When to Let Go and Step Down

There's been unrest in our alumni association for a few years now. An anomaly was uncovered regarding the use of the funds. A previous election did not wipe out the officers who did it and there was a lot of talk there was some wrongdoing their too. Changes were made on how the elections are done to allow more alumni to vote. My sister's batch did a lot of recruitment to ensure we get better results for this elections. It happened last weekend. The funny thing is there's delay again in announcing winners. 

Sounds familiar noh? That's what happens when power gets to your head. Falling in love with power leads to greed. I often wonder why people can't just let go when it's time. If you're worried about continuity for your projects, there are many talented and skilled people out there. Don't hoard power because that stunts growth. 

Last year when I was still employed, but on medical leave I realized I wasn't getting any better. I started to worry about my team since nobody was taking care of their needs. I was asked whether I wanted to transfer them to someone else. I let them go because I knew they deserved to be cared for and learn new things from a new manager. It was a huge bonus for me that they found someone I trusted too. The opportunity to manage a huge team isn't available to everyone, but I prioritized my team over my needs. I'm confident they'll all perform well even without me. 

I honestly miss my old life. I miss the challenges. I miss my team and my teammates. I didn't want to leave because of my illness and it took me a long time to make peace with it. The Didache reflection yesterday reminded me that God does things to direct you to the right path. I hope and pray that the current officers of our alumni association find it in their hearts to let go so corrective action can be done. The mission after all is to do good for others. 

#BeKind #StayHome #VoteWisely

Because You Can!

Hump day is over and it's Thursday again. I'm only able to follow the days of the week based on Sweetie's office day. I ask him everyday what day it is already. My life used to be controlled by my Google Calendar. I used to have back to back to back meetings. 

I was reading the news today and was really happy to note that we're getting at four medals at the Tokyo Olympics. Wow! Brother Bo Sanchez shared in his vlog Hidilyn Diaz' secret to her success. She put it in her mind that she was going to win. She always gave her best during her training.  

It's truly amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it. Looking back that's how I managed my projects. I always had the end goal in mind and everything I did supported to reach the goal. That's how I also led my team. I'd ask them what they'd like to report by end of the quarter (or year). That makes it easy for them to plan and budget their time for the whole quarter (or year). 

When you have a goal it's important to detail the steps on how you're going to reach it. Most of the tools I use are online, but I still have a handwritten checklist. It's fulfilling to tick off tasks. I still do this now since managing your family in two countries requires program management skills (haha). 

That's the secret to achieving anything - have a clear goal and proper planning prevents poor performance! Go for the gold! 

Day 6 Minimalism Challenge, Write your friends' best qualities. I keep a small circle of really close friends. As you grow older you realize that you don't need a lot of friends. And as you grow older you also experience a lot of stuff about friendship. I trust my besties. I don't talk to them everyday, but they instinctively know when I need them. They know when I'm in one of my moods. They know how to calm me down and what I like and don't like. Our friendship has been through the test of time and that's something I'll never exchange for anything in the world. 

CB///*Yr2/117 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/140 #NewG329 #Home87 #StayHome #BeKind 

Everyone Can Bloom Under the Sun

One thing I love most about my job is the opportunity to work with communities. I think it was fate that lead me to work with communities. I realized early on that I needed help. Many people reached out to help and I realized that I had the unique opportunity to encourage others to contribute to their chosen advocacy.

That's one of the things I've been doing in the last fourteen years. It started with developers, then entrepreneurs, students and now educators. Early on I knew it was not about me, but about showing others that they can each bloom beautifully under the sun.

Working with communities is like planting. Sow the seeds, nurture it until it sprouts, water and give it nutrients until it grows and blooms. It's not all rosy all the time. Pests can ruin your plants. The pests come in the form of off-track personal motivations, jealousy and differing of values. It gets really challenging and sometimes stress causes me to get sick.

So much like when my plants get sick I respond to the issue with love. There are several ways to manage plant issues -- pruning, adding nutrients, spraying water with baking soda, re-potting and even moving them around helps. Patience is key and in no time things will be back on track. It's hard though to spread the love evenly especially when your are taking care of many plants.

The best thing about it is when the plants bloom and stand tall under the sun.


CB//136 #StuckAtHomeDay/166 #WFH98 #StayHome #BeKind 

Boss

"No job is beneath me or above me. If something needs doing, I do it."

I was a battered employee way back. I had the misfortune of having drill sergeant (and sometimes weird) bosses. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate them (well not anymore), but I did learn a lot from them. And one thing I learned from them is how not to be a bad boss.

My crew from a past life. We're still mostly in-touch. Miss you all.

I got the quote above from watching Mikey Bustos' video and it made me think - am I a good manager? I remember we had a managers training once and we were asked what things we didn't like about previous bosses. Here's a few of my experiences:

1. The screaming boss.
2. The boss who treats you like you're a plebe.
3. A boss who takes all the credit.
4. A very moody boss (I hate drahgz).
5. A boss who throws you under the bus.
6. A boss who won't set you up for success
7. Micromanagers.
8. A boss who throws stuff at you (yup this has happened to me).
9. A boss who you can't learn from.
10. An unsupportive manager.

I was in my mid-twenties when I started managing people. I protected my team from our bad bosses as much as I could and told myself I would never treat anyone the same way. Here's what I believe makes a good boss:

1. Be a leader not a boss.
2. Empower your team. Give them the space they need.
3. "We" and not "I".
4. Make objectives and key results clear.
5. Provide enough direction and let them fly. Be the wind beneath their wings.
6. Develop your padawans to become Jedis. (Coach, do not mandate).
7. Be understanding, but be firm.
8. Do not micromanager. Ever.
9. Be a friend when needed.
10. Enforce work-life balance.

I've listed just some basic thoughts. I have tips also for those managing multi-cultural teams and multi-age teams. Things get crazy and I cannot claim to be the perfect boss. I just hope and pray that my team knows they can always count on me (except when I need to take breaks to reboot hehe). Love you guys.