Pour Your Heart Into It

I like reading different kind of books.  Business, Investigative, Autobiography, Sports, Organization.  Fiction are for kids.

Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks wrote a book entitled: Pour Your Heart Into It — How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time.  It has so many ideas that one can learn from and I definitely enjoyed reading it.

Here's some of the ideas I found interesting: 

1. Selling has a lot to do with self-esteem.
2. If you say you never had a chance, perhaps you never took a chance.
3. In daily life, you get so much pressure from friends, family and colleagues, urging you to take the easy way, to follow the prevailing wisdom, that it can be diffeicult not to simply accept the status quo and do what's expected of you.  But when you really believe — in yourself, in your dream–you just have to do everything you possibly can to take control and make your vision a reality.  No great achievement happens by luck.
4. There is no more precious commodity than the relationship of trust and confidence a company has with its employees.
5. Taking on debt is not thebest way to fund a company.
6. Heavy debt, which can limit the possibilities for future growth and innovation.
7. The most attractive business start-ups have a propriety idea or technology–something to offer that no one else has.
8. Best ideas are those that create a new mind-set or sense a need before others do and it takes an astute investor to recognize an idea that not only is ahead of its time but also has long-term prospects.
9. Underpromis and overdeliver.  In the long run, that's the only way to ensure security in any job.
10. Big opportunities lie in the creation of something new.  But that innovation has to be relevant or inspiring, or it will burst into color and fade away as quickly as fireworks.
11. Treat people like family and they will be loyal and give their all.
12. Being extravagant toward employees seem more expensive.  But if it reduces turnover, it will cut costs of recruiting and training.
13. When a company shows generosity toward them, employees show a more positive outlook in everything they do.
14. When you're starting a business, whatever the size, it's critically important to recognize that things are going to take longer and cost more money than you expect.
15. Bring in experts before you need them than to stumble ahead with green, untested people who are prone to making avoidable mistakes.
16. Once you've figured out what to do, find someone who has done it before.
17. Don't be afraid to expose your vulnerabilities.  When you acknowledge your weaknesses and ask for advise, you'll be surprised how much others will help.
18. An intelligent executive team is vital for a company to prosper.
19. Any product-oriented company has to keep reinventing its core product if it expects to prosper.
20. Great brands have distinctive memorable identity, a product that makes people look or feel better and a strong but comfortable delivery channel.  To succeed, you must be in  a category large enough to be robust and vibrant and to have a clear and original vision.
21. You go after mass markets with mass distribution and mass advertising and then focus on grabbing market share from your competitiors
22. If you can control your own distribution, you will not find yourself at the mercy of a retailer who may or may not undersand your product.
23. The companies that are lasting are those that are authentic.
24. Mass advertising can help build brands, but authenticity is what makes them last.  If people believe they share values with a company, they will stay loyal to a brand.
25. The number one factor in creating a great, enduring brand is having an appealing product.
26. Nothing truly great can ever be achieved without taking risks.
27. Whatever you do, don't play it safe.  Don't do things the way they've always been done.  Don't try to fit the system.  If you do what's expected of you, you'll never accomplish more than others expect.
28. One of the fundamental aspects of leadership is the ability to instill confidence in others with you yourself are feeling insecure.
29. The head of a company can't and shouldn't, always be the cheerleader.  He has to be willing to let his peole see the weaknesses and the pain, as long as they understand them in the context of the company's greater accomplishments.
30. When the chips are down, it's wrong to give a rah-rah Knute Rockne speeck.  People want guidance, not rhetoric.  They need to know what the plan of action is, and how it will be implemented.  They want to be given responsiblitity to help solve the problem and the authority to act on it.
31. How easy it is to lose sight of the long term when the short-term problems scream for attention.  When times are tense, it's easy for people in the ranks to make bad decisions because they don't understand the larger implications.
32. A good chief executive keeps the broader picture in mind when everyone else is focusing on the details.  But management also should strongly urge department heads to consult one another and examine the wider implications of policy changes.  A decision to cut costs or raise efficiency will add value only if it is consistent with the overall long-term goals the company is trying to achieve.
33. A company whose management is not planning for the distant future can never grow beyond the latest faddish concept.
34. Exceptional leaders cultivate the Merlin-like habit of acting in the present moment as ambassadors of a radically different future, in order to imbue their organizations with a break-through vision of what it is possible to achieve.
35. We have to lead with our hearts.  In business, as in life, we each should have an internal compass that guides our decisions, an instrinctive understanding of what matters most in this world.
36. Business can teach us a lot about what people can achieve when they work together.  One person can do only so much.  But if he gathers a company of people around him who are committeed to the same goals, if he galvanizes them and inspires them and taps into their inner drive, they can perform miracles together.
37. You'll be left with an empty feeling if you hit the finish line alone.
38. You want to be surrounded not just by cheering onlookers buta crowd of winners, celebrating as one.
39. Victory is much more meaningful when it comes not just from the efforts of one person, but from the joint achievements of many.  The euphoria is lasting when all participants lead with their hearts, winning not just for themselves but for one another.
40. Success is sweetest when it's shared.

