Adversity + Passion = Creativity

On one media interview, I was asked, "Can creativity really contribute to economic growth?

In fact, I've been asked many times of these types and many were challenging to expound.  I must admit I'm penchant for thought-provoking conversations.  I wish I have all the answers.  Sadly I don't.

But here's an AVP from the recently concluded Creative Industries Summit featuring yours truly with other sector chairmen of Creative Cebu and front liner DTI Provincial Director Nelia Navarro sharing their views as well.

Music bed are instrumental edits by Sheila and the Insects "The Disco Machine" and "Maude" courtesy of ICO Music Publishing and Merchandising.


Video directed by Zen Pastoriza (Camp Cebu).

No they're not dumb

Decisions are made based on the amount of information presented to you.  And more often you'll find out how much of that essential information was lacking or needed based from the results of that decision.

If the information isn't ripe, complete, or satisfied, then there is a high possibility of wrong assumptions.

I've met a lot of agents from companies who always fall short of intuitiveness and pro-activeness.  Probably because they pretend too much that they know enough.  No they don't.  I wish I could say they're dumb but they're not.  Lazy maybe but not dumb.

So if you encounter people like these, it's either you replace them or reeducate them.  That's where your leadership trait kicks in.  The choice is yours.

Don't just satisfy

Customer satisfaction is such an overrated statement.  We all know that when a customer buys your product or hires your service, he/she either needs it or wants it and is already satisfied.  But what's often done is failing to excite them.

A taxi driver should not assume that their passenger knows the route.  He travels the road every minute every day and therefore should know the best route to a less congested traffic.  The passenger is already satisfied with taking the cab.  But the driver could induce excitement by simply asking which route he/she prefers to take.  How simple could that be?  And it only takes a few seconds to deliver and it doesn't cost him anything.

A government employee could excite a citizen by giving accurate procedures.  The government can make a citizen even happier if it can reduce if not simplify the required documents to process. There is better and positive result if the government charges fees one-time on the same amount than charging on a per-document basis.  This doesn't cost anything at all.  What it needs is just to espouse trust.

A band can excite their fans by going to their table and talk with them after their gig.  Their fans are already satisfied with the performance.  But good conversations are priceless and can build more fans via word-of-mouth (fans would tell their friends that you sat beside them over beer).  This doesn't cost the band at all.

So don't just satisfy.  Learn to excite so they will talk more about you.  It goes a long a way.

The extra mile

"That's not my job."

"I didn't do it."

"It's your job now not mine."

"Not my business."

"I'm busy."

"Oh, I forgot."

We hear these comments in the workplace.  Many times.  And these are the main reasons why customers, clients, and even friends hate you.  Because you failed to assure them of your role and responsibility.

But the truth is that what the customers really want to know is if you are doing something about it regardless of when or how you will deliver (of course they want it asap but there's no such thing really).

If your document didn't get to the destination, don't blame the postal service yet.  If you made a mistake on the price, don't say it's his/her fault.  Do the extra mile.  Re-educate yourself of how the process went.  Then report.  I've done it.  The customer understood and even advised a better method.  Trust and loyalty was built even stronger.

So instead of saying any of the above, excite them.  Say,"Yes, ma'am it's in my to-do list."  Or ,"I'll be back with an answer in a day or two."  Do not rub off your role from them.  Keep the loyalty in.  It's priceless.

More importantly, don't say you're busy... because we all are.

Between time, cost, and quality

Decisions are made not because you are brave and bold.  They're made because you believe you know enough to decide on such.  Bravery, like confidence, is the consequence of good knowledge, positive attitude, reputation, and insight.

However, decisions are often initiated and anchored on cost first, then time, and quality is ranked last before a "balance" is met.  But is it really?

Well yes balance should be met.  But how do you know how much your idea would cost you and when it is acceptable to the target audience?

At the first inception of your grand idea, you never think about time and cost, correct?  All that matters to you at that time is how to make the idea happen and work.  That effort of thinking is non-quantifiable.  Yet many managers still attempt to measure them.

You only get to appreciate quality over time.  Don't forget creativity.  If you have it, cost shouldn't be much of an issue.

