Why Asking Questions is Good

Posted by Jojo Agot on January 8th, 2010

Questions make us uncomfortable. We don’t like anybody going around asking questions.

I once worked in a company that was well known for having the best employees in the country. They take pride in their excellent services and they have proof that they’re doing the best in their field. Once, I was asked to comment on the report on a certain project that they were doing.

Guess what happened? They really didn’t need comments. I was told in private by the supervisor that I should not ask too much questions because I might offend those who handled the project. I should limit my comments to a safe minimum.

When we hire new employees, we have two options. To hire those who are good at following routine procedures or those who know how to ask legitimate questions and take initiative. The former is safe and dependable. The latter is creative but may, in many occasions, make us uncomfortable.

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Slip of the Tongue

Posted by Jojo Agot on December 29th, 2009

Did he really say that?

Globe Telecom President and CEO Ernest Cu’s interview with abs-cbnNEWS.com last week raised a few eyebrows in the Philippine blogosphere. In his attempt to explain Globe’s marketing campaigns amidst the poor economic conditions in the country, Cu’s words came out quite wrong.

“It’s important to know how our prepaid customers think. If you’re a telco, how do you convince a farmer to spend his money on prepaid load over food? And how can you make him choose you over the other telco? How do you keep him spending? That’s where the challenge is.”

“At the end of the day, Globe’s goal is to generate revenues for a continuously growing company.”

Personal Finance Coach Randell Tiongson’s reaction was sharp:

Whatever happened to business ethics, corporate social responsibility or just plain decency? I know that profit is the main reason for business, but this is another issue and it’s absolutely, well… wrong!

Carlo Ople’s advise to Globe CEO? “Mr. Cu, if you have a speech writer, fire his ass!”

Ouch! Maybe it was just a bad analogy but what a terrible thing to say. Either he should hire a PR to do interviews for him or he should start relearning John Maxwell’s 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, beginning with the Law of E.F. Hutton if possible.

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The Killing Spree

Posted by Jojo Agot on December 22nd, 2009

One of the often forgotten part of the Christmas story is the massacre of children in Bethlehem shortly after Jesus was born. Herod heard of the birth of Christ from the three wise men and in a brutish act to protect his position of power in Israel, he ordered the murder of all the young boys in all of Bethlehem to get rid of Jesus. He was too late though. By the time this atrocity was committed, Joseph was already transporting Mary and Jesus to Egypt.

What happened was a classic example of how much damage insecurity can cause in leadership. Herod was threatened by the rumors of a leader who was supposed to deliver Israel from oppression. He ordered the slaughter of countless children just to eliminate one particular boy who won’t definitely be doing anything political in at least twenty years.

Insecurity is a terrible driving force in a leader’s life. When one stops acting like a leader and starts chasing after his rivals, real or fancied, that person’s leadership is obviously in decline.

Popularity: 61% [?]

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