Ferdie + Meldy = Glorie?

Question: What do you get when you cross the political wiles of Ferdie with the extravagance of Meldy? Answer: Glorie!

As accusations of her extravagance abroad amidst the people's squalor at home continue to pour, the nation's dissatisfaction with Gloriffic hit rock bottom. Even Imeldific enjoys better press than Gloriffic, who showed that she is wily as Ferdie in employing Machiavellian tricks. Her bypassing of the proper procedures in the handing of the Marcosian National Artist awards to Carlo Caparas and Cecille Guidote smacks of divide and rule. The lavish dinners, accomodation, large entourage, and the planned (later cancelled) purchase of a Php1.2B jet remind us of Imeldific. With only 10 months left in her term and the bureaucratic delays, she won't have the chance to use it. Is it an indication of her plan to stay beyond 2010, or is the automatic SOP too much to let go?



The people do not trust her at all. The public delights in the mass media bloopers in reporting her death instead of Pres. Cory's. It makes me wonder - could all those bloopers be deliberate? So as to enjoy additional hits in the websites or increase in circulation, in the case of the Bulletin?

An circulating email containing the two photos below, asks who is more sincere? Another email says 92 million people (vs. 1) think the dog is more sincere.

A photo of her taking the Holy Communion is mocked. People clearly do not trust her. And she's all to blame.

White Hair Chronicles VI

In addition to the moon landing, we also mark this year the 40th anniversary of Woodstock. My son Vito teases me about being in grade II when both events happened. He needles me "ang tanda mo na talaga Itay!". I chide him back "My generation has seen the moon landing, Woodstock, martial law, and the EDSA revolution - what have you done?".

I read the news today oh boy, and just as if to remind us how long ago the Woodstock era was, someone very famous and influential from that era, my idol Bob Dylan, was treated like a complete unknown by police when he was accosted by authorities last month. A 24-year-old police officer was unaware of who Dylan is. The rock legend, who was on tour, was just walking around looking at houses to pass some time before that night's show.

A second officer, also in his 20s, who assisted the first officer was also unfamiliar with Dylan, now 68. The singer of such anthems of my generation like the "Like a Rolling Stone" and "Blowin' in the Wind" said that he didn't have any ID with him. The officers took him back to the resort where he was staying. Once there, tour staff vouched for Dylan.

Actually, rock's poet laureate did not perform at Woodstock although he was already an icon and legend at that time. Today, the 20-something generation do not know the man. Maybe now he can write a song answering his rhetorical rantings in his famous song.

How does it feel

How does it feel

To be on your own

With no direction home

Like a complete unknown

Like a rolling stone?

6 tactics to improve the team's productivity

I came upon an on leadership and management from TechRepublic. In the article, leadership coach John M McKee provides tactics for leaders looking to ensure their team remains focused and positive. Here are excerpts. The article in full can be found here.

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“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.”
- Peter F. Drucker.

Keeping team members motivated and performing at the top of their game is especially difficult right now. It’s to the benefit of all concerned that you help them to keep working at full steam. Here are a few “best practices” we’ve seen used successfully by strong leaders:

1. Lead by example - You send messages to your team members with every action and statement. If you’re seen to be giving extra, it will inspire and energize others to do the same. The same holds true for the opposite: showing fear or frustration will only fuel similar results within the team.

2. Focus on communicating objectives rather than defining roles - With fewer human resources, we have to re-assess the key deliverables. Which of them make an immediate impact, and what can be postponed? Engage as many of the team as possible on the most important goals; even if that move takes them outside their old job definitions.

3. Sense of urgency - Keep goals, both individual and team, front and center to ensure focus. Broadcast and talk about results and achievements. You want each individual performing at optimal levels. Note that it's “optimal” and not “maximum”. The former is good management practice, the latter results in burnout and negativity.

4. Celebrate individual contributions - Sports teams are clear about the fact that certain players make a bigger difference, so they recognize those people appropriately. For high performers, hearing only about the “team’s performance” can actually demotivate and cause them to slow down to the “norm”.

5. Provide guidelines to reduce uncertainty - Trusting your team to do the right thing is well and good; but with uncertainties, team members can make improper decisions. Help them with frequent reviews of goals, new or successful past approaches, and preferred outcomes during regular team meetings.

6. Recognize that your emotions affect outcomes - Keeping one's cool in difficult periods serves to help the team maintain their balance and performance. People are de-motivated by constantly cranky or negative bosses. If you have a disappointment, or a major goal was missed, it’s fine and appropriate to say so; but don’t make it personal.

Being a leader is more than being a manager. It requires empathy, attitude, and skill. The effort is worth it.

GMA parody pics on the web

 

 

White Hair Chronicles V

"Life gives us brief moments with one another but sometimes in those brief moments we get memories that last a life time."

Last weekend I had a reunion of sorts with some people I knew from way back. Some of us have not seen each other for 35+ years, after spending together the first 1/4 of our lives. In a few years, the men in the group will turn 50. That will make us certified century eggs (do the math, 50 years * 2 eggs). On the other hand, the ladies who I last saw in their pre-pubescent youth, are now pre(post?)-matronly beauties (just joking, ladies).

So for a brief while, we tried to catch up how our lives went. Who married whom? Who's a grandma now? How are the parents? How did you grow so big? What aches? What happened to your hair?

How am I now? I am proud to say that despite that I am a few years short of fifty, I have the speed and agility of a senior citizen, the eyes of a septuagenarian, and the hair of an octogenarian. What can I say, I am ahead of my time. My wife complains of my high sex drive. She says it's all in my head, she wants it lowered to my loins (another joke).

To those who knew me as a kid and have not seen me hence, this 20 second video shows how I looked before I became a Richard Gere stand-in (joke again).