Non-quantifiables for non-quantifiables.  Quality decisions are made from good knowledge, positive attitude, reputation, and insight.  Quality comes first.  Balance it later.

What are you?

Are you a doer?  A planner?  Or both?

If you are a doer, do you do things just for the sake of doing it or have you invested the time to understand its meaning.  Did you really see the big picture?  Or you're just in it because it's cool?

If you are a planner, do you plan for just one deadline?  Or do you plan for a long term perspective?

Many of us have great ideas.  But not all knows enough to run the start up.

Many of us have great skills.  But not every skilled person is hyperactive.  More often, it's easier to get lazy.

Many of us love to jump in the boat when the engine's up and ready to go.  But not many are patient to wait during its planning and risk-taking stages.

Not many are planners.  And sadly not many are true doers.

So what are you?

Make meaning first

I believe every person has something valuable to do that could benefit many.  I also believe that every person gets that itch to share what he or she has. What sets it apart is when and how it becomes valuable to many.  Not all, just many.

Topping the charts used to be a measure of status quo.  Respect used to be based on rank or position or prestigious titles.  People salute you when you have it.

Thank God things have changed.

Nowadays, respect is more transparently visible from doing things that many can benefit from.  You don't have to be the CEO or a high ranking person in an organization.  It helps though.  You get a good leverage there.  But what's more important and really matters is what good you've done for many.

Make meaning first.  Reward always comes after.  Of course there's always a question of when.

What Noynoy must know

I met a foreigner retiree who used to work with the United Nations (UN) for 20 years or so.  He would document real life stories from nation to nation of cultures, subcultures, lifestyles, and all other untold crimes of the underworld - son murdering his father on the spot, politicians on drugs and drug dealings, smuggling, child trafficking - you name it he's lensed it.

Of the stories he shared to me was about the daily plight of beggars in the streets of Manila and the organizations that are actually behind its modus.

We all know that the beggars are linked to a group of mafias.  This is an old story and this is not a myth.  What we don't know is that this group is somehow linked to the Congress. And he filmed this story too.

His job was to send documentaries to the UN.  The org would then endorse it back to our administration.  This is in the hope that the story would awaken the eyes of our leaders. This is in the hope that the documentaries could challenge the status quo.  This is in the hope that it could evoke a change in the system.

Nothing happened.

And so the UN will have to wait until the next administration will grant their request.  If nothing still happens then they will have to wait for the next again.  And so the wait goes on.

I wonder if Noynoy knows about this.  If he did already, then he knows where to start sweeping.  Otherwise, his promise of eradicating poverty and corruption was probably just for the show.

By the way colorful designer clothes at the SONA was impressive.

Where have all our taxes gone?

Recently, I was invited to a focus group discussion initiated by the Asian Institute of Management (AIM). It was a forum that opened lids on issues of corruption.  Particularly on how businessmen manage to survive through their daily dealings that apparently impact their operations.

Those who know me knows that I'm not so much interested in talks about politics.  But I thought I'd share this.  I hope it could lead to something better.

The latest statistics on the cost of corruption according to AIM's research revealed an estimated 20% of the Philippine budget that is lost to corruption every year.

This translates to the Philippines a high probable loss PhP 308.2 billion for the entire year or PhP 843 million each day.  It's a lot of money and this is from a 2010 budget set at PhP 1.4 trillion this year.  You can imagine how much money was lost in the past years.

But what could this huge amount of cash tell us?

It could've sheltered 3.6B families at 40sqm per house. It could've hired 1.6M teachers to public schools. It could've built 598 classrooms, or 102km farm-to-market roads, or 266K barangay health centers.

Tell me what you think about this.

Blessings in disguise

On a brighter note, things aren't really so bad.

The positive light is that if more people had not voted for Noynoy, the voters' ratio would've favored for Erap, the ever stubborn political clown in our ever schizophrenic political system.  Imagine how things would be like.

Another blessing is that the stock market soared, gained so favorably in the past few days since the official announcement.  It's true what the wise men say, "just count your blessings."  I'm still counting.