Win Some, Lose Some

So it was a battle for 3rd for the first ever ArcherPride Cup.

It was a humid afternoon in the Metro but that didn't stop the players to be pumped up for the game.  After all, bragging rights is again in store for this game.  Last time we played against the other team, I had the winning shot.  We won by 2.

Play started with both teams running.  Fast breaks here and there.  Perimeter shots, layups, 3 point shots, shots ala-Samboy Lim.  You name it you got it.

Fast forward to the remaining seconds of the game.  6 seconds to go.  Game is tied.  We sued for time.  I got the inbound pass from the left foul line extended.  I dribbled twice, trying to waste some more time.  With 3 seconds to go, I drove and pulled up for a jump shot on the left flank.

Clunk.

Game goes into overtime.

The other team outscored us in OT and the game was lost.  We're fourth.

I was entrusted to take the game-winning shot but I missed.

You can't have everything.

Things I Learned Outside School

There are things that you learn along the way after graduation.  Things that weren't taught in school and things that you experience, sometimes at a very costly manner.  These are the things I've learned so far:

1.  Trust — is something you give to those who deserve it.  Trust is not a birthright.  It is earned.  You can easily give trust but you must remember to keep your cards close to your chest as much as possible.  Your seatmate might not be able resist the chance to take a peak if you don't.

2.  Keep moving forward — don't let the initial success of graduating from college overcome your urge to learn something new everyday.  New things are discovered everyday and, as much as possible, you should try to keep yourself abreast of the current trends.

3.  Relationships — whether platonic or otherwise, to borrow a line from Forrest Gump, is like a box of chocolates.  You'll never know what you'll gonna get.  I've learned not to set high expectations in every relationship.  I just might get dissappointed.  Just go with the flow and hope that everything will turn out alright.

4.   Aim high — set your standards high so that you have room for error.  If you set your standards too low or just about right, you will never achieve your objectives.

5.  Underpromise and overdeliver — in the long run, that's the only way to ensure security in any job.

6.  Keep your eye on the ball — always stay focused.  As a leader, people will look up to you as someone who doesn't get rattled when the going gets tough.  Stay calm outside even if you're already troubled inside.

7.  Success is sweetest when it is shared –  don't be scared to teach what you know.  People will appreciate you for it.  Teach them everything you know and they will reciprocate.  You don't want to be alone at the top.  It's nice to have company during your moment of victory.

8.  Rumors — are destructive.  Never start one, never let one consume you.  Starting one is unfair for all parties concerned.  Trying to defend yourself to one will just fan the fire.  You have everything to lose.  Just give a firm stand and never talk about it again. 

9.   Never forget your past — don't forget the people who helped you.  Dive at the first opportunity to return the favor.  Don't forget the events that have shaped you.  Learn from it.

10.  Have fun — in everything you do, do your best and have fun doing it.

All in a Day’s Work

If Reader's Digest has "All in a Day's Work", I surely have mine and it made my life in the office more bearable.  

Here's my top 10 list (those in parenthesis were my thoughts during that time):

10.  Sir can I use the phone? (You're already holding it, do I have a choice?)

9.  Sir I don't have internet. (Of course, the LAN cable isn't connected to the CPU.  Are you blind?)

8.  Sir did you arrive just now? (Can't you see I'm holding my laptop bag and I'm on my way to my room?  No, I just love walking around with my laptop bag all the time.)

7.  Sir my monitor suddenly went blank (You accidentally unplugged it.  Didn't you notice?)

6.  Sir your mouse is hi-tech.  There's light coming out of it.  Where's the little ball inside? (It's called an optical mouse.) 

5.  Sir my dialer isn't working. (Of course, you haven't opened it.  Try opening it first.  It won't open by itself, FYI.)

