSP, the governing monetary authority of the Philippines, where I live & work. All depositors must comply to enjoy theContinue reading “Compliance is Not Service”
Developing the Right Demand Fulfilment Strategy
A large fast-food chain hired executives from a fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) multinational. The owners of the fast-food chain wanted the best and the brightest and they thought that the former executives from the multinational FMCG would best meet their expectations. They were almost right. The former executives spent a lot of time revamping theContinue reading “Developing the Right Demand Fulfilment Strategy”
Tackling Our Fears Through Trust
I attended a condominium owners’ meeting in late August 2022. It was the first meeting of the condominium’s owners in more than two (2) decades. For so long, I and my fellow condominium unit owners have had no issues to contend with. We (most of us anyway) paid our dues and everyone lived in peacefulContinue reading “Tackling Our Fears Through Trust”
It’s Bad When We Turn Away Customers, Very Bad
Customers are the lifeblood of our businesses. If we don’t have customers, our businesses die; it’s that simple. Yet, many of us who are business owners turn away customers for any number of reasons. Sometimes, the reasons are due to the limits our businesses have. Restaurants turn away customers because they have no more tablesContinue reading “It’s Bad When We Turn Away Customers, Very Bad”
Ellery's Essays 