Dear Noynoy

Your dad assured us once that the Filipino is worth dying for.  He stood up to it and died for all of us.  His agenda was not to guarantee the eradication of poverty and corruption but instead showed the grandest of leadership.

Today, you could win.  Your campaign's battlecry was to assure us that corruption and poverty will be eradicated.  How arrogant and naive but I think corruption and poverty is a consequence of poor and selfish leadership. I wish you could show good leadership to us by delivering a clear platform of governance this time (which you failed to do during your campaign).

As a concerned citizen of this country speaking on behalf of my fellowmen, I say that what we Filipinos need is good and strong leadership just like your dad's.  We don't need another set of pretentious promises.  Personally it's BS to me. You are not your dad hence may not be as brilliant as him.  Yet if you win maybe you can start proving your worth by working on delivering back the legacy and ideals your dad left to us.

Prove to us that you are a good leader, that you cannot be tainted and influenced by the crooks around you, and that you are what you wanted us to believe you are.  Please refrain from tying up with the media and be more sincere of your service (remember back then that your sister's entertainment career was not favored by your family).

Good luck on your leadership role.  Good luck to us all Filipinos who believed in Ninoy's (not Noynoy's) plight.  I'm still hopeful though that things will be ok.

God bless us all.

Ideas that just might work

Some ideas that need a lot of work and just might work.

1. Live recordings of poetry reading of Bathalad and stream it online.
2. Ringer for jeepney passengers so drivers can step on the brakes fairly on time and conductors wouldn't have to slam their hand and arms on the roof (this is just sooooo annoying).
3. A government sponsored website where people can upload ideas for public leaders to work on and people can discuss and even debate on its doability, timeline, cost, etc.
4. Record bands' live performance so that they can use it as reference for improvements.
5. A website that emails and prints presskits of bands and artists for publicity purposes.
6. Add a comic sector in Cebu's art and music community.
7. Have fans register in your band's mailing list in exchange for an email of free MP3's.
8. A government or public funded billboard published quarterly displaying a checklist of all the promises made by the President including new projects so that people can monitor how well our public servants are performing.

What else?  Any more ideas anyone?

On corruption and poverty

I don't think the poverty problem in the Philippines is caused by corruption.  I think corruption is caused by the wrong leaders the Filipinos voted for in the past.  Because majority of our fellow Filipinos failed to listen to their hearts on what they really need.

Instead they based their votes on popularity, surnames, and poll results among other superficial data.  I strongly hope and pray this won't happen again.  For many election times I've always based my vote on faith - on whom I believe was the candidate that could've made a good change regardless of whether he won or not.  And I believe the Filipino voters are smarter this time around.

I think the solution to a better nation is not to give focus on the issue of corruption and poverty.  I think the solution is to give focus on moving for the right leadership.  But for all of us to get there, we must first to do our job well.

My conscience is clear.  My intention is pure.  I'll do my part.  Tomorrow's my deadline.

Jacqueline Novogratz on linchpin

Linchpins are people with good souls. Some if not most of them have already trudged to becoming essentially pure in their intentions.  Jacqueline Novogratz explains that in about a minute or so.  I thought this is useful to such organizations as Artist KO.  Enjoy the short vid.  I did.



Jacqueline Novogratz is founder and CEO of Acumen Fund (acumenfund.org) a fast-growing non-profit that is pioneering the idea of patient capital. Acumen funds entrepreneurs that build significant for-profit companies that do business with the poorest people in the world.

Change needs to upset people

Even when things change for the better, even when the motive is to really change for the better, we still need to consider the risk of upsetting people.

Change requires strong leadership. Great leaders will always have both allies and non-allies (not necessarily enemies). The latter would be those that almost always gets upset about change.

Because each of us have comfort zones, it is normal and understandable that we get upset with change. We love our comfort zones. We love the past it is associated with. We love the convenience it has nested in us. We love the sloth it encourages.

And so we resist change.

So why is it important that I say this?

Because if we want to make a good change yet we don't prepare ourselves to people whom we might UNINTENTIONALLY upset later, we'd end up not able to make that good change at all.