4.  Sir where's La Salle? (Try looking out the window and read the sign on the building right in front.  It says "De La Salle University".)

3.  Sir are you from La Salle? (No, I just love wearing La Salle jackets and shirts.  I'm actually from Ateneo.) 

2.  Sir can I ask you something? (You already did.  Next question please.)

And the best one of all… Thank you, Crystal: 

1.  Sir my computer would not turn on (FYI, the computer requires power for it to run.  Try turning on the AVR first then the CPU.)

Exciting Month

June is always a month full of anxieties and activities for me.  First there's the opening of classes.  Yes, I'm still studying.  Masters of course.  Not undergrad, smart ass.  There's the excitement of meeting new classmates in my MBA classes.  There's the excitement of learning new things with new professors. 

Ok maybe that's a tad too nerdy.  Erase that last sentence.

Then there's the coming UAAP season to look forward to a month from now.  After 2 years of waiting, here we are 1 month away from what we all been waiting for — UAAP time.  It's the time of the year where students cut class to watch a game.  It's the time of the year when alumni suddenly get "sick" or have an "emergency meeting in the afternoon" every Thursday for the next 3 months.  Anxiety builds up starting this month till UAAP kick-off time.  There's the buzz of new and exciting rookies who will don the Green and White.  There's the usual talk of coach Franz forcing not to smile while the Ateneans struggle to cross the half-court line when the nightmare press is on.

Ok ok, 2002 were theirs.  So were 1987 and 1988.  But we got 1989, 1990, 1991, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2004.  Ok, erase 1991 and 2004 due to boardroom decisions (thanks Anton).

6 championships against 3.  In any language, you know who is better.

Time's up birdies. 

Eagle season is about to start.

Still Got Game

It was supposed to be a no-bearing game 2 Saturdays ago as all playoff positions have been decided already.  My team was 4th and we were to play the 1st ranked team on a winner-take-all semifinal game the week after.

But then again, this is a basketball game between alumni and it doesn't get any competitive than this.  Well, save for the La Salle - Ateneo games but that is another story.

The game started out slowly as each team were feeling each other out.  At the back of our minds, we don't want to exert too much effort on this game coz the playoff games were just a week ahead.  However, we don't wanna lose too and this is a game that we want to win — bearing or no bearing.

It was a no-defense type of a game (ala Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks) from the 1st quarter upto the last 2 minutes of the game.  Shots attempted went unmolested.  Fastbreaks were given a free ride.  Ticky-tacky fouls resulted on and-1 plays.  There were the occasional wayward elbows (ala Macmac Cardona), "unintentional" hard fouls (ala Ryan Arana) and trash talking (You play like an Atenean!).  Hey, boys will be boys and this is a game between alumni where back in school we were taught to settle irreconcileable differences, petty or otherwise, by telling our adversaries to go to the "back of the Gym!" rather than shouting "One big fight!". 

Problem with "One big fight!" is, even little girls can say it.  Go figure why the other school doesn't walk the talk.

Fast forward to the last 2 minutes.  You can see from the players on the court that they were already serious.  Game faces were on.  No more laughing at missed shots (Badjie del Rosario shoots better than you!) or awkward looking layups (Hey even Japeth Aguilar can block that shot of yours!).  The other team were leading by 4 when my team mate attempted a 3 and missed.  Fastbreak.  The other team's layup missed too.  Time down to 1 minute 30 secs.  My team mate again attempted a 3 and it found the mark this time.  Lead was cut down to 1 with about 1 minute left.  We stole the ball on the next offensive play of the other team and we had a layup.  We had a 1 point lead time down to 40 secs.  On the next offensive play we fouled accidentally, of all people, the would-be MVP of the tournament.  Luckily, he only sank the back-end of his freethrows.

Game was tied at 114 with 20 secs to go.  Our ball.  Coach called a time out.

The other team had 3 fouls to give before they get into penalty so we figured that they will give up their remaining  fouls to prevent us from attempting a shot. 

That was what exactly happened.  After giving up 2 non act of shooting fouls, time was down to 3.2 secs.  Still our ball.  We had to do something.  Fast.

I got the inbound pass from the foul line extended.  Thinking that I'd be fouled again (they had 1 more foul to give),  I quickly dribbled twice to break away from my guard and to get a better percentage shot  (I'm bad at 3s).  Then I shot the ball…

Buzzer sounds.

Final score: 116-114.